METAR and TAF Decoder
Paste a METAR, SPECI or TAF from anywhere in the world to read it in plain English, remarks included. Several reports at once are decoded one by one. For the current weather at an airport, with its runways and the wind, see Airport Weather.
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How to read a METAR and TAF
A METAR is an observation: the weather at the airport now, usually issued every hour. A TAF is a forecast for the airport and the area within 5 miles of it, usually for the next 24 or 30 hours, issued four times a day. Both are written in the same short codes. Times are UTC (Z), heights are in feet above the ground and winds are in knots, from a direction in degrees true.
A METAR, group by group
METAR KJFK 141851Z 25013G22KT 3SM -RA BR BKN015 OVC030 17/15 A2983 RMK AO2
| Group | Meaning |
|---|---|
METAR | Routine report (SPECI is a special report, issued when conditions change) |
KJFK | The airport's ICAO code: New York JFK |
141851Z | Observed on the 14th of the month at 18:51 UTC |
25013G22KT | Wind from 250° at 13 knots, gusting 22 |
3SM | Visibility 3 statute miles |
-RA BR | Light rain and mist |
BKN015 OVC030 | Broken clouds at 1,500 ft, overcast at 3,000 ft: the ceiling is 1,500 ft |
17/15 | Temperature 17°C, dew point 15°C |
A2983 | Altimeter setting 29.83 inches of mercury |
RMK AO2 | Remarks: an automated station with a precipitation sensor |
With a 1,500 ft ceiling and 3 miles visibility, this report is MVFR.
Common codes
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
VRB03KT, 00000KT | Wind variable at 3 knots; calm |
10SM, 1/2SM, P6SM | Visibility in statute miles (US); P6SM is more than 6 miles |
9999, 0800, CAVOK | Visibility in metres (outside the US): 9999 is 10 km or more; CAVOK means visibility 10 km or more and no significant cloud or weather |
R04L/2200FT | Runway visual range: 2,200 ft along runway 04L |
-, +, VC | Light, heavy, in the vicinity (no sign: moderate) |
RA SN DZ TS SH FZ | Rain, snow, drizzle, thunderstorm, showers, freezing |
BR FG HZ | Mist, fog, haze |
SKC, CLR | Clear sky |
FEW SCT | Few (1 to 2 eighths of the sky), scattered (3 to 4 eighths) |
BKN OVC | Broken (5 to 7 eighths), overcast (all of it) |
VV002 | Sky obscured (fog, snow): vertical visibility 200 ft, which counts as the ceiling |
CB, TCU | Cumulonimbus, towering cumulus (after a layer: BKN030CB) |
M02/M05 | Temperature and dew point in °C; M is minus |
A2992, Q1013 | Altimeter setting: 29.92 inches of mercury (US), 1013 hectopascals (elsewhere) |
BKN means broken: clouds cover five to seven eighths of the sky. The height follows in hundreds of feet above the ground, so BKN015 is a broken layer at 1,500 feet. The lowest broken or overcast layer is the ceiling.
Flight categories
VFR, MVFR, IFR and LIFR are flight categories worked out from the ceiling and the visibility; the worse of the two decides.
| Category | Ceiling and visibility |
|---|---|
| VFR | VFR: ceiling above 3,000 feet and visibility above 5 miles |
| MVFR | MVFR: ceiling 1,000 to 3,000 feet or visibility 3 to 5 miles |
| IFR | IFR: ceiling 500 to below 1,000 feet or visibility 1 to below 3 miles |
| LIFR | LIFR: ceiling below 500 feet or visibility below 1 mile |
Reading a TAF
TAF KJFK 141720Z 1418/1524 26012G18KT P6SM FEW040 FM150200 27008KT P6SM SCT050 TEMPO 1506/1510 3SM -RA BKN020 PROB30 1512/1516 1SM TSRA BKN010CB BECMG 1518/1520 31010KT
A TAF starts with the airport, the time it was issued and the period it covers (1418/1524 is the 14th at 18:00Z to the 15th at 24:00Z). Then come the forecast wind, visibility, weather and clouds, followed by change groups: FM (from a time, a complete new forecast), TEMPO (temporary changes), BECMG (a gradual change) and PROB30 or PROB40 (a 30 or 40 percent chance).
| Group | Meaning |
|---|---|
FM150200 | From the 15th at 02:00Z, these conditions replace everything before |
TEMPO 1506/1510 | Temporarily, between 06:00Z and 10:00Z: changes that come and go, each lasting under an hour |
PROB30 1512/1516 | A 30% chance of these conditions (PROB40: 40%) |
BECMG 1518/1520 | Becoming: a gradual change between 18:00Z and 20:00Z that then lasts |
A TEMPO, BECMG or PROB group lists only what changes; everything else carries on from the line before. Paste any report into the box above to read it in full.
Times are UTC (Z); the time after a slash is local, in your device's time zone. The plain-English wording is generated by cwsi.net from the report's codes and may simplify; the original report is authoritative. cwsi.net is not affiliated with NOAA or the FAA: get an official briefing before flight.