Prevailing forecast, 11th 22:00 UTC to 12th 24:00 UTC
IFR
09016G26KT 1SM RA BR OVC008
Wind
090° 16 kt G26
Visibility
1 SM
Weather
Rain; Mist
Sky
OVC 800
Group by group
Groups in this period
Group
Meaning
09016G26KT
Wind Wind from 090° at 16 knots, gusting to 26 knots
1SM
Visibility Visibility 1 statute mile
RA
Weather Rain
BR
Weather Mist
OVC008
Cloud layer Overcast at 800 ft above the ground — a ceiling
From 12th 02:00 UTC: conditions change completely
IFR
FM120200 05012KT 5SM -SHRA BR SCT004 OVC006
Wind
050° 12 kt
Visibility
5 SM
Weather
Light rain showers; Mist
Sky
SCT 400, OVC 600
Group by group
Groups in this period
Group
Meaning
FM120200
From From 12th 02:00 UTC, a new set of conditions replaces all earlier ones
05012KT
Wind Wind from 050° at 12 knots
5SM
Visibility Visibility 5 statute miles
-SHRA
Weather Light rain showers
BR
Weather Mist
SCT004
Cloud layer Scattered clouds at 400 ft above the ground
OVC006
Cloud layer Overcast at 600 ft above the ground — a ceiling
Temporarily, in fluctuations of under an hour, 12th 03:00 UTC to 12th 07:00 UTC
LIFR
TEMPO 1203/1207 04007KT BKN004
Wind
040° 7 kt
Visibility
5 SM
Weather
Light rain showers; Mist
Sky
BKN 400
Group by group
Groups in this period
Group
Meaning
TEMPO
Temporary Temporary fluctuations lasting under an hour each, covering less than half the period
1203/1207
Period From 12th 03:00 UTC to 12th 07:00 UTC
04007KT
Wind Wind from 040° at 7 knots
BKN004
Cloud layer Broken clouds at 400 ft above the ground — a ceiling
From 12th 07:00 UTC: conditions change completely
IFR
FM120700 02012KT 6SM BR VCSH SCT004 OVC006
Wind
020° 12 kt
Visibility
6 SM
Weather
Mist; Showers in the vicinity (5 to 10 statute miles from the station)
Sky
SCT 400, OVC 600
Group by group
Groups in this period
Group
Meaning
FM120700
From From 12th 07:00 UTC, a new set of conditions replaces all earlier ones
02012KT
Wind Wind from 020° at 12 knots
6SM
Visibility Visibility 6 statute miles
BR
Weather Mist
VCSH
Weather Showers in the vicinity (5 to 10 statute miles from the station)
SCT004
Cloud layer Scattered clouds at 400 ft above the ground
OVC006
Cloud layer Overcast at 600 ft above the ground — a ceiling
From 12th 12:00 UTC: conditions change completely
IFR
FM121200 01011KT P6SM BKN008 OVC015
Wind
010° 11 kt
Visibility
More than 6 SM
Weather
None
Sky
BKN 800, OVC 1,500
Group by group
Groups in this period
Group
Meaning
FM121200
From From 12th 12:00 UTC, a new set of conditions replaces all earlier ones
01011KT
Wind Wind from 010° at 11 knots
P6SM
Visibility Visibility more than 6 statute miles
BKN008
Cloud layer Broken clouds at 800 ft above the ground — a ceiling
OVC015
Cloud layer Overcast at 1,500 ft above the ground — a ceiling
From 12th 15:00 UTC: conditions change completely
MVFR
FM121500 36011KT P6SM BKN025
Wind
360° 11 kt
Visibility
More than 6 SM
Weather
None
Sky
BKN 2,500
Group by group
Groups in this period
Group
Meaning
FM121500
From From 12th 15:00 UTC, a new set of conditions replaces all earlier ones
36011KT
Wind Wind from 360° at 11 knots
P6SM
Visibility Visibility more than 6 statute miles
BKN025
Cloud layer Broken clouds at 2,500 ft above the ground — a ceiling
From 12th 17:00 UTC: conditions change completely
VFR
FM121700 34010KT P6SM FEW025 SCT050
Wind
340° 10 kt
Visibility
More than 6 SM
Weather
None
Sky
FEW 2,500, SCT 5,000
Group by group
Groups in this period
Group
Meaning
FM121700
From From 12th 17:00 UTC, a new set of conditions replaces all earlier ones
34010KT
Wind Wind from 340° at 10 knots
P6SM
Visibility Visibility more than 6 statute miles
FEW025
Cloud layer Few clouds at 2,500 ft above the ground
SCT050
Cloud layer Scattered clouds at 5,000 ft above the ground
From 12th 21:00 UTC: conditions change completely
VFR
FM122100 31009KT P6SM FEW050
Wind
310° 9 kt
Visibility
More than 6 SM
Weather
None
Sky
FEW 5,000
Group by group
Groups in this period
Group
Meaning
FM122100
From From 12th 21:00 UTC, a new set of conditions replaces all earlier ones
31009KT
Wind Wind from 310° at 9 knots
P6SM
Visibility Visibility more than 6 statute miles
FEW050
Cloud layer Few clouds at 5,000 ft above the ground
Change periods show the prevailing wind, visibility, weather and sky they do not restate, so each category reflects what a pilot would plan on.
