Readers ask: What Is A Meteorological Terminal Aviation Routine Weather Report?

What is difference between Metar and TAF?

METAR is the international standard code format for hourly surface weather observations which is analogous to the SA coding currently used in the US. The acronym roughly translates from French as Aviation Routine Weather Report. TAF is the international standard code format for terminal forecasts issued for airports.

What are METARs and TAFs?

METAR stands for Meteorological Aerodrome Report. TAF stands for Terminal Aerodrome Forecast. It is a report released by large airports that summarizes the weather forecast for the area covered by five statute miles from the location of the airport.

How do you read aviation routine weather reports?

The first two digits are the date, the 16th of the month, and the last four digits are the time of the METAR, which is always given in coordinated universal time (UTC), otherwise known as Zulu time. A “Z” is appended to the end of the time to denote that the time is given in Zulu time (UTC) as opposed to local time.

What are the main types of aviation weather reports?

There are four types of weather observations: surface, upper air, radar, and satellite. Surface aviation weather observations (METARs) are a compilation of elements of the current weather at individual ground stations across the United States.

How long is TAF valid?

Routine TAFs are valid for a 24-hour period and issued four times daily: 00Z, 06Z, 12Z, and 18Z, and are amended (updated) as conditions require.

How long is a Metar valid?

Validity: Issued every hour, usually 55~59 past the hour. Data may be up to 15 minutes old, should not be older. Valid for 1 hour or until the next released report.

What does Cavok mean?

The Visibility, Cloud, and Weather groups are replaced by the term CAVOK (cloud and visibility OK) when the following conditions exist simultaneously: Visibility is 10km or more. No CB or TCU and no cloud below 5000 feet or Minimum Sector Altitude (MSA) (whichever is the greater).

How do I decode a metar report?

Decoding a METAR

1. PHNL = the airfield, Honolulu’s Daniel K.
2. 250953Z = the date and time of the report.
3. 05007G17KT = the wind conditions.
4. 10SM = visibility.
5. FEW024 / FEW040 = cloud cover.
6. 27/19 = the temperature and dewpoint.
7. A3001 = the atmospheric pressure, a.k.a. altimeter setting.

What does Shra mean in a TAF?

1. The weather groups shall be constructed by considering columns 1 to 5 in the table above in sequence, i.e. intensity, followed by description, followed by weather phenomena, e.g. heavy rain shower(s) is coded as + SHRA 2. To denote moderate intensity no entry or symbol is used.

How do I read a TAF report?

The date and time are formatted using two sets of four digits each with the first two digits representing the day of the month and the second two the 24-hour time in hours only (no minutes since TAFS are issued on the hour). The first set of digits is the start date/time and the second is the end date/time.

How do you read the weather report?

Here are some typical expressions used in a weather report:

1. a high of twenty degrees.
2. a low of -25.
3. 20 percent chance of snow.
4. mainly sunny.
5. sunny with cloudy periods.
6. record high/low.
7. above/below average temperatures.
8. a few flurries.

Is Metar AGL or MSL?

Height is important, especially in the mountains. Remember, METAR and TAF report the height of clouds AGL, not MSL.

What are the two types of Metar reports?

There are two types of METAR reports. The first is the routine METAR report that is transmitted every hour. The second is the aviation selected special weather report (SPECI).

What is weather depiction chart?

A weather depiction chart details surface conditions as derived from METAR and other surface observations. The weather depiction chart is prepared and transmitted by computer every 3 hours beginning at 0100Z time and is valid data for the forecast period.

What is a Sigmet in aviation?

A U.S. SIGMET advises of weather, other than convective activity, that is potentially hazardous to all aircraft. SIGMETs are issued (for the lower 48 states and adjacent coastal waters) for the following weather-impacted reasons: Severe Icing. Severe or Extreme Turbulence.