Observation and forecast
A METAR reports conditions at an aerodrome around the time on the report. A TAF is a forecaster’s statement for a later window, and it can include changes. Reading one does not tell you the other.
Both are a string of groups: an identifier, a time, wind, visibility, weather, cloud, temperature, and pressure, then remarks or a trend. The order is a convention. National versions add or drop groups, and the United States often prints the altimeter setting in inches of mercury rather than hectopascals.
An invented example
This string is made up for the page. The station XXXX is not a real aerodrome here, and the numbers are not an observation:
XXXX 121250Z 27012KT CAVOK 05/M01 Q1013
Read as an illustration only: a day-time group, a wind group written as direction and speed, a visibility-and-cloud word, a temperature and dew point, and a pressure group in the QNH style. None of it is a reason to fly or not to fly.
What a student uses it for
Early lessons are a reason to learn the groups before you need them on the radio. Wind decides the runway in use. Visibility and cloud decide whether the lesson can be the one that was booked. Temperature and pressure sit behind performance, which the aircraft manual and the instructor cover, not this page.
A TAF is where you look for a change that arrives during the booking. The codes for those changes are easy to misread. If you are not sure whether a group is the base forecast or a temporary worsening, ask. Guessing is not a briefing.
Sources
Checked on 17 October 2026. Rules are amended, so read the current text before you rely on a figure.
- Met Office, How to decode a METAR: https://docs.mavis.metoffice.gov.uk/guidance/metar-decode/
- Met Office, How to decode a TAF: https://docs.mavis.metoffice.gov.uk/guidance/taf-decode/