Q&A for How to Read an Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR)

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How often is a METAR issued?

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wikiHow Staff Editor

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METARs are issued once an hour throughout the day, at 55 minutes past the hour. Each METAR is only good for an hour.

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What does VV mean on a METAR?

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wikiHow Staff Editor

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VV stands for “vertical visibility.” This term is used to indicate how far you can see into the sky past a surface-based obstruction (such as fog or rain), followed by a number indicating hundreds of feet.

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What’s the difference between a METAR and a TAF report?

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wikiHow Staff Editor

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A METAR contains observations of current visibility and other weather conditions from the ground, and it is only good for the current hour. A TAF pulls data from METARs and a variety of other reports over a period of several hours and is used to forecast upcoming weather conditions.

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Is ceiling height in MSL or AGL?

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In aerodrome forecasts like METAR, ceiling info will be in AGL since you'll be landing or taking off.

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How do I find winds aloft?

Community Answer

Go to the Aviation Weather website. Once there, look on the top and hit the "Forecast" drop-down box. Look for "Winds/Temp" and click on it. Once you are there, look on the map of the United States and click the region and state that you are in on the map.

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What does a flight dispatcher do?

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An airline flight dispatcher performs many, if not most of the pre-flight tasks that a non-airline pilot would normally do before a flight, such as: gather weather information, check NOTAMs, select alternate airports, determine fuel requirements, calculate passenger, baggage and fuel loads, and perform weight and balance calculations. They file flight plans and issue flight releases. Then the first officer pre-flights the airplane and the captain receives the flight release and current weather, and they fly.

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What does the dollar sign mean on a TAF report?

Brett Gilbert

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When you see a $, it indicates a maintenance issue. The people responsible for maintaining the reporting system needs to fix it.

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Question

How do I read or decode an aviation NOTAM?

Brett Gilbert

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A NOTAM is a notice to airmen. It's somewhat similar to a METAR, so you can use the same general approach. Consider downloading an app like ForeFlight to help translate NOTAMs.

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What does TEMPO mean?

Annika Johnson

Community Answer

TEMPO is an abbreviation for temporary fluctuation, or when an element will last anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour.

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What does NCD mean in METAR?

Annika Johnson

Community Answer

That stands for “No Cloud Detected.” In other words, the observation system does not detect any clouds.

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