The following are metar abbreviations used in the united states, however some are used worldwide. Information contained in a metar the airline pilots. Metar taf abbreviations abbreviations ao1 automated observation without precipitation discriminator rainsnow ao2 automated observation with precipitation discriminator rainsnow amd amended forecast taf becmg becoming expected between 2 digit beginning hour and 2 digit ending hour bkn broken 57 octas eighths cloud coverage. Here are some video flashcards to practice reading metars. The following is an example metar from burgas airport in burgas, bulgaria. Airportfbo information, approach plates digital charts, routes.
Metar aviation routine weather report aviation term abbreviation acronym. Each state has its own unique shortened name codes used in written documents and mailing addresses. The proposed effective date is mid 1996, however the date may change. Shortened word forms abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms. The following abbreviations are used for cloud types. Metar taf abbreviations ao1 automated observation without precipitation discriminator rainsnow ao2 automated observation with precipitation discriminator rainsnow amd amended forecast taf becmg becoming expected between 2 digit beginning hour and 2 digit ending hour bkn broken 58 to 78 cloud coverage clr clear at or below 12,000. Key to aerodrome forecast taf and aviation routine weather. The following metar abbreviations are used in the united states. The metar is not a forecast but rather an observation of current weather conditions observed at the station at the time of observation. Ksmq k identifier for stations in the continental united states for stations located in alaska and hawaii the first letter would be p. Fltplan offers preflight, inflight, and postflight tools including.
Cyyz 140700z 26011kt 15sm few025 bkn045 bkn080 m05m08 a2984 rmk sc1sc5ac1 ac tr slp116 does anyone know what each section of text of the remarks section means. Ocnl ltgcccg vc ne indicates that there is occasional lightning both from cloud to cloud cc and cloud to ground cg in the vicinity vc and to. Right now this might look like a jumble of letters and numbers, but lets walk through each part of the metar, line by line. This is a standardized report and based on the icao format. Decoding a meteorological terminal air report metar. Chapters 3, 4, 6 and 7, appendices 1, 2 and 5 and attachment a of annex 3. Welcome to fltplan, a free flight planning service for creating and filing ifr and vfr flight plans, obtaining weather briefings and navigation logs for flights in the u. Nohrsc abbreviations and acronyms alert automated local evaluation in real time realtime rainriver gauge network aoc noaa aircraft operations center asos automated surface observation system avhrr advanced very high resolution radiometer satellite images awips advanced weather interactive processing system blm bureau of land management bor bureau of reclamation. Find out what is the full meaning of metar on abbreviations. Speci is merely the code name given to metar formatted products which are issued on a. Nohrsc abbreviations and acronyms alert automated local evaluation in real time realtime rainriver gauge network aoc noaa aircraft operations center asos automated surface observation system avhrr advanced very high resolution radiometer satellite images awips advanced weather interactive processing system blm bureau of land management. T02940167 gives us more accurate temperature and dew point information. A correct and thorough analysis of current and expected weather situations is of uttermost importance in aviation.
Metar taf abbreviations cloud types new vision aviation. Qnh is given in hectopascals in a four figure group, e. These abbreviations will provide insights into how the weather will change in the next 2 hours. Jan 27, 2021 slp112 tell us the sea level pressure in millibars in this case 1011.
Continental united states coop continuity of operations plan. Us dept of commerce national oceanic and atmospheric administration national weather service national centers for environmental prediction aviation weather center 7220 nw 101st terrace kansas city, mo 641532371. Key to aerodrome forecast taf and aviation routine. Updated definition to faa standard, aviation routine weather report. The state abbreviations are always in the same format.
Look up the english meanings of these metar abbreviations online wikipedia is a good source. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. Aircrew quick reference to the metar and taf codes skybrary. In the event of missing metar, the abbreviation nil should be used, and nil will end the metar. Note that the term cavok is not used in the united states. The acronym roughly translates from french as aviation routine weather report. Dod dictionary online availability and update schedule joint staff, j7, does not print copies of th e dod dictionary. Im getting frustrated with my inability to remember the codes with my reintroduction to the cockpit. Aircrews should always check metar and taf reports thoroughly for all hazards to flight safety and other elements that may affect aircraft performance or mission accomplishment. Absence of these indicators denotes a manual report by a human observer. Icao doc 9328 manual of runway visual range observing and reporting.
