METAR Field Guide

Plain-English guides to every field of a METAR, from the wind group to the remarks section. Written for student pilots and anyone learning to brief aviation weather. Want it decoded for you instead? Paste any report into the decoder.

Flight category

VFR, MVFR, IFR, LIFR: The Ceiling and Visibility Thresholds

The exact ceiling and visibility cutoffs for VFR, MVFR, IFR, and LIFR, decoded

Temperature & pressure

A2992 Is Pressure, Not Temperature

A2992 looks like a temperature but it is the altimeter setting in inches of mercury

The M in M04 and Why Dewpoint Spread Matters

M means minus, and a tight temp-dewpoint spread is your fog and low-ceiling warning

Remarks

AO1, AO2, AUTO, and the $ Maintenance Flag

AUTO vs COR, AO1 vs AO2, and the trailing $ that flags a station needing maintenance

Inside METAR Remarks: SLP, PK WND, and the T Group

Decode everything after RMK: SLP, PK WND, hourly precip, and the precise T group

Clouds & ceilings

FEW, SCT, BKN, OVC: Which Layers Are a Ceiling

Coverage in oktas, height in hundreds of feet, and which layer is the ceiling, with a worked table

VV001 and Indefinite Ceilings Explained

Vertical visibility, the indefinite ceiling, and why VV001 is a classic LIFR signature

Present weather

Decoding +TSGR, -RA, and FZRA

Build any present-weather code from intensity, descriptor, and phenomenon, with +TSGR and FZRA decoded in full

Visibility

Runway Visual Range: Decoding R06/2000FT

Decode RVR tokens like R06/2000FT, the P and M prefixes, and the U/D/N trend

METAR Visibility: From 1/4SM to P6SM Explained

Statute miles, fractions, P6SM, and ICAO meters, decoded with a side-by-side example table

Wind

What VRB and 180V240 Mean in a METAR

VRB means no single direction; 150V210 is a varying range. Learn when each shows up and why

Reading the METAR Wind Group: Direction, Speed, and Gusts

Direction, speed, gusts, and units, decoded from dddffGffKT with worked examples.

Report basics

Why You Sometimes See SPECI Instead of METAR

METAR is routine and on the hour; SPECI is the special report that means something just changed

Why METARs Use Zulu Time and How to Convert It

Decode the DDHHMMZ stamp, learn why aviation runs on UTC, and convert Zulu to local