Weather · Updated April 2026

METAR & TAF cheat sheet: decode any report in under 30 seconds.

The exact structure of a METAR and TAF, the codes that actually matter, and a 30-second mental method that works whether you're studying for the knowledge test or briefing a flight in the run-up area.

The short answer

Read METARs and TAFs in the same fixed order every time: station, time, wind, visibility, weather, sky cover, temperature/dewpoint, altimeter, remarks. Once you've read a hundred reports in this order, your eyes will jump to the part you care about — the wind, the ceiling, the visibility — without parsing the rest. Speed comes from structure, not memorization.

The anatomy of a METAR

A METAR has nine standard parts, in this order:

Example:
METAR KPAO 011953Z 27012G18KT 10SM FEW040 BKN250 18/12 A3002 RMK AO2

1. Report type

METAR is the routine hourly report. SPECI is a special report issued when conditions change significantly between hours (visibility drops, wind shifts, ceilings lower).

2. Station identifier

Four letters. In the U.S., starts with K (KPAO = Palo Alto). Outside the U.S., the prefix changes — CYYZ (Toronto), EGLL (Heathrow), RJTT (Tokyo Haneda).

3. Date/time

Six digits ending in Z. The first two are the day of the month, the last four are the time in Zulu. 011953Z means the 1st of the month at 1953 UTC.

4. Wind

Five or six digits ending in KT. The first three digits are the direction in degrees true (rounded to the nearest 10), the next two or three are the speed in knots. 27012KT means wind from 270 at 12 knots.

If gusts are present, you'll see a G: 27012G18KT means 270 at 12 gusting to 18.

If winds are calm: 00000KT.

If variable: VRB05KT or, for stronger variable winds, you'll see something like 27012KT 240V300 — wind from 270 at 12 with direction varying between 240 and 300.

5. Visibility

Statute miles, ending in SM. 10SM is 10 statute miles, the highest reportable. Less than a mile is reported in fractions: 1/2SM, 1 1/4SM.

If runway visual range (RVR) is also reported, you'll see something like R28L/4500FT after the visibility group.

6. Weather phenomena

Codes for active weather. The structure is intensity + descriptor + phenomenon. Examples:

If this group is missing, no significant weather is reported.

7. Sky condition

Cloud cover and base, in hundreds of feet AGL. The codes:

FEW040 BKN250 = few clouds at 4,000 ft AGL, broken at 25,000. The lowest broken or overcast layer is your ceiling.

8. Temperature and dewpoint

Two numbers separated by a slash, in Celsius. 18/12 = 18°C temp, 12°C dewpoint. Negatives are prefixed with M: M02/M05 = -2°C / -5°C.

The spread (temp minus dewpoint) is the field to watch. Spreads under 4°C mean fog or low ceilings are likely.

9. Altimeter

Letter A followed by four digits representing inches of mercury with the decimal removed. A3002 = 30.02" Hg.

10. Remarks (RMK)

Anything after RMK is supplementary. Common ones: AO2 (automated station with precip discriminator), SLP (sea level pressure), T01780122 (precise temp and dewpoint).

The anatomy of a TAF

A TAF is a forecast for the 5 SM area around an airport, issued every 6 hours, valid for 24 to 30 hours.

Example:
TAF KPAO 011720Z 0118/0224 27010KT P6SM FEW040 BKN250
  FM020200 28008KT P6SM SCT200
  TEMPO 0206/0210 3SM BR BKN008

The header

TAF KPAO 011720Z 0118/0224 reads as: TAF for KPAO, issued the 1st at 1720Z, valid from the 1st at 1800Z to the 2nd at 2400Z (so 30 hours).

The forecast lines

Each line is wind, visibility, weather, sky cover — same order as a METAR. P6SM means visibility "plus 6 statute miles" (i.e. greater than 6 SM, the highest TAF visibility).

Change groups

Lines after the initial forecast describe how conditions change:

The 30-second method

Once you understand the structure, you stop reading reports linearly and start scanning. This is the method that works in the cockpit:

  1. Time check. How old is this METAR? If it's more than 90 minutes old, find a fresh one.
  2. Wind. Direction and speed. Compare to your runway. Crosswind component fast.
  3. Ceiling and visibility. Lowest BKN/OVC layer. Visibility number. Are you VFR, MVFR, IFR, or LIFR?
  4. Weather. Anything in the weather group? Especially TS (thunderstorms), FZ (freezing), or low-vis codes (FG, BR, HZ).
  5. Spread. Temp minus dewpoint. Under 4°C = watch for fog.
  6. Altimeter. Set it. Move on.

You can do all six in 30 seconds with practice. For TAFs, do the same scan on the initial forecast, then read every change group with one question in mind: "Does anything in this change affect my flight window?"

VFR / MVFR / IFR / LIFR cheat

Memorize these flight categories. They're how briefings are color-coded and they tell you the entire weather story in one word.

Whichever number is worse — ceiling or visibility — defines the category.

Common gotchas

Wind is true, runway numbers are magnetic. A 270 wind on runway 27 is not a perfect headwind — depending on your variation, you might have a 5 to 10 degree crosswind component baked in.

BKN and OVC are ceilings. SCT and FEW are not. If a METAR shows SCT025 BKN040, your ceiling is 4,000 ft, not 2,500.

"P6SM" only appears in TAFs. METARs report 10SM or less directly.

VV means obscured. VV002 is not "200 ft ceiling" — it means vertical visibility into the obscuration is 200 ft. The sky isn't visible at all.

Practice with live data

The fastest way to get fluent is to read live reports for airports you actually fly to. Pull up the METAR for your home field every morning for two weeks and decode it before checking the plain-English version.

Zulu Pro pulls live METARs and TAFs from aviationweather.gov and decodes them with a single tap, with FAA citations on the codes if you want to dig deeper. Download Zulu if you want a faster way to read live aviation weather. Or related: how to pass the knowledge test, where weather is 15 to 20% of every question.