Both reports, one lookup
Type up to four airports, such as your departure, destination and alternate, and choose Get both. The table at the top shows each airport's flight category now, from its METAR, and through each period of its TAF. The decoded METAR and TAF follow, airport by airport, with every group in plain English. A US three-letter code such as JFK is requested as KJFK.
The reports come from the Aviation Weather Center's public data service at aviationweather.gov and are cached for five minutes; decoding happens in your browser. To decode a report you already have, paste it into the METAR decoder or the TAF decoder.
METAR vs TAF
METAR
TAF
What it is
An observation of the weather at the airport
A forecast for the airport
How often
Routinely every hour, with SPECI reports in between when conditions change significantly
Four times a day, for periods beginning at 00, 06, 12 and 18 UTC, amended as required
Time covered
The moment of the observation
The next 24 or 30 hours
Who issues it
Automated observing systems, with human augmentation at some larger airports
National Weather Service forecast offices: 123 of them, for over 700 US airports
Flight category
One, for now
One for each period
Both use the same weather codes and the same UTC times, which is what makes them easy to read side by side.
Reading them together
Check the times. The METAR shows when it was observed and how long ago; the TAF header shows when it was issued and the period it covers. Both are in UTC: the Zulu time converter turns them into local time.
Compare the METAR with the forecast for now. The TAF period that covers the current hour should look like the METAR. When the observation is worse than forecast, with a lower ceiling, lower visibility or stronger wind, plan on what is observed and look for an amended forecast, marked TAF AMD.
Find the period that covers your arrival. An FM period replaces everything before it; BECMG is a gradual change that lasts; TEMPO and PROB periods are temporary, so the prevailing forecast resumes after them. The table at the top marks temporary periods with a dashed line.
Compare each category with your limits. VFR, marginal VFR, IFR and low IFR come from the ceiling and the visibility, as the METAR decoder explains. A TEMPO or PROB period can bring conditions below your limits for part of the time even when the prevailing forecast stays above them.
Get an official briefing before flight. A decoded report is a study and planning aid.
The example: New York JFK, October 11, 2026
The lookup opens with real reports for New York JFK. The special observation at 22:00 UTC reports wind from 080° at 18 knots gusting 27, one statute mile visibility in rain and mist, and a broken ceiling at 800 feet: IFR. The forecast issued at 22:27 UTC keeps the airport IFR through the night and the next morning, with ceilings of 600 to 800 feet, and adds a temporary low IFR period between 03:00 and 07:00 UTC on the 12th, when the ceiling may drop to 400 feet. From 15:00 UTC the ceiling lifts to 2,500 feet, marginal VFR, and from 17:00 only scattered clouds at 5,000 feet remain: VFR.
Read side by side, the two reports answer the planning question directly: an arrival before 15:00 UTC on the 12th means instrument conditions, and a VFR arrival waits until after 17:00 UTC. The 07:00 period also forecasts VCSH, showers in the vicinity: between 5 and 10 statute miles from the airport rather than over it.
Where the reports come from
Each lookup asks the Aviation Weather Center's Data API for the latest METAR and the current TAF of every airport you typed, through this site, which keeps each answer for five minutes so repeated lookups stay quick. Only the airport identifiers go to the weather service. Airports outside the United States work too: their reports use meters, hectopascals and CAVOK, and the decoder reads those as well.
An airport can have a METAR and no TAF, because forecasts are written only for selected airports. The lookup then shows the METAR, marks the TAF as missing, and you can add a nearby airport that has one to the list.
Sources
FAA, Aeronautical Information Manual, 7-1-1 (National Weather Service aviation weather service program) and 7-1-29 (ICAO weather formats), read October 11, 2026.
Aviation Weather Center, Data API (aviationweather.gov): the live reports and the KJFK example of October 11, 2026.
Questions pilots ask
What is the difference between a METAR and a TAF?
A METAR is an observation: the weather measured at the airport, routinely every hour, with SPECI reports in between when conditions change significantly. A TAF is a forecast for the airport for the next 24 or 30 hours, issued four times a day and amended as required. The METAR says what is happening; the TAF says what is expected.
How often are TAFs issued?
In the United States they are scheduled four times a day, for periods beginning at 00:00, 06:00, 12:00 and 18:00 UTC, and amended as required; an amended forecast starts TAF AMD. Most cover 24 hours and some 30.
Why does an airport have a METAR but no TAF?
Forecasters write TAFs only for selected airports: the National Weather Service prepares them for over 700 airports in the United States. When an airport has no TAF, the lookup still shows its METAR and says the TAF is missing.
Are METAR and TAF times local?
No. Both use UTC, also called Zulu time. The Zulu time converter turns them into local time for any time zone.
Can I use this for a flight?
Use it to study and plan. The reports come straight from the Aviation Weather Center, but a decoded report is a planning aid, not a briefing: get an official weather briefing before flight.