What is a METAR and a TAF? A plain-language guide
METAR and TAF are the two weather reports pilots read before every flight. They look like code, but each piece means something simple. Here is how to read them and which parts tell you whether there might be bumps.
METAR: the weather right now
A METAR is the observation an airport publishes every half hour or hour: wind, visibility, clouds, temperature and pressure. For example:
METAR LEMD 101030Z 24012G25KT 9999 FEW030 SCT045CB 18/09 Q1015 NOSIG
| Piece | What it means |
|---|---|
LEMD | The airport: Madrid-Barajas (ICAO code). |
101030Z | Day 10 at 10:30 UTC. |
24012G25KT | Wind from 240° (south-west) at 12 knots, gusting to 25. Gusts make take-off and landing bumpier. |
9999 | Visibility of 10 km or more. |
FEW030 | A few clouds at 3,000 ft. |
SCT045CB | Scattered clouds at 4,500 ft, including cumulonimbus (storm clouds). Pilots fly around them. |
18/09 | Temperature 18 °C, dew point 9 °C. |
Q1015 | Pressure 1015 hPa. |
NOSIG | No significant change expected in the next two hours. |
TAF: the airport forecast
A TAF is the forecast for an airport for the next 24 to 30 hours, with the expected changes and when they will happen. For example:
TAF LEMD 100500Z 1006/1112 24010KT 9999 SCT030 TEMPO 1012/1018 24015G28KT 4000 TSRA BKN025CB BECMG 1100/1102 VRB03KT
| Piece | What it means |
|---|---|
100500Z | Issued on day 10 at 05:00 UTC. |
1006/1112 | Valid from day 10 at 06 UTC to day 11 at 12 UTC. |
24010KT 9999 SCT030 | Main forecast: south-west wind at 10 knots, good visibility, scattered clouds at 3,000 ft. |
TEMPO 1012/1018 | Temporarily between 12 and 18 UTC… |
24015G28KT 4000 TSRA BKN025CB | …gusts up to 28 knots, visibility 4 km, thunderstorm with rain and storm clouds at 2,500 ft. That is the bumpiest window of the day. |
BECMG 1100/1102 VRB03KT | Becoming light and variable wind early on day 11. |
Common codes
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
CAVOK | Ceiling and visibility OK: good weather. |
FEW / SCT / BKN / OVC | Few, scattered, broken, overcast clouds (from less to more sky covered). |
CB / TCU | Cumulonimbus / towering cumulus: storm clouds. |
TS | Thunderstorm. |
RA / SN / DZ | Rain / snow / drizzle (- light, + heavy). |
BR / FG / HZ | Mist / fog / haze. |
G (in the wind) | Gusts. The bigger the gap from the mean wind, the bumpier near the ground. |
WS | Wind shear. |
TEMPO / BECMG / FM / PROB30 | Temporarily / becoming / from (time) / 30% probability. |
Which parts matter for turbulence?
- Gusts (G): the more they differ from the mean wind, the bumpier the take-off and landing.
- CB, TCU and TS: storm clouds. Planes go around them, but nearby the air moves more.
- Low cloud (BKN/OVC at low height): some movement while passing through it during climb and descent.
METAR and TAF only describe the area around the airport. For the rest of the route, look at the live turbulence maps or check your flight.
Have a METAR or TAF you want to understand? Paste it into the Translator on the home page and we will turn it into plain words, piece by piece.