METAR (Meteorological Aerodrome Report) is the standard ICAO format for routine aviation surface weather observations. Issued hourly (or every 30 minutes at major airports), it encodes wind, visibility, weather phenomena, cloud layers, temperature, dew point, and altimeter in a fixed-format string.

What is the difference between METAR and SPECI?

A SPECI is a special observation issued between scheduled METAR times when weather conditions change significantly — for example, when visibility drops below a threshold, a thunderstorm starts or ends, or wind shifts sharply. Both use identical encoding and can be decoded with this tool.

Why does my METAR show "CAVOK"?

CAVOK (Ceiling And Visibility OK) is used outside North America when visibility is 10 km or more, there are no clouds below 5,000 ft and no cumulonimbus, and no significant weather. It replaces the separate visibility, weather, and cloud fields.

What does "AUTO" mean in a METAR?

"AUTO" indicates the report was generated by an automated station with no human observer. Some phenomena that require human observation (such as certain precipitation types) may not be reported.

How do I read cloud layers like BKN035?

The sky condition group has two parts: coverage abbreviation (FEW = 1–2 oktas, SCT = 3–4, BKN = 5–7, OVC = 8, SKC/CLR = clear) and height in hundreds of feet AGL. BKN035 means broken clouds at 3,500 ft AGL.

What units does this decoder use?

Wind speed is shown in both knots (original) and mph. Visibility is shown in statute miles (US format) or meters/kilometers (international). Temperature is shown in Celsius (original) and Fahrenheit. Altimeter is shown in inHg (US) and hPa (international).

METAR Decoder

Name: METAR Decoder
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Paste a raw METAR string and get a plain-English breakdown of every field: wind, visibility, weather, clouds, temperature, altimeter, and remarks.

Paste METAR String

Supports standard ICAO METAR and SPECI format. Paste the full raw string including station ID.

Try a sample:

Summary

Paste a raw METAR string and get a plain-English breakdown of every field: wind, visibility, weather, clouds, temperature, altimeter, and remarks.

How it works

Paste or type a raw METAR string into the input field (e.g. KJFK 041551Z 27018KT 10SM FEW055 BKN120 22/10 A2985).
Click "Decode METAR" or press Enter to parse the report.
The tool splits the string into its ICAO-defined groups and identifies each token.
Each decoded field is displayed with its raw token, a plain-English label, and the interpreted value.
Wind speeds appear in both knots and mph; altimeter is shown in both inHg and hPa.
Unknown or non-standard tokens are flagged so you can look them up.

Use cases

Quickly understand a METAR during flight planning without memorizing all codes.
Teach student pilots how METAR reports are structured.
Verify weather minimums for VFR or IFR operations.
Cross-check decoded values against ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot.
Decode historical METARs from NOAA archives for analysis.
Use as a study aid when preparing for the FAA written exam.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-07-22 · Reviewed by Nham Vu