Weather Guide
How to read METAR and TAF reports
A METAR is a current aviation weather observation. A TAF is a forecast for an airport. Pilots use both because a clear sky now can still become low clouds, rain, or gusty wind later in the flight window.
The main pieces to check first
Start with wind, visibility, clouds, and the flight category. Wind tells you which runway may be favored. Visibility tells you how far pilots can see. Clouds tell you whether the ceiling may limit visual flight. The flight category summarizes those conditions as VFR, MVFR, IFR, or LIFR.
For example, 23006KT means wind from 230 degrees at 6 knots. 10SM means ten statute miles of visibility. SCT046 SCT250 means scattered clouds at 4,600 feet and 25,000 feet above the airport.
METAR versus TAF
METARs are observations. TAFs are forecasts. If the METAR is good but the TAF shows lower visibility or broken clouds later, the current picture may change. FlightLen shows both raw text and decoded values so users can compare what is happening now with what is expected next.