What Does 9999 Mean in a METAR or TAF?
9999 means visibility 10 kilometers or more (international meters format).
9999 in a real report
EDDF 121750Z 24008KT 9999 SCT035
What it changes for you
9999 is a ceiling on the scale, not a measurement. It means 10 kilometers or
better, and the observer is not asked to distinguish 10 from 30.
The reason to know it is the rest of the scale, because those numbers are measurements and they are in meters.
9999is 10 km or more8000is 8,000 meters, about 5 statute miles3200is 3,200 meters, about 2 statute miles1600is 1,600 meters, about 1 statute mile0800is 800 meters, about half a mile
The trap is reading a four-digit visibility as a large number. 3200 looks big
and means IFR. The figure to hold onto is that 1,600 meters is roughly a mile.
Related codes
Decode a report containing this code
Paste a METAR, TAF, PIREP or SIGMET into the WxDecoder decoder. Every group comes back in plain English. The raw code sits beside it, so you can check the decode rather than trust it.
Frequently asked questions
What does 9999 mean in a METAR or TAF?
Visibility of 10 kilometers or more. It sits at the top of the international visibility scale, so it means at least 10 km rather than exactly 9,999 meters. Anything lower is reported as an actual measurement in meters.
What is 9999 in statute miles?
A little over 6 statute miles, since 10 km is about 6.2 miles. In practice it plays the same role as P6SM in a US report: visibility good enough that a more precise number would not change any decision.