METAR & TAF Abbreviations

$

Maintenance check indicator

-

Light intensity

+

Heavy intensity

P

More than (think of it as “plus”)

M

Less than (think of it as “minus”)

AO1

Automated station without precipitation discriminator

AO2

Automated station with precipitation discriminator

B

Began

E

Ended

BC

Patches

BL

Blowing

BR

Mist (>/= 5/8sm visibility)

DR

Low drifting

DS

Dust storm

DU

Dust

DZ

Drizzle

FC

Funnel cloud

+FC

Well-developed funnel cloud; tornado; water spout

FG

Fog

FU

Smoke

FZ

Freezing

GR

Hail (>5mm)

GS

Small hail (<1/4 inch; snow pellets

HZ

Haze

IC

Ice crystals

MI

Shallow

PL

Ice pellets

PO

Well-developed dust/sand whirls

PR

Partial

PY

Spray

RA

Rain

SA

Sand

SG

Snow grains

SH

Showers

SN

Snow

SQ

Squalls

SS

Sandstorm

TS

Thunderstorm

UP

Unknown precipitation

VA

Volcanic ash

VC

Vicinity (5-10sm)

BKN

Broken (5/8ths - 7/8ths)

CB

Cumulonimbus

CLR

Sky clear at and below 12,000’

FEW

Few clouds (0/8ths - 2/8ths)

OVC

Overcast clouds (8/8ths)

SCT

Scattered clouds (3/8ths - 4/8ths)

SKC

Sky clear

TCU

Towering cumulus

ACFT MSHP

Aircraft mishap

APCH

Approach

APRX

Approximately

ACC

Altocumulus castellanus

ACSL

Altocumulus standing lenticular cloud

ALP

Airport locaiton point

APRNT

Apparent

ATCT

Airport traffic control tower

AUTO

Fully automated report

C

Center (referring to runway designation; ex. 30C)

CA

Cloud-to-air lightning

CBMAM

Cumulonimbus mammatus cloud

CC

Cloud-to-cloud lightning

CCSL

Cirrocumulus standing lenticular cloud

cd

Candela

CG

Cloud-to-ground lightning

CHI

Cloud height indicator

CHINO

Sky condition at a secondary location not available

CIG

ceiling

CONS

Continuous

COR

Correction to a previously disseminated observation

DSIPTG

Dissipating

DSNT

Distant (more than 10sm)

DVR

Dispatch visual range

FRQ

Frequent

FOPA

Frontal passage

FT

Feet

FZRANO

Freezing rain sensor not available

G

Gust

HLSTO

Hailstone

IC (lightning)

In-cloud lightning

INCRG

Increasing

INTMT

Intermittent

KT

Knots

LST

Local standard time

LTG

Lightning

LWR

Lower

max

Maximum

METAR

Aviation Routine Weather Report

min

Minimum

MOV

Moved/moving/movement

MT

mountains

N/A

Not applicable

NE

Northeast

NOSPECI

No SPECI reports are taken at the station

NOTAM

Notice to Airmen

NW

Northwest

OCNL

Occasional

OHD

Overhead

OVR

Over

PCPN

Precipitation