How to Read a METAR: Precise Decoding for Student Pilots
A METAR is a routine surface observation in a fixed order: type → station → day/time (Z) → modifier → wind → visibility → weather → sky → temp/dewpoint → altimeter → remarks. Format details: AIM 7-1 and AC 00-45 (Aviation Weather Services).
Worked example
METAR KOGD 161753Z AUTO 34012G18KT 310V020 10SM FEW050 BKN120 18/M02 A3002 RMK AO2 SLP145
| Group | Meaning |
|---|---|
| KOGD | Ogden-Hinckley Airport |
| 161753Z | Day 16, 17:53 UTC |
| AUTO | Fully automated report, with no human augmentation |
| 34012G18KT | Wind from 340° true, 12 kt, gusts 18 kt |
| 310V020 | Direction variable between 310° and 020° (reported when it varies 60° or more and speed is over 6 kt) |
| 10SM | Prevailing visibility 10 statute miles |
| FEW050 | Few clouds, bases 5,000 ft AGL |
| BKN120 | Broken at 12,000 ft AGL. This is the ceiling: the lowest broken or overcast layer, or vertical visibility |
| 18/M02 | Temperature 18°C, dewpoint −2°C ("M" = minus) |
| A3002 | Altimeter 30.02 inHg |
| AO2 | Automated station with a precipitation discriminator (it can tell rain from snow). AO1 = automated without one |
| SLP145 | Sea-level pressure 1014.5 hPa |
Details that trip students up
- True vs magnetic. METAR and TAF winds are true. Winds from ATIS/ASOS broadcasts and the tower are magnetic, matching runway numbers. Convert before a crosswind calculation, or use our crosswind calculator's true-wind option.
- VRB (e.g. VRB04KT) = variable direction, usually at 6 kt or less. 00000KT = calm.
- Ceiling (14 CFR 1.1): heights above the surface of the lowest BKN or OVC layer, or vertical visibility (VV) into an obscuration. FEW and SCT are never ceilings.
- Cloud heights are AGL (hundreds of feet above the station). Airspace altitudes on charts are often MSL. Don't mix them.
- Missing data. A group may be omitted, and remarks like PWINO, FZRANO, TSNO or $ (maintenance needed) flag sensor problems. "M" in front of visibility or RVR means "less than."
- Coverage: FEW 1–2 oktas, SCT 3–4, BKN 5–7, OVC 8.