Definition
A simplified version of the standard surface station model used on the Weather Depiction Chart. It plots only a few key elements at each reporting station: total sky cover, cloud height or ceiling, present weather, and horizontal visibility (when restricted). The full station model's wind, temperature, dew point, pressure, and pressure-tendency data are removed to keep the chart easy to read at a glance.
Plain English
It's a stripped-down version of the little weather symbol drawn at each reporting station on a chart. Instead of showing everything, it shows just the basics: how much of the sky is covered by cloud, how low the cloud base is, what weather is happening right now, and how far you can see if visibility is poor.
Context Anchor
Seen on Weather Depiction Charts, where each reporting station is plotted with a compact weather symbol instead of a full written weather report.
Derivation
"Modified" means changed or adjusted. "Station model" refers to the standard set of weather symbols plotted at a reporting station. So a modified station model is the standard plot adjusted -- in this case, trimmed down -- for a specific chart's purpose.
Why Pilots Care
Gives pilots a rapid visual summary of current weather along a planned route so they can make informed go/no-go and routing decisions.
Intuition Check
Do not read model as a practice example or a scale replica here. In this term, model means a standard layout for displaying weather information at a station.
Example Sentence 1
Scanning the Weather Depiction Chart, the pilot read the modified station model at each airport to check ceiling and visibility along the route.
Example Sentence 2
Checking the modified station model on the chart helped the pilot spot areas of low ceilings before departure.