METAR Abbreviations: The Complete A-Z List, Decoded

A METAR squeezes a full weather observation into about two lines. It does that with abbreviations, and there are a lot of them. This page lists every METAR abbreviation the wxdecoder parser reads, grouped by where it appears in the report rather than dumped into one long alphabet.

Most printed decode cards are alphabetical. That is fine for looking up a code you have already spotted. It is poor for reading a report you have never seen, because the order on the card has nothing to do with the order on the page. So this list follows the report instead.

How to use this METAR abbreviations list

Read down the tables in order and you are reading a METAR in order. The first table covers the station and the time. The last covers international codes you will only meet outside the United States.

Every code that has its own page is a link. Those pages carry the worked examples, the edge cases, and what the code changes for your flight. The tables here answer the fast question: what does this mean.

One habit worth building. When a group stops you, decode the rest of the line first, then come back. Most groups make more sense once you know the visibility and the cloud, and a lot of remarks are simply a longer version of something already stated in the body.

The order a METAR is written in

Every METAR follows the same sequence, and the sequence never varies. Report type, then station, then time. Then wind, visibility, weather and cloud. Then temperature and dew point, then the altimeter. Then RMK, and everything after it is a remark.

Groups can be missing. A calm, clear, dry day drops the weather group entirely. Nothing gets reordered to fill the gap, so a missing group is information in itself. If there is no weather group, no reportable weather is falling.

The tables below run in that same order.

Every METAR abbreviation, grouped by where it appears

Report type, station, and time

Code	Stands for	What it means
`METAR`	Meteorological Aerodrome Report	a routine aviation weather report, issued hourly at a scheduled time
`SPECI`	SPECIal report	a special, unscheduled report issued when the weather changes significantly between hourly METARs
`KDFW`		the ICAO station identifier: four characters; K-prefix means the contiguous United States
`121755Z`		date and time: day of the month (12) and time (17:55) in UTC, marked by the Z (Zulu)
`Z`	Zulu time (UTC)	Zulu time: Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)
`UTC`		Coordinated Universal Time: all METAR/TAF times use it, never local time
`AUTO`	AUTOmated report	a fully automated report with no human observer involved
`COR`	CORrected report	a correction to a previously transmitted report
`21016G24KT`		wind: from 210° true at 16 knots, gusting to 24 knots. Direction first (3 digits), then speed
`G`	Gust	gust: the peak wind speed follows
`KT`	KnoTs	knots: the unit for all METAR wind speeds
`VRB`	VaRiaBle direction	variable wind direction (usually when the wind is 6 knots or less)
`00000KT`		calm wind
`180V240`		wind direction varying between 180° and 240°, reported when direction varies by 60° or more
`10SM`	SM = Statute Miles	prevailing visibility 10 statute miles (SM = statute miles)
`M1/4SM`	M = Minus (less than)	visibility less than 1/4 statute mile. M before a value means "less than"
`P6SM`	P = Plus (more than)	visibility greater than 6 statute miles. P before a value means "more than"
`M`		minus or "less than": M05 is −5°C, M1/4SM is visibility under 1/4 mile
`R11/P6000FT`	R = Runway Visual Range (RVR)	runway visual range (RVR) for runway 11: more than 6,000 feet (reported when visibility is 1 SM or less or RVR ≤ 6,000 ft)
`06/04`		temperature 6°C, dew point 4°C. Whole degrees Celsius, minus shown as M
`A2990`		altimeter setting 29.90 inches of mercury. A prefix, four digits
`RMK`	ReMarKs	remarks identifier: everything after it is the remarks section

Wind and visibility remarks

Code	Stands for	What it means
`PK WND`	PeaK WiND	peak wind since the last METAR: direction, speed, and the time it occurred
`WSHFT`	Wind SHiFT	wind shift: the time the wind direction changed by 45° or more
`FROPA`	FROntal PAssage	frontal passage: a front moved across the station
`TWR VIS`	ToWeR VISibility	visibility reported by tower personnel (differs from the surface value)
`SFC VIS`	SurFaCe VISibility	surface visibility measured by the automated sensor
`VIS 3/4V1 1/2`		variable prevailing visibility, reported when visibility is under 3 miles and fluctuating
`VIS 3/4 RWY11`		visibility at a second location on the field (here, runway 11)
`CIG 013V017`		variable ceiling height, reported when the ceiling is below 3,000 ft and varying
`CIG 017 RWY11`		ceiling height at a second location (a ceilometer at runway 11)
`WIND EST`	Wind ESTimated	wind values estimated by the observer (the sensor is unavailable)
`RWY08R 35008KT`		wind measured at a specific runway sensor (here, runway 08 right)

