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METAR Decoding for DGCA Meteorology: Step-by-Step Guide

27 October 2026 7 min read Kadripathi KN

A METAR looks like a string of random letters until you know the order it follows. Once you learn that order, METAR decoding becomes one of the quickest marks in the DGCA Aviation Meteorology paper. This guide shows you how to read a METAR group by group, explains the common METAR abbreviations, and walks through two worked examples from Indian airports.

What a METAR is

A METAR is a routine aerodrome weather report, issued in a fixed code format laid down by ICAO and the World Meteorological Organization. Most aerodromes issue one every 30 minutes or every hour. It tells you the weather observed at that aerodrome at a stated time; it is not a forecast. The forecast for an aerodrome is the TAF, which uses many of the same codes.

For the DGCA exam, you need to read every group in a METAR correctly, convert the time from UTC, and recognise what the weather means for a flight.

METAR decoding: the groups in order

The secret of METAR decoding is that the groups always appear in the same order. Learn this sequence and you can decode any report.

  1. Report type: METAR (routine) or SPECI (a special report issued when the weather changes significantly between routine reports).
  2. Location: a four-letter ICAO location indicator. Indian aerodromes start with V, for example VOBL (Bengaluru), VABB (Mumbai), VIDP (Delhi) and VECC (Kolkata).
  3. Date and time: six figures and Z. 070300Z means the 7th of the month at 0300 UTC. Add 5 hours 30 minutes for Indian Standard Time (IST), so this is 0830 IST.
  4. Wind: direction in degrees true, then speed. 27008KT is 270° at 8 kt. VRB means variable direction. A gust appears as G, for example 24012G24KT.
  5. Variable wind direction (if any): 210V280 means the direction is varying between 210° and 280°.
  6. Visibility: in metres. 9999 means 10 km or more. Runway visual range (RVR) may follow when visibility is low, for example R09/0800.
  7. Present weather: coded weather such as RA (rain) or TS (thunderstorm), with an intensity sign.
  8. Cloud: amount and base height, for example SCT020.
  9. Temperature and dew point: in °C, for example 22/17. M means minus, so M02 is −2°C.
  10. QNH: Q1018 means QNH 1018 hPa.
  11. Trend: NOSIG, BECMG or TEMPO, describing the expected change over the next two hours.

METAR abbreviations for present weather

Present weather groups combine an intensity sign, an optional descriptor and the weather itself.

  • Intensity: - light, no sign moderate, + heavy. VC means in the vicinity, not at the aerodrome itself.
  • Descriptors: TS thunderstorm, SH showers, FZ freezing, MI shallow, BC patches, DR low drifting, BL blowing.
  • Precipitation: RA rain, DZ drizzle, SN snow, GR hail, GS small hail.
  • Obscuration: BR mist, FG fog, HZ haze, FU smoke, DU widespread dust, SA sand.
  • Other: SQ squall, FC funnel cloud, DS duststorm, SS sandstorm.

So -TSRA is a thunderstorm with light rain, and +SHRA is heavy rain showers. In Indian METARs you will often see HZ and BR in winter and TSRA in the pre-monsoon and monsoon months.

METAR cloud cover codes

Cloud is reported as an amount in oktas (eighths of the sky) plus the base height in hundreds of feet above the aerodrome.

  • FEW: 1 to 2 oktas
  • SCT (scattered): 3 to 4 oktas
  • BKN (broken): 5 to 7 oktas
  • OVC (overcast): 8 oktas

BKN010 means broken cloud with a base of 1,000 ft. Only two cloud types are named in a METAR: CB (cumulonimbus) and TCU (towering cumulus), for example SCT025CB. NSC means no significant cloud, and VV002 means the sky is obscured with a vertical visibility of 200 ft.

When CAVOK replaces the groups

CAVOK (ceiling and visibility OK) replaces the visibility, weather and cloud groups when all of these are true: visibility is 10 km or more; there is no cloud below 5,000 ft or below the highest minimum sector altitude, whichever is greater; there is no CB or TCU; and there is no significant weather.

