Where can I find information about METAR or SPECI?
Look up METAR or SPECI in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. OFCM.gov — U.S. Federal Meteorological Handbook No. 1 — Surface Weather Observations and Reports (September 2005). Complete documentation on the METAR format, PDF.
What data does METARs provide about clouds?
In general, please note that METARS can list data about more than one layer of clouds. Moreover, when the sky is obscured, METARS should include the vertical visibility in hundreds of feet. For example, VV004corresponds to an obscured sky with a vertical visibility of 400 feet. A3005is the altimetersetting - in this case, 30.05 inches of mercury.
What does NOSIG mean on METARs?
NOSIG is an example of a TREND forecast which is appended to METARs at stations while a forecaster is on watch. NOSIG means that no significant change is expected to the reported conditions within the next 2 hours. 8849//91 indicates the condition of the runway. The first two characters indicate which runway is being described.
How do I access worldwide metar data access?
Input four-letter ICAO identifier to Worldwide METAR Data Access from the U.S. NOAA. CheckWX — Raw and decoded METARs, METAR cycles, trends and graphs for locations worldwide.
What is cigarette weather aviation?
CIG - Ceiling. VIS - Visibility. WX - Weather (thunderstorms, freezing rain)
What is the 5 * * * * Group on a METAR?
pressure tendency53018 indicates the pressure tendency (the "5 group"). The digit following the "5", which can vary from 0 to 8, describes the behavior of the pressure over the past three hours (for guidance, consult the table below). The last three digits represent the amount of pressure change in tenths of a millibar.
What is TCU METAR?
TCU – Towering Cumulus. Other: A01 – Automated Observation without precipitation discrimination.
What are Metars and TAFS?
A METAR report contains information on the current weather conditions of the facility releasing the report. It is released according to a regular schedule unless sudden or exceptional weather changes occur. TAF stands for Terminal Aerodrome Forecast.
What does 7 mean in a METAR?
7////: This element only makes its appearance in the METAR once a day, at the 12Z observation. The preface of a “7” indicates rainfall in the past 24 hours.
What does 9999 mean on METAR?
The largest reportable metric value is 9999. This value represents a visibility greater than 9000 meters (7 SM or more). To convert visibility values from meters to statute miles see Attachment 3 on page 33 or see Flight Information Handbook conversion tables. 8. METAR.
What is TX and TN in TAF?
TX - Indicator for Maximum temperature. TtTt - Temperature value in Celsius. TN - Indicator for Minimum temperature. HH - Forecast hour, i.e. the time(hour) when the temperature is expected.
What does RAB mean in METAR?
RA. Rain. RAB. Rain Began @ HHMM (RAB 1421) or as Min past hour (RAB 21) [METAR]
What does PK WND mean in METAR?
PEAK WINDPEAK WIND. PK WND dddff(F)/(hh)mm; direction in tens of degrees, speed in whole knots, time in minutes after the hour. Only minutes after the hour is included if the hour can be inferred from the report.
What is a02 in METAR?
AO2. automated station with precipitation discriminator.
What is Cor in METAR?
What does the word "COR" in a METAR message indicate? Presence of "COR" in a METAR means that a corrected METAR or SPECI is being transmitted. "COR" report invalidates a previous message and replaces it with a "COR" message.
What does Qnh mean on a TAF?
QNH. The QNH is the atmospheric pressure corrected to mean sea level (based on International Standard Atmosphere conditions throughout the height difference) and is reported in the METAR rounded down to the nearest whole hectopascal.
What is a metar?
METAR is a format for reporting weather information. A METAR weather report is predominantly used by aircraft pilots, and by meteorologists, who use aggregated METAR information to assist in weather forecasting . Raw METAR is the most common format in the world for the transmission of observational weather data.
What is a metar in aviation?
METARs can be expressed concisely using so-called aviation flight categories, which indicates what classes of flight can operate at each airport by referring to the visibility and ceiling in each METAR. Four categories are used in the U.S.:
What is the METAR code for rain?
Codes before remarks will be listed as "-RA" for "light rain". Codes listed after remarks may be listed as "RAB15E25" for "Rain began at 15 minutes after the top of the last hour and ended at 25 minutes after the top of the last hour."
What is the FM 15-XII code?
North American METARs deviate from the WMO (who write the code on behalf of ICAO) FM 15-XII code. Details are listed in the FAA's Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), but the non-compliant elements are mostly based on the use of non-standard units of measurement. This METAR example is from Trenton-Mercer Airport near Trenton, New Jersey, and was taken on 5 December 2003 at 18:53 UTC.
What is a phpweather?
PhpWeather is a PHP application (with a GNU General Public License) that parses METAR reports.
What is raw meteor?
Raw METAR is the most common format in the world for the transmission of observational weather data. It is highly standardized through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which allows it to be understood throughout most of the world.
What is a complement to a metar?
The complement to METARs, reporting forecast weather rather than current weather, are TAFs. METARs and TAFs are used in VOLMET broadcasts.
What does $ mean in a METAR?
The $ indicates maintenance is required on the automated system. Sometimes the RMK (remarks) section of the METAR will contain a maintenance status indicator.
How do you decode a METAR?
Let’s take the following example of a METAR we’ve just picked up via ACARS for Chicago O’Hare International:
How long is a metar valid?
