How to Read a METAR: The Complete Pilot's Guide (With Examples)

If you've ever stared at a METAR and thought "this looks like someone fell asleep on a keyboard" — you're not alone. But here's the thing: once you crack the code, METARs become one of the most powerful tools in your flight planning toolkit. In under 30 seconds, a single line of text tells you everything you need to know about conditions at any airport on Earth.

Let's break it down — piece by piece, with real examples.

The Anatomy of a METAR

Every METAR follows the same structure, in the same order, every single time. Here's the skeleton:

Now let's decode each section.

1. Station Identifier (ICAO Code)

The four-letter ICAO code identifies the airport. The first letter (or two) tells you the region:

💡 On Data Sky Center, you can search any ICAO code and see the full airport profile with live METAR data.

2. Date and Time

All METARs use Zulu time (UTC) — never local time. This eliminates confusion when reading weather from airports across different time zones. The Z at the end confirms it's UTC.

3. Wind

This is one of the most important parts. Let's decode it:

Special wind codes you'll see:

• 00000KT — Calm wind (no movement)
• VRB03KT — Variable direction at 3 knots (light and shifting)
• 18015KT 150V210 — Wind from 180° at 15 kt, varying between 150° and 210°

4. Visibility

Visibility tells you how far you can see horizontally. The format depends on the country:

If you see CAVOK instead of visibility and clouds, it means: visibility 10 km+, no clouds below 5,000 ft, and no significant weather. It's pilot shorthand for "perfect conditions".

5. Weather Phenomena

Weather codes follow a pattern: Intensity + Descriptor + Phenomenon. If there's no weather, this section is simply absent from the METAR.

Intensity:

Common weather codes:

6. Cloud Cover

Clouds are reported as coverage + height (in hundreds of feet AGL). The coverage codes represent how much of the sky is covered:

So BKN025 OVC040 means: broken clouds at 2,500 ft AGL (this is the ceiling), overcast layer at 4,000 ft AGL.

The ceiling is the lowest BKN or OVC layer. FEW and SCT don't count as a ceiling because you can still see significant sky through them.

7. Temperature and Dew Point

Both are in Celsius, always. Negative temperatures use M as prefix: M02/M05 means -2°C temperature, -5°C dew point.

Why does the dew point matter? The closer the temperature and dew point are, the more likely fog or low clouds will form. A general rule:

8. Altimeter Setting

The altimeter setting (QNH) tells you the current atmospheric pressure, which you set on your altimeter so it reads the correct altitude above sea level.

9. Remarks (RMK)

After the main body, US METARs include a RMK section with additional detail. Some useful ones:

Real-World Examples: Let's Decode

Now let's put it all together with real METARs from iconic airports.

VFR vs IFR: What the METAR Tells You

Here's a quick reference for US flight category rules based on METAR data:

The Ultimate METAR Cheat Sheet

Bookmark this. Print it. Tape it to your kneeboard.

Now It's Your Turn

The best way to learn METARs is to read them every day. Pick three airports you care about — your home base, your most frequent destination, and one international airport — and read their METARs every morning.

Within a week, you'll be reading them as fast as reading a text message.

Within a month, you'll be the person on the ramp that everyone asks: "So, what's the weather doing?"