METAR & TAF REPORTS

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Decoding METAR Reports: Part 2

Present Weather + Cloud Ceilings

title says Part 2 but there was no Part 1

MISSION: Pawnee Grassland Summer Documentation

Field Notes: Checking Data Freshness

T-minus 24 hours | Is this forecast fresh?same as previous

You arrive at Pawnee National Grassland around 4:00 PM—an hour and a half before golden hour. You’re early on purpose. Time to relax, scout your shots, and soak in the prairie before the magic light arrives.

But before you unload your gear, you decide to check the METAR one more time. Good habit.

Your stomach drops.

A SPECI report was issued just 30 minutes ago — while you were driving out here. SPECI reports are special, unscheduled weather observations issued when conditions change significantly. Something’s happening.

You scan the weather elements you learned about in the previous lesson, but now two new elements jump out at you: cloud coverage and present weather.

The report shows overcast clouds rolling in. The cloud ceiling — the height of the lowest cloud layer — is at 1,000 feet AGL.

You pause. Technically, that’s well above the 400 foot maximum altitude for Part 107 drone operations, so you’re legal. But overcast clouds could mean two problems for your golden hour shoot: they might bring rain, and they’ll definitely block the sun—killing the golden light you drove out here to capture.

Your mind races. You decide to wait it out and keep the faith that the weather will turn in your favor by the time your golden hour window arrives.

This is why understanding cloud coverage, cloud ceiling, and present weather conditions in a METAR report matters. These elements don’t just tell you if you’re legal to fly, they tell you if the conditions will actually let you accomplish your mission.

In This Lesson You’ll Learn:

How to decode present weather phenomena and cloud coverage ceilings that impact visibility and flight safety.

METAR Report Example:

Let’s decipher the weather elements for KLAX airport.

You already know how to read most of this METAR report from the previous lesson.

However, look at the highlighted section: BR SCT007 SCT250. This is where things get more complex. This highlighted section indicates the present weather as well as the cloud condition and their ceiling height.

PART 1: Present Weather

What is happening in the atmosphere right now?

What Are Present Weather Codes?

Present weather codes describe active atmospheric phenomena that can impact visibility, aircraft performance, and safety.

Important: These codes do NOT describe clouds. They tell you what is occurring within the air itself—precipitation, fog, mist, or other conditions.

Common Present Weather Codes:

BR

Mist

FG

Fog

RA

Rain

SN

Snow

TS

Thunderstorm

DZ

Drizzle

Example:

BR

BR is a present weather code. It describes what’s actively happening in the atmosphere right now.

In this case, BR = Mist. There’s moisture in the air reducing visibility, but not as thick as fog.

Combining Weather Codes

In a METAR report, multiple weather codes can appear together to describe what is happening at the same time.

Each code represents a specific weather condition, and when combined, they describe concurrent conditions, not separate events.

For example:

  • BRRA = Mist and rain occurring at the same time
  • TSRA = Thunderstorm with rain
  • FGDZ = Fog and drizzle present

Part 2: Cloud Coverage Ceilings

How much of the sky is covered, and how high are the clouds?

SCT007 SCT250

Now let’s decode the cloud coverage.

You already learned in the previous lesson how to decode the coverage types, like SCT = Scattered clouds. Now we’re adding the second part: how high are those clouds?

Each Cloud Group Has Two Parts:

  1. Cloud Coverage Type (letters like SCT, BKN, OVC) – Which we reviewed in previous lesson.
  2. Three-Digit Height (in hundreds of feet AGL) – The focus on this lesson.

Quick Reminder:

  • SCT = Scattered
  • BKN = Broken
  • OVC = Overcast

How to Read Cloud Height

Here’s the trick: The three-digit number after the coverage code tells you how high the cloud layer is above ground level.

Cloud heights in METAR are reported in hundreds of feet above ground level (AGL).

The Cloud Height Formula

To find the actual cloud height, multiply the three-digit number by 100.

 

3-digit number × 100 = Height in feet AGL

Quick Examples

  • 001 × 100 = 100 feet AGL
  • 007 × 100 = 700 feet AGL
  • 015 × 100 = 1,500 feet AGL
  • 250 × 100 = 25,000 feet AGL

Decoding KLAX Cloud Conditions

Now let’s apply the formula to the KLAX METAR: SCT007 SCT250

Decode: SCT007

  • SCT = Scattered clouds
  • 007 × 100 = 700 feet AGL

SCT007 means scattered clouds at 700 feet above ground level.

Decode: SCT250

  • SCT = Scattered clouds
  • 250 × 100 = 25,000 feet AGL

SCT007 means scattered clouds at 25,000 feet above ground level.

Note: This is way higher than you’ll ever need to know as far as drone operations goes, being the legal limit for drone flight is 400 ft AGL. However, it’s still important to know what’s happening in the skies at all heights while you’re flying.

Practice Quiz

Reading METAR Reports (Example 2)

1 / 8

In a METAR report, what weather condition does BR indicate?

2 / 8

In a METAR report, what does FG indicate?

3 / 8

A METAR reports the weather code TSRA. What does this indicate?

4 / 8

In the following METAR report, what weather element is indicated by the section highlighted in green?

5 / 8

In a METAR report, the cloud coverage group reads OVC120. What does this indicate?

6 / 8

In the METAR report for KBOI, the cloud coverage group reads SCT150. What does this indicate?

7 / 8

In a METAR report, the cloud coverage group reads BKN008. What does this indicate?

8 / 8

In a METAR report, the cloud coverage group reads FEW020. What does this indicate?

Your score is

The average score is 100%

0%

You’re forecasted to Ace this exam!

What’s Next?

In the following lessons, you’ll learn to interpret wind codes, visibility notation, weather phenomena abbreviations, and cloud coverage—step by step, on both METAR and TAF Reports.

By the end of this module, you’ll be able to look at any METAR or TAF report and know exactly what conditions to expect.