What Does = Mean On An Aviation Weather Report?

How do you read aviation 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 do the numbers at the end of a Metar mean?

The first three numbers, “350” indicate the wind direction it’s coming from. The next two numbers, “45” indicate the wind speed in knots. The number after the slash is the time after the hour. The “20” in this case means the peak wind happened at 20 past the hour.

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 do I read a Metar TAF?

The time section of the TAF starts with the 2 numbers representing the day of the month, and the last four digits representing the time the report was issued. In this example, just like the METAR, the first two numbers represent the day of the month.

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.

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.

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.

What does V mean in Metar?

V – Varying. VIRGA – Virga. VRB – Variable. VRB VIS – Variable Visibility. VV – Vertical Visibility, indefinite ceiling.

What does RMK AO2 mean?

A simply stands for Altimeter. 3016 means 30.16 inches of mercury for the pressure. RMK AO2 -REMARKS. RMK simply means REMARKS and marks the end of the standard metar observation and the beginning of the remarks that are put in as necessay. A02 means that the site is automated and HAS a precipitation sensor.

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.

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.

Why is weather important in aviation?

In addition, weather continues to play a significant role in a number of aviation accidents and incidents. While National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports most commonly find human error to be the direct accident cause, weather is a primary contributing factor in 23 percent of all aviation accidents.

What is the difference between a Metar and a 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 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 often is TAF updated?

A TAF is the international standard code format for terminal forecasts issued for airports. TAFs are valid for a 30 hour time period and are issued 4 times a day at 6 hour intervals.