Present weather: intensity, descriptor, phenomenon

Code	Stands for	What it means
`-`		light intensity (prefix on precipitation)
`+`		heavy intensity (prefix on precipitation)
`VC`	in the ViCinity	in the vicinity: within 5 to 10 SM of the airport, but not at it
`+TSRA`		read it in layers: heavy (+) thunderstorm (TS) with rain (RA), then intensity, descriptor, precipitation
`DZ`	DriZzle	drizzle
`RA`	RAin	rain
`SN`	SNow	snow
`SG`	Snow Grains	snow grains
`IC`	Ice Crystals	ice crystals
`PL`	ice PeLlets	ice pellets
`GR`	from French grêle - hail	hail
`GS`	from French grésil - small hail	small hail
`UP`	Unknown Precipitation	unknown precipitation
`BR`	from French brume - mist	mist
`FG`	FoG	fog
`FU`	from French fumée - smoke	smoke
`VA`	Volcanic Ash	volcanic ash
`DU`	widespread DUst	widespread dust
`SA`	SAnd	sand
`HZ`	HaZe	haze
`PY`	sPraY	spray
`PO`	from French poussière - dust whirls	dust/sand whirls
`SQ`	SQuall	squalls
`FC`	Funnel Cloud	funnel cloud
`SS`	SandStorm	sandstorm
`DS`	DustStorm	duststorm
`MI`	from French mince - shallow	shallow
`PR`	PaRtial	partial
`BC`	from French bancs - patches	patches
`DR`	low DRifting	low drifting
`BL`	BLowing	blowing
`SH`	SHowers	showers
`TS`	ThunderStorm	thunderstorm
`FZ`	FreeZing	freezing

Sky cover and cloud types

Code	Stands for	What it means
`SKC`	SKy Clear	sky clear (reported by a human observer)
`CLR`	CLeaR	no clouds detected below 12,000 ft (automated stations)
`FEW`		few clouds: 1 to 2 oktas (eighths) of sky cover
`SCT`	SCaTtered	scattered clouds: 3 to 4 oktas of sky cover
`BKN`	BroKeN	broken clouds: 5 to 7 oktas; the lowest broken layer is a ceiling
`OVC`	OVerCast	overcast: 8 oktas, full sky cover; an overcast layer is a ceiling
`BKN015`		broken clouds at 1,500 ft AGL. The 3 digits after the coverage are height in hundreds of feet
`VV`	VV = Vertical Visibility	vertical visibility: how far you can see upward into an obscuration such as fog or heavy snow. There is no cloud base, and the VV height acts as an indefinite ceiling
`VV002`	VV = Vertical Visibility	vertical visibility 200 ft. The sky is obscured (e.g. by fog) and VV height acts as an indefinite ceiling
`CIG`	CeilinG	ceiling: the lowest broken (BKN) or overcast (OVC) layer, or vertical visibility (VV). FEW and SCT are never ceilings
`CB`	CumulonimBus	cumulonimbus: thunderstorm cloud; severe turbulence, icing and wind-shear hazard
`TCU`	Towering CUmulus	towering cumulus: a building storm cloud, often a thunderstorm precursor
`ACC`	AltoCumulus Castellanus	altocumulus castellanus: turreted mid-level clouds signaling instability
`ACSL`	AltoCumulus Standing Lenticular	standing lenticular altocumulus: mountain-wave clouds; expect strong turbulence nearby
`CCSL`	CirroCumulus Standing Lenticular	standing lenticular cirrocumulus: high-level mountain-wave clouds
`SCSL`	StratoCumulus Standing Lenticular	standing lenticular stratocumulus: low-level mountain-wave clouds
`CBMAM`	CumulonimBus MAMmatus	cumulonimbus mammatus: pouch-like bulges under a storm cloud; severe turbulence indicator
`8/6//`		cloud-type group (WMO codes): low / middle / high cloud types; a slash means not observed

Pressure and temperature

Code	Stands for	What it means
`SLP125`	SLP = Sea-Level Pressure	sea-level pressure in hPa: prefix 9 or 10 to make a realistic value. SLP125 is 1012.5 hPa
`PRESRR`	PRESsure Rising Rapidly	pressure rising rapidly at observation time
`PRESFR`	PRESsure Falling Rapidly	pressure falling rapidly, often a storm or front approaching
`58033`		3-hour pressure tendency: 5 + trend code + change in tenths of hPa. Here falling, 3.3 hPa lower
`T00640036`		hourly temperature/dew point to tenths of a degree: 0 = positive, 1 = negative. Here 6.4°C / 3.6°C
`10066`		6-hour maximum temperature in tenths °C (1 = group id): here 6.6°C
`21012`		6-hour minimum temperature in tenths °C (2 = group id): here −1.2°C
`401121084`		24-hour maximum and minimum temperature (4 = group id): here max 11.2°C, min −8.4°C

