METAR / TAF Decoder
Enter an airport and get its live METAR and TAF decoded into plain English — wind, visibility, ceiling, and flight category.
Use the 4-letter ICAO identifier (e.g. KJFK, KSFO, EGLL).
What the flight categories mean
- VFR — ceiling > 3,000 ft and visibility > 5 SM.
- MVFR (marginal) — ceiling 1,000–3,000 ft and/or visibility 3–5 SM.
- IFR — ceiling 500–<1,000 ft and/or visibility 1–<3 SM.
- LIFR (low IFR) — ceiling < 500 ft and/or visibility < 1 SM.
METAR vs TAF
A METAR is the current observed weather at an airport, updated roughly hourly. A TAF is the terminal aerodrome forecast — what's expected over roughly the next 24–30 hours, broken into periods. This tool shows both, with each TAF period's wind, visibility, ceiling, and category.
Where the data comes from
Live data is sourced from the U.S. National Weather Service Aviation Weather Center (aviationweather.gov). Always confirm with an official briefing before flight — this is a planning aid, not an authoritative weather source.
FAQ
Which airport code do I use?
Use the 4-letter ICAO identifier — KJFK (not JFK) for New York Kennedy, KSFO for San Francisco, EGLL for London Heathrow.