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Free tool

METAR and TAF,
in plain English.

Paste a raw METAR/TAF and read every group labelled in place. Or type an airport identifier for the live observation and forecast, decoded the same way.

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Every US airport, already decoded

Weather is one tab of nine. Search 19,000 airports for runways, frequencies, NOTAMs, approach procedures, diagrams, and nearby alternates.

Browse airports

19,000+

Airports

23,000+

Runways

35,000+

Frequencies

18,000+

Procedures

Every group, explained in place

Nothing is summarised away. The original report stays on screen with a caption under each group, so the code and its meaning sit together.

18014G22KTWind
Direction, speed, gusts, and the variable range when one is reported.
1 1/2SMVisibility
Statute miles or metres, including runway visual range per runway.
-SHRAPresent weather
Intensity, descriptor, and every phenomenon in the group.
BKN008Sky condition
Each layer with its base, plus the ceiling that sets the category.
29/21Temperature
Temperature and dewpoint in both scales, with relative humidity.
A2992Altimeter
Inches of mercury and hectopascals, whichever the station reports.
RMK AO2Remarks
Sea level pressure, precise temperatures, and station type.
FM181800Forecast periods
Every TAF period as its own row, with what FM, TEMPO, BECMG, and PROB each mean.

Or start somewhere busy

Live conditions and the full airport record.

KJFK

John F. Kennedy International

KLAX

Los Angeles International

KORD

O'Hare International

KSFO

San Francisco International

KATL

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta

KDEN

Denver International

Common questions

What is a METAR?

A METAR is a routine observation of the weather at an airport, issued about once an hour in a compressed code. It reports wind, visibility, present weather, cloud layers, temperature, dewpoint, and altimeter setting for a single moment in time. A SPECI is the same format issued off schedule when conditions change sharply.

What is a TAF, and how is it different?

A TAF is a forecast rather than an observation. It covers a radius of about five statute miles around the airport, usually for 24 or 30 hours, and is written as a sequence of periods. FM means conditions change and stay changed, BECMG means a gradual transition, and TEMPO and PROB describe possibilities laid over the prevailing forecast rather than replacing it.

How do I read a METAR?

Read it in order: station, time in UTC, wind, visibility, present weather, cloud layers, temperature and dewpoint, then altimeter, with anything after RMK as supplementary. Paste a report into the tool on this page and every group is labelled in place, so you can learn the pattern against a real report instead of a table.

What do VFR, MVFR, IFR, and LIFR mean?

They summarise ceiling and visibility together. VFR is a ceiling above 3,000 feet and visibility over 5 miles. MVFR is a ceiling of 1,000 to 3,000 feet or visibility of 3 to 5 miles. IFR is a ceiling of 500 to 1,000 feet or visibility of 1 to 3 miles. LIFR is below either of those. Ceiling means the lowest broken or overcast layer, so scattered layers do not count however low they sit.

Is this an official weather briefing?

No. Supplemental information only. Not an official weather briefing. Obtain a full preflight briefing from an approved source. This page is a decoder for reports that are already published, and it is free to use without an account.

Which airports are covered?

Live lookup covers every US airport that publishes a METAR, and returns the TAF too where one exists. The paste box decodes any correctly formatted METAR/TAF, including international ones that use metres and hectopascals rather than statute miles and inches of mercury.

Weather data from NOAA / NWS Aviation Weather Center. Supplemental information only. Not an official weather briefing. Obtain a full preflight briefing from an approved source.