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    METAR Decode PDF

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    METAR Decode PDF

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    METAR Decode PDF

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    Met Office: Aviation: METAR decode Page 1 of 2

    Home Aviation Login Briefing service METAR decode Logout


    British Isles Europe Global Help and information

    Aerodrome actual weather - METAR and SPECI decode


    Please note the decodes below incorporate the changes to METAR visibility coding introduced on 25 November 2004.

    CODE ELEMENT EXAMPLE DECODE NOTES


    1 Identification
    METAR or SPECI METAR METAR METAR — Meteorological Airfield Report, SPECI — selected special (not
    from UK civil aerodromes)
    Location EGLL London Heathrow Station four-letter indicator
    indicator
    Date/Time 291020Z 'ten twenty Zulu Usually omitted when METARS are presented in bulletin.
    on the 29th'
    AUTO A fully automated AUTO Metars will only be disseminated when an aerodrome is closed or
    report with no at H24 aerodromes, where the accredited met. observer is on duty
    human break overnight. Users are reminded that reports of visibility, present
    intervention weather and cloud from automated systems should be treated with
    caution due to the limitations of the sensors themselves and the spatial
    area sampled by the sensors.
    2 Wind
    Wind 31015G27KT 'three one zero Max only given if >= 10KT greater than the mean. VRB = variable.
    direction/speed degrees, fifteen 00000KT = calm.
    knots, max
    twenty seven
    knots'
    Extreme 280V350 'varying between Variation given in clockwise direction, but only when mean speed is
    direction two eight zero greater than 3 KT.
    variance and three five
    zero degrees'
    3 Visibility
    Prevailing 3200 'three thousand 0000 = 'less than 50 metres' 9999 = 'ten kilometres or more'. No
    visibility two hundred direction is required.
    metres'
    Minimum 1200SW 'Twelve hundred The minimum visibility is also included alongside the prevailing
    visibility (in metres to the visibility when the visibility in one direction, which is not the prevailing
    addition to the south-west' visibility, is less than 1500 metres or less than 50% of the prevailing
    prevailing visibility. A direction is also added as one of the the eight points of the
    visibility if compass.
    required)
    4 RVR
    R27R/1100 'RVR, runway two RVR tendency (U = increasing; D = decreasing; N = no change; not
    seven right, one reported in UK at present) may be added after figure e.g.
    thousand one R27R/1100D. P1500 = more than 1500 m; M0050 = less than 50 m.
    hunded metres' Significant variations — example : R24/0950V1100, i.e. varying
    between two values.
    5 Present weather
    +SHRA 'heavy rain + = Heavy (well developed in the case of +FC and +PO); - = Light; no
    showers' 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
    (>5mm)
    GS=Small hail or HZ=Haze IC=Ice crystals MI=Shallow
    snow pellets
    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
    VC=In vicinity
    Up to three groups may be present, constructed by selecting and
    combining from the above. Group omitted if no weather to report.
    6 Cloud

    http://secure.metoffice.com/aviation/metar_decode.jsp 03/04/2006
    Met Office: Aviation: METAR decode Page 2 of 2
    FEW005 'few at five SKC=Sky clear (0 oktas), FEW='few' (1-2 oktas), SCT='Scattered' (3-4
    BKN025 hundred feet, oktas), BKN='Broken' (5-7 oktas), OVC='Overcast'. There are only two
    SCT010CB scattered cloud types reported; TCU=towering cumulus and CB=cumulonimbus.
    cumulonimbus at VV///='state of sky obscured' (cloud base not discernable): Figures in
    one thousand lieu of '///' give vertical visibility in hundreds of feet. Up to three, but
    feet, broken at occasionally more, cloud groups may be reported.
    two thousand five
    hundred feet'
    Cloud heights are given in feet above airfield height
    7 CAVOK*
    CAVOK 'cav-oh-kay' Visibility greater or equal to 10 km, no cumulonimbus, no cloud below
    5000 ft or highest MSA (greater) and no weather significant to
    aviation.
    8 Temp and dew point
    10/03 'temperature ten If dew point is missing, example would be reported as 10///.
    degrees Celsius,
    dew point three
    M indicates a negative value
    degrees Celsius'
    9 QNH
    Q0995 'nine nine five' Q indicates the sea level pressure millibars. If the letter A is used QNH
    is in inches and hundredths.
    10 Recent weather
    RETS 'recent RE = Recent, weather codes given above. Up to three groups may be
    thunderstorm' present.
    11 Wind shear
    WS RWY24 'wind shear Will not be reported at present for UK aerodromes.
    runway two four'
    12 Colour states
    Military reports also display a colour state BLU, WHT, GRN, YLO, AMB
    or RED, coded according to cloud and visibility.
    BLACK may also be reported when the runway is unusable.
    13 Trend
    BECMG 'becoming from BECMG=Becoming TEMPO=Temporarily NOSIG=No sig
    FM1100 1100, 230 change
    23035G50KT degrees 35 KT ,
    NSW=No sig weather AT=At FM=From
    TEMPO max 50 KT,
    FM0630 TL temporarily from TL=Until NSC=No sig cloud
    0830 3000 0630 until 0830, Any of the wind forecast, visibility, weather or cloud groups may be
    SHRA 3000 metres, used, and CAVOK. Multiple groups may be present.
    Moderate rain
    shower's

    *CAVOK will replace visibility and cloud groups

    Example
    SAUK02 EGGY 301220 METAR
    EGLY 24015KT 200V280 8000 —RA FEW010 BKN025 OVC080 18/15
    Q0983 TEMPO 3000 RA BKN008 OVC020=

    An example of the above METAR for 1220 UTC on the 30th of the month, in plain language:
    EGLY: Surface wind: mean 240 deg true, 15 kn; varying between 200 and 280 deg; prevailing vis 8 km; light rain; cloud; 1-2 oktas base
    1000 ft , 5-7 oktas 2500 ft, 8 oktas 8000 ft; temperature +18 °C, dew point +15°C; QNH 983 mb; Trend: temporarily 3000 m in moderate
    rain with 5-7 oktas 800 ft, 8 oktas 2000 ft.

    Example
    SAUK02 EGGY 301220 METAR
    EGPZ 30025G37KT 270V360 6000 1200NE +SHSN SCT005 BKN010CB
    03/M01 Q0999 RETS BECMG AT1300 NSW SCT015 BKN100=

    An example of the above METAR for 1220 UTC on the 30th of the month, in plain language:
    EGPZ: Surface wind: mean 300 deg true, 25 kn; maximum 37 kn, varying between 270 and 360 deg; prevailing vis 6 km, minimum vis
    1200 m (to north-east); heavy shower of snow, Cloud; 3-4 oktas base 500 ft , 5-7 oktas CB base 1000 ft, temperature +3°C, dew point -
    1°C; QNH 999 mb; Thunderstorm since the previous report; Trend: improving at 1300 Zulu to 10 km or more, nil weather, 3-4 oktas 1500
    ft, 5-7 oktas 10,000 ft.

    www.metoffice.gov.uk © Crown Copyright

    http://secure.metoffice.com/aviation/metar_decode.jsp 03/04/2006

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