Decoding METAR reports
Like TAF reports, reading a METAR isn't very difficult. It takes some time to get used to reading these abbreviations but this will happen very quickly. Below we have a table with examples of METAR reports.
Decoding table for Aviation Routine Weather Report - METAR
Get a current METAR report nearby and compare it with our decoding table presented here:
| Code Element | Example | Decode | Notes |
| Report type | METAR | 'METAR - Aviation routine report' | Name for this aerodrome forecast |
| Location | EHRD | 'Rotterdam Zestienhoven' | Station four letter ICAO indicator |
| Date/Time of Report | 130500Z | '13th at 05:00 Z' | Day of the month and Z time |
| Wind | 31015G27KT | '310 degrees 15 kts gusts to 27Kts' | Max only if >= 10Kts greater than mean. VRB=variable. 00000KT = calm |
| Direction Variance | 280V350 | 'varying between 280 degrees and 350 degrees' | Given in clockwise direction, only when mean speed > 3Kts |
| Visibility | 1500 | '1500 meters visibility' | 0000 = less than 50m, 9999 = more than 10Km Sometimes direction is given: 1400SW N US: vis in SM, P6SM = more than 6SM |
| RVR | R27R/0900 | 'runway visual range, runway 27R 0900 meters' | RVR tendency (U=increasing, D=decreasing, N=no change) may be added. Variations = R24/0800V1200 Vis. between 0800m and 1200m |
| Present Weather | -SHSN | 'light snow showers' | + = heavy, - = light, no qualifier = moderate BC=patches, BL=blowing, BR=mist, DR=drifting DS=Duststorm, DU=dust, DZ=drizzle, FC=funnel cloud FG=fog, FU=smoke, FZ=freezing, GR=hail GS=small hail, HZ=haze, IC=ice crystals, MI=shallow PL=ice pellets, PO=dust devils, PR=banks, RA=rain SA=sand, SH=showers, SG=snow grains, SN=snow SQ=squalls, SS=sandstorm, TS=thunderstorm, VA=volcanic ash |
| Cloud | FEW003 BKN030 SCT015CB |
'few at 500', scattered Cumulonimbus at 1500', broken at 3000' ' |
SKC=sky clear (0=ctas), FEW=few (1-2octas) SCT=scattered (3-4octas), BKN=broken (5-7octas) OVC=overcast. Only two types reported, TCU and CB |
| CAVOK | CAVOK | 'cav-oh-kay' clouds and visibility ok |
Visibility greater than 10Km, no CB, no cloud below 5000' and no significant weather |
| Temp / Dew point | 10/03 | 'Temp 10 degrees and dewpoint 03 degrees' | If no dewpoint then it shows 10/// |
| QNH | Q1042 | 'QNH 1042' | Q indicates millibars (hectopascals), A means inches mercury |
| Recent Weather | RETS RERA | 'Recent thunderstorm / Recent rain' | RE=recent, weather codes see above, max three groups |
| Wind Shear | WS RWY24 | 'windshear runway 24' | |
| Trend | BECMG FM 1620 24030G55KT TEMPO FM1819 +TSRA |
'becoming from 1600Z til 2000Z wind 240 degrees 30Kts gusts to 55Kts, temporarily from 1800Z til 1900Z heavy rain with thunderstorms' |
BECMG=becoming, TEMPO=temporarily, NOSIG=no significant change, NSW=no sig weather, AT=at, FM =from, TL until, NSC=no sig cloud |
To complete this we have included an actual METAR from Amsterdam/Schiphol airport:
A METAR example
2006/12/23 14:25
EHAM 231425Z 10007KT 060V130 3200 BR BKN007 OVC008 03/01 Q1041 NOSIG
Decoded
METAR issued at 2006/12/23 14:25Z
Amsterdam Schiphol issued 23th at 1425Z wind 100 at 7Kts variable between 060 degrees and 130 degrees, visibility 3200m mist (brume), broken clouds at 700', overcast at 800', temp 03 dewpoint 01, QNH 1041 and no significant change within the next 2 hours
Well, it seems that it is just about legal VFR (1 mile vis. and at 500' no clouds) a cross country is not recommended now.
For a more detailed explanation of METARs see this pdf file.