What Does CIG Mean in a METAR?
CIG means ceiling: the lowest broken (BKN) or overcast (OVC) layer, or vertical visibility (VV). FEW and SCT are never ceilings. It stands for CeilinG.
CIG in a real report
RMK CIG 013V017
What it changes for you
The ceiling drives the flight category, so knowing which layer counts is the whole game.
FEWis 1 to 2 oktas. Never a ceilingSCTis 3 to 4 oktas. Never a ceilingBKNis 5 to 7 oktas. This is a ceilingOVCis 8 oktas. This is a ceilingVV002is a vertical visibility into an obscuration, and it counts as a ceiling of 200 feet
So FEW002 SCT004 BKN030 has a ceiling of 3,000 feet, even though there is
cloud at 200. The low layers restrict what you can see but leave more than half
the sky open.
The variable form
CIG 013V017 in the remarks means the ceiling was varying between 1,300 and
1,700 feet. That variability matters more than the average when you are planning
an approach to minimums near either number.
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 counts as a ceiling in a METAR?
The lowest broken or overcast layer, or a vertical visibility into an obscuration. FEW and SCT are never ceilings, no matter how low they are, because more than half the sky is still open above you.
Where does CIG appear in a report?
In the remarks, usually to report a variable ceiling like CIG 013V017, or a ceiling measured at a specific runway like CIG 017 RWY11. The main ceiling comes from the cloud groups in the body.