Like TAF reports, reading a METAR is not very difficult: they both use the same format. It takes some time to get used to reading these abbreviations but this learning process will happen very quickly. Below we have a table with examples of METAR reports.
Apart from our example below, see the next link to obtain actual current TAFs or METARs from airports around the globe.
For a more detailed explanation see this METAR/TAF manual. Note: end of 2008 (Nov, 5) some changes were made to the TAF format.
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 Airport' | Station four letter ICAO indicator |
| Date/Time of Report | 130500Z | '13th at 05:00 Z' | Day of the month and UTC (Z) time |
| Wind | 31015G27KT | '310 degrees 15 kts gusts to 27 kts' | Max only if >= 10 kts 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 > 3 kts |
| Visibility | 1500 | '1500 meters visibility' | 0000 = less than 50 m, 9999 = more than 10 km 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 10 km, 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 (hecto pascals), A means inches of 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 30 kts gusts to 55 kts, 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 a fictional METAR from Amsterdam/Schiphol airport:
2015/12/23 14:25 EHAM 231425Z 10007KT 060V130 3200 BR BKN007 OVC008 03/01 Q1041 NOSIG
METAR issued at 2015/12/23 14:25Z
Amsterdam Schiphol issued 23th at 1425Z wind 100 at 7 kts variable between 060 degrees and 130 degrees, visibility 3200 m mist (brume), broken clouds at 700', overcast at 800', temp 03 dewpoint 01, QNH 1041 and no significant change within the next 2 hours
Another example of a METAR/TAF decoder can be found in this Eurocontrol METAR/TAF Guide.