The following are metar abbreviations used in the united states. Acc altocumulus castellanus acft mshp aircraft mishap acsl altocumulus standing lenticular cloud ao1 automated station without precipitation discriminator. B began bc patches bl blowing br mist 58 dr low drifting ds dust storm du dust dz drizzle e ended. A great explanation of slp by david werntz can be found here. Aiir rcc re eww eqquuiicckk rreeffeerenncce too tthhee mee.
Jan 16, 2014 metar is basically an aviation surface weather report and is used by pilots and meteorologists around the world. Details are listed in the faas aeronautical information manual. Although a metar gives an indication about actual weather prevailing, it can include a trend indicator. The us has 50 states, a national capital along with commonwealths, and other territories around the world. Dod dictionary of military and associated terms, january 2021. Metar explanation ivao international virtual aviation organisation.
The dod dictionary is accessible online in pdf format on the jel joint electronic library internet at. Metars are one of the first weather reports pilots learn to read and understand. European metars finally explained europilot center. Aviation weather services federal aviation administration. A different code, metar, is used for aviation weather in the rest of the world. Sep 23, 2020 list of airportrelated acronyms and abbreviations used in faa documents.
I test myself on a regular basis, god knows i cant fly lately and i regularly cant remember pieces of the metar. Aim aeronautical information manual airmet airmens meteorological information. Metar terminal aerodrome forecast taf faq national. What is metar speci and what do the acronyms stand for. In this case, the observation is from pittsburgh, pa.
For continental us stations, the first letter is always k, followed by the perhaps more familiar threeletter airport code. Aviation weather center homepage provides comprehensive userfriendly aviation weather text products and graphics. Tempo temporarily the stated change is temporarily. Page report type 3 location and datetime 4 autocor 5 wind 6 wind variability 7 visibility 8 runway visual range 9 type of weather 10 clouds 12 temperaturedewpoint altimeter setting 14 remarks, us 15 remarks, overseas 16 section ii, taf decoding. Details are listed in the faas aeronautical information manual aim, but. Does not provide airport location identifiers sometimes referred to as airport codes. Metar taf list of abbreviations and acronyms author. Dr low drifting metar drft drift ds dust storm metar dsipt dissipate dtln international dateline dtrt deteriorate du widespread dust metar dvv downward vertical velocity dwndfts downdrafts dwpnt dew point dz drizzle metar e e eastern standard time time groups only e ending of precipitation time in minutes weather reports only e equatorial air mass. Asos station cor correction to observation cca for canada 18014g18 wind direction in tens of degrees, vrb means variable.
Includes north american and international abbreviations, some of which may not be used in uk or european sourced metar taf. Figure 111 present weather codes reportable in metar. When users have weatherrelated questions, they should contact a certified us military forecaster or majcomapproved weather source for clarification. Jul 09, 2020 continental united states coop continuity of operations plan. Becmg becoming the stated change will become permanent. Us dept of commerce national oceanic and atmospheric administration national weather service national centers for environmental prediction aviation weather center. The code name metar or speci, is given in the first line of text. Introduction beginning mid 1996, the united states will convert airport surface observations sas and sps and. Acronyms and abbreviations federal aviation administration. To assist a pilot in performing a correct weather risk assessment prior to hisher flight, meteorological offices around the world will produce a wide range of meteorological products. Metar is the international standard code format for hourly surface weather observations which is analogous to the sa coding currently used in the us. A speci report is issued when significant changes in weather conditions occur off the hour. Information contained in a metar example metar codes.
Metar is a format for reporting weather information. Kaus 0925z 26018g25kt 8sm tsra br sct045cb bkn060 ovc080 3021 a2992 rmk fqt ltgiccccg ohdw movg e rab25 tsb32 cb alqds slp2 p0035 t03020210 so what does this metar tell us. Will metar, or any wx code and abbreviations come back to me without a cheat sheet. Aerodrome actual weather metar decode 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 indicator egll london heathrow station fourletter indicator datetime 291020z ten twenty zulu on the 29th auto. The authors of this book hope you find this course informative and are able to use this book as a. Aviation routine weather reports metar weather observations. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. For continental us stations, the first letter is always. How to read a metar weather is a key component to aviation, but weather sources dont make it easy at first to understand the information. In metar speci, the air temperature and dewpoint temperatures are given in the format ttt dt d, where t is the air temperature and t d is the dewpoint temperature, e. Metar meteorological aviation report is a format for reporting weather information, either for pilots in preflight weather briefings or by meteorologists to aid them in weather forecasting.
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