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METAR Decoder

Paste any METAR and get a plain-English breakdown of every field. Wind, visibility, clouds, temperature — all decoded instantly.

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How to Read a METAR

What is a METAR?

METAR (Meteorological Aerodrome Report) is a standardized format for reporting weather observations at airports worldwide. Every pilot must be able to read and interpret METARs for flight planning and decision-making.

METAR Format

A METAR follows this structure:

TYPE STATION DATE/TIME WIND VISIBILITY WEATHER CLOUDS TEMP/DEW ALTIMETER RMK
  • Station: 4-letter ICAO code (KJFK, EGLL)
  • Date/Time: DDHHMMz in UTC (071856Z = 7th at 18:56 UTC)
  • Wind: Direction + speed in knots (31015G25KT = 310° at 15kt, gusting 25)
  • Visibility: In meters (9999 = 10km+) or statute miles (10SM)
  • Clouds: Coverage + height in hundreds of feet (SCT040 = scattered at 4,000ft)
  • Temp/Dew: In Celsius, M prefix for negative (M02/M17 = -2°C/-17°C)
  • Altimeter: A followed by inHg (A3042) or Q followed by hPa (Q1024)

Weather Codes

RARain
SNSnow
DZDrizzle
FGFog
BRMist
HZHaze
TSThunderstorm
SHShowers
FZFreezing
+Heavy
-Light
VCVicinity

METAR on the ATPL Exam

METAR decoding is tested in the Meteorology subject of the ATPL theory exams. You will need to interpret real METARs under time pressure. Practice with our free question bank to build speed and accuracy.

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