Worked example 1: a calm morning at Bengaluru

METAR VOBL 070300Z 27008KT 6000 FEW020 SCT100 22/17 Q1018 NOSIG
  1. METAR VOBL: routine report for Bengaluru (Kempegowda International).
  2. 070300Z: 7th of the month, 0300 UTC, which is 0830 IST.
  3. 27008KT: wind from 270° true at 8 kt.
  4. 6000: visibility 6,000 m.
  5. FEW020 SCT100: 1 to 2 oktas at 2,000 ft, and 3 to 4 oktas at 10,000 ft.
  6. 22/17: temperature 22°C, dew point 17°C.
  7. Q1018: QNH 1018 hPa.
  8. NOSIG: no significant change expected in the next two hours.

Worked example 2: monsoon weather at Mumbai

METAR VABB 070530Z 24012G24KT 210V280 3000 -RA BR BKN010 OVC080 27/25 Q1006 TEMPO 1500 TSRA SCT015CB
  1. 070530Z: 0530 UTC, which is 1100 IST.
  2. 24012G24KT 210V280: wind 240° true at 12 kt, gusting 24 kt, direction varying between 210° and 280°.
  3. 3000 -RA BR: visibility 3,000 m in light rain and mist.
  4. BKN010 OVC080: broken cloud at 1,000 ft and overcast at 8,000 ft.
  5. 27/25: temperature 27°C, dew point 25°C. The small spread shows very moist air.
  6. Q1006: QNH 1006 hPa.
  7. TEMPO 1500 TSRA SCT015CB: temporarily, visibility 1,500 m in a thunderstorm with moderate rain, with scattered cumulonimbus at 1,500 ft.

If you want to check your own decoding, paste any real METAR into our free METAR decoder and compare the answer.

Common mistakes in METAR decoding

  • Reading the wind as magnetic. METAR winds are in degrees true; the wind ATC passes for take-off and landing is magnetic.
  • Forgetting the IST conversion. METAR times are UTC; add 5 hours 30 minutes.
  • Reading cloud height as thousands of feet. BKN010 is 1,000 ft, not 10,000 ft.
  • Confusing BR and FG. The visibility value tells you which one applies.
  • Treating TEMPO as permanent. TEMPO describes short, temporary fluctuations; BECMG describes a lasting change.

Learn the fixed order of the groups first; every METAR decoding question becomes a matter of reading left to right.

Frequently asked questions

What does CAVOK mean in a METAR?

CAVOK means ceiling and visibility OK. It replaces the visibility, weather and cloud groups when visibility is 10 km or more, there is no cloud below 5,000 ft or the highest minimum sector altitude, whichever is greater, no cumulonimbus or towering cumulus, and no significant weather at or near the aerodrome.

Are METAR winds true or magnetic?

Wind direction in a METAR is given in degrees true, because the report is a meteorological product. The surface wind that ATC passes to you for take-off and landing is in degrees magnetic, so it can be read directly against the runway heading. Mixing these two up is a common exam trap.

What is the difference between BR and FG in a METAR?

Both describe water droplets reducing visibility. BR (mist) is reported when visibility is 1,000 m or more, up to 5,000 m. FG (fog) is reported when visibility is below 1,000 m. So the visibility group in the same METAR tells you which code the observer had to use.

What does NOSIG mean at the end of a METAR?

NOSIG means no significant change is expected during the trend period, which is the two hours after the observation time. If a change is expected, the trend uses BECMG for a lasting change or TEMPO for temporary fluctuations, followed by the new visibility, weather or cloud values that are forecast.

How is cloud height given in a METAR?

Cloud base is given in hundreds of feet above the aerodrome, as three figures after the cloud amount. SCT025 means scattered cloud with a base of 2,500 ft above aerodrome level. It is not height above mean sea level, so you add the aerodrome elevation if you need an altitude.

Practise METAR decoding

Decode five real METARs a day for two weeks and METAR decoding will become automatic. Read our guide to QNH, QFE and QNE to understand the pressure group in more depth, then test yourself with free DGCA practice questions. At Fly with Sudharshan Aviation Academy (FSAA), METAR, TAF and every other weather code is taught with live examples in the DGCA Aviation Meteorology course.