Definition
A standardized, coded observation of current weather conditions at an airport, issued routinely (typically once per hour) and reporting elements such as wind, visibility, present weather, sky condition, temperature, dew point, and altimeter setting. METARs are the primary means of communicating observed surface weather at an aerodrome and form the basis for preflight planning and in-flight weather updates.
Plain English
A short, coded weather report from an airport, put out about once an hour, telling you what the weather is doing right now at that airport.
Context Anchor
Pilots use METARs during preflight planning, while checking destination weather, and when planning a descent into an airport.
Derivation
From the French MÉTéorologique Aviation Régulière, meaning 'routine aviation weather (report).' The format is set by the World Meteorological Organization so that METARs from any country follow the same coded structure.
Why Pilots Care
METARs directly inform go/no-go decisions, runway selection, and whether visual or instrument approaches are feasible.
Intuition Check
A METAR is not a forecast. It reports observed weather at a place and time; it does not promise what the weather will be later.
Example Sentence 1
Before departure, she pulled up the METAR for the destination and noted the wind was gusting from 270 at 25 knots.
Example Sentence 2
She compared the current METAR with the forecast to decide if conditions would remain suitable for landing.