In other countries METARs are generally valid for 30 minutes and are issued twice per hour – at 20 minutes past the hour and 50 minutes past the hour. If there are significant changes since the time a METAR was released a SPECI will be issued. Related: Aviation SPECI Reports – A Pilot’s Guide.
What is the difference between a TAF and a metar?
What are the differences between METARs and TAFs? A METAR is Meteorological Terminal Air Report (or “aviation routine weather report”) is a weather report of a actual conditions at an airport at a specific time. A TAF (Terminal Area Forecast) is a weather forecast for a given area around the airport specified in the forecast.
How often are metars issued?
In the United States METARs are usually issued once per hour, at 55 minutes past the hour. In other States they are often issued twice per hour, at 20 minutes past, and 50 minutes past the hour.
Why are metars shorted?
In the U.S. METARs can be shorted to display the time of flying that is possible at an airport with respect to ceiling and visibility. The four aviation flight categories are:
What is FEW250?
Cloud cover: FEW250 refers to few cloud at 25,000 feet. Cloud cover is measured in “Oktas” or “eighths of the sky”. Temperature and dew point: 29/17 The temperature is reported first (in degree celsius) followed by the dew point (the temperature at which the air would become saturated with water vapor).
What does A02 mean in a metar?
A02 means that the site is automated and HAS a precipitation sensor. If it were AO1, there would be no precip sensor. This does not mean the site is un-manned. If there is an AUTO after the ID in the metar ob, then there is no observer.
What is the difference between a metar and a spectr?
METAR is the scheduled observation taken at the end of each hour. SPECI is an observation taken at an unschedul ed time due to certain criteria that is met such as low visibility, low clouds, frozen precipitation, or thunderstorms.
What is CIG 007V013?
CIG 007V013. When the ceiling (as measured by a ceilometer) is less than 3000 feet and variable, this group typically appears in METARS. In this case, the ceiling was variable between 700 and 1300 feet.
What is the code for overcast sky?
OVC010represents the current sky condition, which, at this time, was overcast at 1000 feet (the three-digit code corresponds to the ceiling (or cloud base) in hundreds of feet). In general, please note that METARS can list data about more than one layer of clouds. Moreover, when the sky is obscured, METARS should include the vertical visibility in hundreds of feet. For example, VV004corresponds to an obscured sky with a vertical visibility of 400 feet.
Is translating onemetar a lesson?
I realize that translating oneMETAR hardly qualifies as an entire lesson, but at least you now know the general guidelines and where to find information in case you run across a METAR that gives you pause. I encourage you to expand your aptitude for decoding METARS - they hold a lot of information.
Overview
METAR is a format for reporting weather information. A METAR weather report is predominantly used by aircraft pilots, and by meteorologists, who use aggregated METAR information to assist in weather forecasting.
Raw METAR is the most common format in the world for the transmission of observational weather data. It is highly standardized through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO…
Report names
The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in its publication the Aeronautical Information Manual describes the report as aviation routine weather report while the international authority for the code form, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), describes it as the aerodrome routine meteorological report. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (part of the United States Department of Commerce) and the United Kingdom's Met Office both e…
Reports
METARs typically come from airports or permanent weather observation stations. Reports are generated once an hour or half-hour at most stations, but if conditions change significantly at a staffed location, a report known as a special (SPECI) may be issued. Some stations make regular reports more frequently, such as Pierce County Airport (ICAO code: KPLU) which issues reports three times per hour. Some METARs are encoded by automated airport weather stations located …
History
The METAR format was introduced 1 January 1968 internationally and has been modified a number of times since. North American countries continued to use a Surface Aviation Observation (SAO) for current weather conditions until 1 June 1996, when this report was replaced with an approved variant of the METAR agreed upon in a 1989 Geneva agreement. The WMO's publication No. 782 "Aerodrome Reports and Forecasts" contains the base METAR code as adopted by the …
Information contained in a METAR
A typical METAR contains data for the temperature, dew point, wind direction and speed, precipitation, cloud cover and heights, visibility, and barometric pressure. A METAR may also contain information on precipitation amounts, lightning, and other information that would be of interest to pilots or meteorologists such as a pilot report or PIREP, colour states and runway visual range (RVR).
Regulation
METAR code is regulated by the World Meteorological Organization in consort with the International Civil Aviation Organization. In the United States, the code is given authority (with some U.S. national differences from the WMO/ICAO model) under the Federal Meteorological Handbook No. 1 (FMH-1), which paved the way for the U.S. Air Force Manual 15-111 on Surface Weather Observations, being the authoritative document for the U.S. Armed Forces. A very simil…
METAR conventions
Although the general format of METARs is a global standard, the specific fields used within that format vary somewhat between general international usage and usage within North America. Note that there may be minor differences between countries using the international codes as there are between those using the North American conventions. The two examples which follow illustrate the primary differences between the two METAR variations.
Example METAR codes
The following is an example METAR from Burgas Airport in Burgas, Bulgaria. It was taken on 4 February 2005 at 16:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
METAR LBBG 041600Z 12012MPS 090V150 1400 R04/P1500N R22/P1500U +SN BKN022 OVC050 M04/M07 Q1020 NOSIG 8849//91=
• METAR indicates that the following is a standard hourly observation.