Precipitation and snow amounts

Code	Stands for	What it means
`P0003`		hourly precipitation in hundredths of an inch: here 0.03 in since the last METAR
`P0000`		a trace of precipitation (less than 0.005 in) in the last hour
`60009`		3- or 6-hour precipitation amount in hundredths of an inch (6 = group id): here 0.09 in
`70015`		24-hour precipitation amount in hundredths of an inch (7 = group id): here 0.15 in
`4/012`		snow depth on the ground in inches (4/ = group id): here 12 inches
`SNINCR 2/10`	SNow INCReasing rapidly	snow increasing rapidly: 2 inches in the last hour, 10 inches on the ground

Thunderstorm and lightning remarks

Code	Stands for	What it means
`CC`	Cloud-to-Cloud	cloud-to-cloud lightning (appended to LTG)
`CG`	Cloud-to-Ground	cloud-to-ground lightning (appended to LTG)
`CA`	Cloud-to-Air	cloud-to-air lightning (appended to LTG)
`CW`	Cloud-to-Water	cloud-to-water lightning (appended to LTG)
`LTG`	LighTninG	lightning, followed by type letters (CG, IC, CC, CA) and where it is / where it is moving
`FRQ`	FReQuent	frequent: for lightning, less than 1 second between flashes
`OCNL`	OCcasioNaL	occasional: less than 1 flash per minute
`CONS`	CONtinuouS	continuous: for lightning, flashes more than 6 per minute
`INTMT`	INTerMiTtent	intermittent: stopping and starting
`INCRG`	INCReasinG	increasing
`DSIPTG`	DiSsIPaTinG	dissipating
`LWR`	LoWeR	lower (describing clouds or visibility)
`DSNT`	DiStaNT	distant: more than 10 statute miles from the station
`OHD`	OverHeaD	overhead
`MOV`	MOVing	moving (direction follows)
`ALQDS`	ALl QuaDrantS	in all quadrants: all around the station
`RAB07E30`		precipitation begin/end times: B = began, E = ended, minutes past the hour. Here rain began at :07 and ended at :30
`TSB05E45`		thunderstorm began at :05 and ended at :45 past the hour
`VIRGA`	from Latin virga, 'rod' - the visible streaks	precipitation falling but evaporating before it reaches the ground
`TORNADO B25 N MOV E`		tornadic activity remark: tornado began at :25, north of the field, moving east. Also FUNNEL CLOUD and WATERSPOUT
`GR 1 3/4`		hailstone size in inches (quarter-inch increments): here 1¾ inch hail
`HLSTO`	HaiLSTOnes	hailstones (used in some hail-size remarks)

Automated station and sensor status

Code	Stands for	What it means
`RVRNO`	RVR NOt available	runway visual range sensor not operating
`PWINO`	Present Weather Identifier Not Operating	present-weather sensor not operating
`FZRANO`	FreeZing RAin sensor Not Operating	freezing-rain sensor not operating
`TSNO`	ThunderStorm info Not Operating	thunderstorm/lightning sensor not operating
`PNO`	Precipitation Not Operating	precipitation sensor not operating
`SLPNO`	Sea-Level Pressure Not available	sea-level pressure not available
`VISNO`	VISibility sensor Not Operating	visibility sensor not operating
`CHINO`	Cloud-Height Indicator Not Operating	ceiling-height sensor not operating
`AO1`	Automated Observation, type 1	automated station without a precipitation discriminator (cannot tell rain from snow)
`AO2`	Automated Observation, type 2	automated station with a precipitation discriminator (can tell rain from snow)
`$`		maintenance check indicator: the station needs maintenance; treat data with care
`NOSPECI`	NO SPECIal reports	no SPECI (special) reports are taken at this station
`FIRST`		first observation after a break in coverage at a manual station
`LAST`		last observation before a break in coverage at a manual station
`FIBI`	FIled But Impracticable to transmit	filed but impracticable to transmit: the report was recorded but not sent on time
`ACFT MSHP`	AirCraFT MiSHaP	aircraft mishap: a SPECI was taken because of an accident/incident

