What Does NSW Mean in a TAF?

NSW means no significant weather: the previous weather has ended. It stands for No Significant Weather.

NSW in a real report

BECMG 0606/0608 NSW

What it changes for you

NSW is a cancellation, not a description. A change group that just left the weather out would be unclear. Did the rain stop, or did the forecaster simply not restate it?

So BECMG 2907/2908 19006KT 9999 NSW BKN035 reads as: the rain that was forecast ends during that window.

Where it does not apply

It says nothing about cloud or visibility. Those are stated separately in the same group. A forecast can carry NSW and still be overcast at 500 feet.

Reading it in context

NSW only makes sense against something earlier in the forecast. If no weather was forecast in the first place, there is nothing to cancel.

So when you see it, look back up the TAF for the group it is ending. That group tells you what was expected and roughly how long it ran, which is more useful than the cancellation on its own.

Related codes

• TEMPO
• BECMG
• CAVOK
• 9999

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.