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.
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TAF
RSSMETAR
RSSComparisons
RSSMETAR vs TAF: What Each One Tells You in 2026
One is a record of what happened. The other is a promise about what will.
A2992 vs Q1013: The Two Altimeter Settings, Decoded
Inches of mercury against hectopascals, and how to convert between them
AMD vs COR: Amended or Corrected, and Which One Replaces What
One means the weather changed. The other means the typing was wrong.
BR vs FG: Mist or Fog, and the 5/8 Mile Line Between Them
Mist or fog is decided by one number: five eighths of a statute mile
CAVOK vs 9999: Both Mean Good, Only One Means Clear
One is a visibility figure. The other is a package covering three groups.
CB vs TCU: Cumulonimbus or Towering Cumulus in a METAR
Two cloud suffixes that get reported when no other cloud type does
FM vs TEMPO vs BECMG: The Three TAF Change Groups
One replaces the forecast, one interrupts it, one slides between two states
PIREP vs METAR: Reported Air Against Measured Weather
One is measured at a point on the ground. One is felt in the air.
PROB30 vs PROB40: What the Two Probability Groups Mean
Why a TAF offers thirty and forty percent, and nothing in between or above
SIGMET vs AIRMET: Severity, Scope and Which One Stops You
One warns some aircraft, the other warns all of them
Winds aloft
RSSPilot reports
RSSAIREP: The Automated Position Report, Decoded
The downlinked cousin of the PIREP, with fields in fixed positions
Icing Reporting: How Ice Appears in Every Weather Product
Four products, four encodings, one severity ladder underneath them all
Turbulence Reporting: How Rough Air Appears in Every Product
Four products, one intensity ladder, and why the aircraft type sets the scale
Military PIREP: How Service Pilot Reports Differ
The same slash-delimited fields, with a few hazards civil crews rarely file
PIREP Decoder: Read Pilot Reports Field by Field in 2026
/OV DFW360015 /FL085 /TB LGT CHOP is a person telling you what the air is doing
PIREP Icing Codes: RIME, CLR, MIXED and the Intensity Ladder
The /IC field decoded: intensity, ice type, and the altitude band
PIREP Turbulence Codes: LGT, MOD, SEV and CHOP Decoded
The /TB field decoded: intensity, frequency, and the type qualifiers
PIREP Guide: How to Read and File a Pilot Report
Every field in a pilot report, how to read it, and when to file your own
Rime vs Clear Ice: Two Kinds of Airframe Icing, Decoded
Droplet size decides which ice you get, and they behave very differently
Hazard advisories
RSSAIRMET Sierra: IFR Conditions and Mountain Obscuration
The IFR and mountain obscuration advisory, and the numbers that trigger it
AIRMET Tango: Turbulence, Strong Surface Wind and Shear
Moderate turbulence, 30 knot surface winds, and low-level wind shear
AIRMET Zulu: Icing and the Freezing Level
Moderate icing plus the freezing level, and how to plan a way out of both
AIRMET Guide: Sierra, Tango and Zulu Explained
The three types, what triggers each, and what an AIRMET does not tell you
Center Weather Advisory: The CWA Decoded
A two hour, center-specific warning that often arrives before the SIGMET
Convective SIGMET: Thunderstorm Warnings Decoded
The thunderstorm warning that implies hail and shear without saying so
SIGWX Chart: Reading a Significant Weather Chart
Jet streams, tropopause heights, cloud boxes and what each line encloses
International SIGMET: The ICAO Format Decoded
The ICAO format line by line, and how it differs from the US product
SIGMET Decoder: Read Hazard Advisories Line by Line in 2026
AREA EMBD TS MOV FROM 28020KT. TOPS ABV FL450. means something specific
SIGMET Guide: The Warnings That Apply to Every Aircraft
What a SIGMET covers, how long it lasts, and how to read the area line
Reference
RSSAviation Weather Abbreviations: Which Product Uses Which
Six formats, six vocabularies, and which codes cross between them
METAR Abbreviations: The Complete A-Z List, Decoded
Every METAR abbreviation in one place, grouped the way the report is written
TAF Abbreviations: The Forecast Codes, Decoded
The forecast-only codes, and the change groups that build the timeline
Report basics
RSSInternational METAR and TAF Format: What Changes Abroad
Metric visibility, Q-groups, CAVOK, and the US remarks that vanish
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
METAR basics
RSSMilitary TAF
RSSMilitary TAF vs Civilian TAF: What Changes and What Does Not
The body is identical. Everything added sits in the trailer at the end.
Military TAF Decoder: QNH, Icing and Turbulence Groups in 2026
QNH2992INS, 620065 and LAST NO AMDS AFT are not in the civil TAF you learned
Military TAF Icing Codes: The 6-Group Decoded
The 6-group decoded digit by digit, from AFMAN 15-124 Table 1.5
Military TAF Remarks: AMD NOT SKED, Metwatch and Last Forecast
The service remarks that tell you whether anybody is still watching
Military TAF Turbulence Codes: The 5-Group Decoded
The 5-group decoded digit by digit, straight from AFMAN 15-124 Table 1.7
Military TAF Volcanic Ash: The VA Group and What It Warns
Why ash gets its own handling, and what to do when a TAF forecasts it