TAF

TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast) is a weather forecast issued for the area within approximately 5 nautical miles of an airport. TAFs are used by pilots, dispatchers, and airline operations for flight planning and decision-making.

A TAF typically covers a forecast period of 24 or 30 hours and includes:

• Surface wind direction and speed
• Visibility
• Significant weather (rain, snow, thunderstorms, fog)
• Cloud cover and heights
• Expected changes using BECMG (becoming), TEMPO (temporary), and PROB (probability) groups

TAFs are issued four times daily for major airports and are encoded using the same conventions as METARs, making them straightforward for trained personnel to interpret. They are critical for determining whether an airport meets the required weather minima for departure, destination, and alternate airports.