International codes you will see outside the US

Code	Stands for	What it means
`CAVOK`	Ceiling And Visibility OK	ceiling and visibility OK: visibility 10 km or more, no cloud below 5,000 ft, no CB, no significant weather
`Q1013`	Q = QNH altimeter (hectopascals)	altimeter in hectopascals (QNH), used outside the US; Q1013 ≈ 29.92 inHg
`9999`		visibility 10 kilometers or more (international meters format)
`0800`		visibility 800 meters: international METARs report visibility in meters, no unit
`QFE757`	QFE = Field-Elevation pressure	field-level pressure (QFE): altimeter reads 0 ft at the runway; value in mmHg and/or hPa
`QBB210`		cloud base in meters (QBB group, eastern Europe/Asia): here 210 m
`PP025`		precipitation amount in tenths of a millimeter: here 2.5 mm
`DENSITY ALT`		density altitude remark: what altitude the aircraft "feels"; high values mean poor performance
`BIRD HAZARD`		bird activity reported on or near the field
`SC1AC3CI1`		Canadian cloud-sequence remark: cloud types with oktas of cover. Stratocumulus 1, altocumulus 3, cirrus 1
`CLD MISG`	CLouD data MISsinG	cloud data missing (Canadian remarks use MISG for failed sensors)
`R24/451293`		runway state group (international): contamination type, coverage, depth and braking action for runway 24
`MT OBSC`	MounTains OBSCured	mountains obscured: terrain hidden by cloud or weather

The abbreviations that catch people out

A few of these cause more trouble than the rest, and they are worth singling out before you need them in a hurry.

M means two different things. In the temperature group it means minus, so M02/M05 is two below zero. In front of a visibility it means less than, so M1/4SM is under a quarter of a mile. Same letter, different job, decided entirely by where it sits.

VC means in the vicinity. That is five to ten miles from the field, not at it. A report of VCTS is telling you a thunderstorm is close enough to matter and far enough that it is not overhead yet.

P is the opposite of M on a visibility. P6SM means more than six statute miles. You will see it constantly in TAFs and rarely in METARs.

The cloud groups trip people because only some of them are ceilings. BKN and OVC are. VV is. FEW and SCT never are, no matter how low they sit.

AUTO and AO2 look like the same fact stated twice. They are not. AUTO says no human was involved in this report. AO2 says what the machine is able to sense. A station can be AO2 and still have a human observer adding remarks by hand, and those added remarks are often the only mention of a thunderstorm the sensors missed.

Where METAR abbreviations change outside the US

The body of a METAR is set by ICAO, so wind, cloud and weather codes read the same in Frankfurt as in Fort Worth. The units do not.

US reports give visibility in statute miles and pressure in inches of mercury, written as an A-group like A2992. Most of the world gives visibility in metres and pressure in hectopascals, written as a Q-group like Q1013. Reading one as the other is a classic international flying error, and it is worth a second look every time you cross a boundary.

CAVOK is the other one. It replaces the visibility, weather and cloud groups all at once, and it is never used in the United States. It is not a fourth category of good weather. It is shorthand for a specific set of conditions being met at the same time.

METAR abbreviations that never appear in a TAF

A METAR is an observation and a TAF is a forecast, so some of this vocabulary only makes sense looking backwards.

Remark groups are the clearest case. Sea-level pressure, the T-group, hourly precipitation, pressure tendency and the peak wind are all measurements of what already happened. A forecast has nothing to measure, so it carries none of them.

Going the other way, a TAF adds change groups a METAR has no use for: FM, TEMPO, BECMG, PROB30 and PROB40. Those split the forecast into periods. An observation is a single moment and needs no periods at all.

Frequently asked questions

How many METAR abbreviations are there?

There is no fixed number, because remarks are open-ended. This page lists the 150 codes the wxdecoder parser reads, which covers the body of the report and every remark group in routine US and international use.

Are METAR abbreviations the same everywhere in the world?

The body is standard, set by ICAO. The remarks are not. The US uses inches of mercury and statute miles, most other countries use hectopascals and metres, and US remark groups such as SLP and the T-group rarely appear elsewhere.

What does the dollar sign at the end of a METAR mean?

It is the maintenance check indicator. The automated station has flagged that one of its sensors needs attention. The report is still usable, but treat any group it feeds with a little care.

Do I need to memorise every METAR abbreviation?

No. Roughly thirty codes cover almost every routine report. The rest are worth looking up when they appear, which is why each code here links to a page explaining it in full.

What is the difference between a METAR abbreviation and a TAF abbreviation?

They share most of the vocabulary for wind, visibility, weather and cloud. A TAF adds change groups such as FM, TEMPO, BECMG and PROB30, and it never carries observed remarks like SLP or the T-group.

Last updated August 29, 2026