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CODE ELEMENT |
EXAMPLE |
DECODE |
NOTES |
|
1 Identification* |
|
METAR |
METAR |
METAR |
METAR — aviation routine report, |
|
Location indicator |
EGLL |
London Heathrow |
Station four-letter
indicator |
|
Date/Time |
291020Z |
'ten twenty Zulu on the 29th' |
Usually omitted when METARS are presented
in bulletin. |
|
2 Wind |
Wind direction/speed
|
31015G27KT
|
'three one zero degrees, fifteen knots,
max twenty seven knots' |
Max only given if >= 10KT greater than
the mean. VRB = variable. 00000KT = calm. |
|
Extreme direction variance |
280V350 |
'varying between two eight zero and three
five zero degrees' |
Variation given in clockwise direction,
but only when mean speed is greater than 3 KT. |
|
3 Visibility |
|
Minimum visibility |
1400SW |
'one thousand four hundred metres to
south-west' |
0000 = 'less than 50 metres' 9999 = 'ten
kilometres or more'. Direction (given by eight-point
compass) is appended to the minimum visibility when
minimum visibility is <= 5000m and maximum is at least
50% greater than this. . |
|
Maximum visibility |
6000N |
'six thousand metres to the north' |
Given where minimum visibility < 1500 m
and maximum > 5000 m. |
|
4 RVR |
| |
R27R/1100 |
'RVR, runway two seven right, one
thousand one hunded metres' |
RVR tendency (U = increasing;
D = decreasing; N = no change; not reported in UK at
present) may be added after figure e.g.
R27R/1100D P1500 = more than 1500 m; M0050 = less than
50 m. Significant variations — example : R24/0950V1100,
i.e. varying between two values. |
|
5 Present weather |
| |
+SHRA |
'heavy rain showers' |
+ = Heavy (well developed in the case of
+FC and +PO); - = Light; no 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
snow pellets |
HZ=Haze |
IC=Ice crystals |
MI=Shallow |
| 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 |
| |
FEW005 BKN025 SCT010CB |
'few at five hundred feet, scattered
cumulonimbus at one thousand feet, broken at two
thousand five hundred feet' |
SKC=Sky clear (0 oktas), FEW='few' (1-2
oktas), SCT='Scattered' (3-4 oktas), BKN='Broken' (5-7
oktas), OVC='Overcast'. There are only two cloud types
reported; TCU=towering cumulus and CB=cumulonimbus.
W///='state of sky obscured' (cloud base not
discernable): Figures in lieu of '///' give vertical
visibility in hundreds of feet. Up to three, but
occasionally more, cloud groups may be reported. |
|
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. |
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8 Temp and dew point |
| |
10/03 |
'temperature ten degrees Celcius, dew
point three degrees Celcius' |
If dew point is missing, example would be
reported as 10///. |
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9 QNH* |
| |
Q0995 |
'nine nine five' |
Q indicates millibars. If the letter A is
used QNH is in inches and hundredths. |
|
10 Recent weather |
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RETS |
'recent thunderstorm' |
RE = Recent, weather codes given above.
Up to three groups may be present. |
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11 Wind shear |
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WS RWY24 |
'wind shear runway two four' |
Will not be reported at present for UK
aerodromes. |
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12 Trend |
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BECMG FM1100 23035G50KT TEMPO FM0630 TL
0830 3000 SHRA |
'becoming from 1100, 230 degrees 35 KT ,
max 50 KT, temporarily from 0630 until 0830, 3000 metres,
Moderate rain shower's |
| BECMG=Becoming |
TEMPO=Temporarily |
NOSIG=No sig change |
| NSW=No sig weather |
AT=At |
FM=From |
| TL=Until |
NSC=No sig cloud |
|
| Any of the wind
forecast, visibility, weather or cloud groups
may be used, and CAVOK. Multiple groups may be
present. |
|
*Indicates a mandatory code element #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; minimum 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 1200NE 6000S +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; minimum vis 1200 m (to north-east), maximum vis
6 km (to south); 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.
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