Where can I find metar data?
Sample METAR and Decoded Text The METAR is a specialized format that contains everything the observer needs to record. Here’s a real-world METAR and, below that, a translation into plain English. You can view both raw text and decoded METARs for any airport in the world on the NOAA Aviation Weather Center website .
What is the difference between METAR and SPECI?
METARs in the U.S. are valid for one hour and are issued hourly. 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.
What is the METAR example from Trenton-Mercer Airport?
This METAR example is from Trenton-Mercer Airport near Trenton, New Jersey, and was taken on 5 December 2003 at 18:53 UTC. METAR KTTN 051853Z 04011KT 1/2SM VCTS SN FZFG BKN003 OVC010 M02/M02 A3006 RMK AO2 TSB40 SLP176 P0002 T10171017= [9]
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.
What does CIG mean in aviation?
Ceiling & Visibility (CIG/VIS) Clouds. Precipitation / Weather (PCPN/WX) Thunderstorm (TS)
What are the two types of METAR?
Type of report—there are two types of METAR reports. The first is the routine METAR report that is transmitted on a regular time interval. The second is the aviation selected SPECI.
What does M mean on METAR?
An M in front of the number indicates that the temperature/dew point is below zero Celsius. Q1020 indicates the current altimeter setting (in QNH) is 1,020 hPa (30.12 inHg). NOSIG is an example of a TREND forecast which is appended to METARs at stations while a forecaster is on watch.
What does 9999 on a METAR mean?
visibility greater than 9000 metersThe 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.
How many types of METAR are there?
Type of report—there are two types of METAR reports. The first is the routine METAR report that is transmitted every hour. The second is a special report, a SPECI, that can be given at any time to update the METAR for rapidly changing weather conditions, aircraft mishaps, or other critical information.
What is the difference between METAR and TAF?
A METAR report includes wind direction and speed, temperature, barometric pressure, and cloud cover. On the other hand, a TAF report provides the same weather information as a METAR, plus information relating to whether rapid, gradual or temporary change is expected in some of the meteorological conditions.
What does CB mean in a METAR?
CB – Cumulonimbus. CLR – Sky clear at or below 12,000AGL. FEW – Few cloud layer 0/8ths to 2/8ths. OVC – Overcast cloud layer 8/8ths coverage.
What does RAB stand for in a METAR?
Runway (in RVR measurement) RA. Rain. RAB. Rain Began @ HHMM (RAB 1421) or as Min past hour (RAB 21) [METAR]
What does 8000 mean in a TAF?
GROUP 4: Visibility, Weather, and Obstructions to Vision:MetersSM6,40048,00059,600611,20076 more rows
Does a METAR supersede a TAF?
TTF (Trend Forecast) is a three hour trend forecast appended to some METAR/SPECI. It supersedes the TAF for its period of validity. Weather is included in a forecast or report using the abbreviations in the table (left).
What does M02 mean in a METAR?
M02. Dew point in degrees Celsius.
What does a02 mean on a METAR?
The AO2 notation means the station is automated and has a precipitation discriminator. AO1 means automated but no precipitation discriminator. The precipitation discriminator will be able to sense the difference between rain and snow. The METAR format is documented in the Federal Meterological Handbook No.
What METAR stands for?
Meteorological Terminal Air ReportDefinition. Meteorological Terminal Air Report (METAR) - literally 'Meteorological Terminal Air Report' or more straightforwardly 'Routine aerodrome meteorological report'
What does RMK mean METAR?
REMARKSRMK 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. If it were AO1, there would be no precip sensor.
How do you read METAR and TAF?
The direction is indicated by the first three numbers. In our case, '190' means that the wind is blowing 190° from the north, or from the south-southwest. All the numbers after the wind direction tell us about the wind speed. In our case, the first two numbers are saying that the wind is blowing at a speed of 4 knots.
What is a SPECI METAR?
METAR/SPECI. A METAR is a routine report of meteorological conditions at an aerodrome. A SPECI is a special report of meteorological conditions, issued when one or more elements meet specified criteria significant to aviation.
What is CIG 007V013?
CIG 007V013. When the ceiling (as measured by a ceilometer, which uses a laser or other light source to determine the height of a cloud base) 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 does the 2 group mean in 20089?
20089, the 2-group, indicates the lowest temperature during the previous six-hour period. If the digit following the "2" is a "0", then the temperature is higher than 0 degrees Celsius (a "1" following the "2" indicates that the temperature is less than 0 degrees Celsius). So the lowest temperature at Concord between 06Z and 12Z on May 13, 2006, was 8.9 degrees Celsius (48 degrees Fahrenheit). Like the "1" group, the "2" group is only reported at 00Z, 06Z, 12Z and 18Z.
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 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 is the remarks section in a meteor?
This is the remarks section. It is used to show any other information that may be needed. It shows various things such as cloud types, sea level pressure, or anything else the weather reporter feels is important. In the example here the SF4NS8, is showing us the cloud types. So the SF4 means the first cloud layer (SCT001) is the stratus fractus type cloud. The NS8 means the second could layer (OVC005) in the nimbostratus type cloud. I will list all the cloud types below with a brief description. The SLP113 is the Sea Level Pressure measured in hectopascals or hpa. They are automatically preceded by 10, and the last number is a decimal place. So in this case the sea level pressure is 1011.3 hpa. 95% of the remarks in a METAR are irrelevant to VATSIM, but I will give a brief description of them. TORNADO, FUNNEL CLOUD or WATERSPOUT may be in the remarks section and are pretty self explanatory, they may also be followed by the direction they are moving, N E S or W. A01, means an automated weather station with out a precipitation discriminator, and A02 is an automated weather station with a precipitation discriminator. TWR VIS 2, is the visibility reported by tower personnel. LTG NE, shows lightning, in this case there is lightning to the Northeast. CIG 013V019, this tells us that the ceiling is variable between 1300 and 1900 feet. P0004 indicates the amount of precipitation in hundredths of an inch since the last weather observation. This shows 4/100 of an inch in the last hour. A trace is shown as P0000. There are a few other sections that can be in the remarks section, but are rarely seen so I wont really get into it here.
What does REFG mean?
The RE means recent, so REFG would mean recent fog, and basically it is as it sounds, there was fog in the area recently, REFZRA, would mean recent freezing rain, etc.
What is the name of the cloud that builds up into a high towering mass?
Towering Cumulus clouds build up into high towering masses, hence the name. Rough air will occur under these clouds, as well as icing in them.
What is the altimeter setting?
This is the atmospheric pressure, better known to us as the altimeter setting. It is measured in inches of mercury or INHG. In this case the altimeter is 29.92 INHG This is important to us because it ensures that we get a correct reading on the aircraft altimeter, which is essentially a barometer in the aircraft that uses the difference in pressure on the ground to that at altitude to calculate the actual height above Sea Level or ASL.
What is the OVC sky?
OVC Sky is 8/8s, or completely covered with cloud.
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.