Definition
The most recent one-minute updated weather observation from an Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) or Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), broadcast over the airport's frequency for use in determining the current weather and runway in use, particularly for aircraft approaching to land.
Plain English
The latest snapshot of airport weather, refreshed every minute by an automated station and broadcast on a radio frequency so pilots can hear what conditions are doing right now.
Context Anchor
Pilots may hear or use One-Minute Weather when checking the latest local conditions before takeoff, before landing, or while operating near an airport with automated weather equipment.
Derivation
Called 'one-minute' because the underlying automated sensors update the observation every sixty seconds, rather than once an hour like a traditional METAR.
Why Pilots Care
Provides pilots with the latest real-time conditions for safe takeoff, landing, and flight planning decisions.
Intuition Check
Do not read One-Minute Weather as weather that lasts for one minute. It means weather information updated from the most recent one-minute measurement period.
Example Sentence 1
Ten miles out, the pilot tuned the AWOS frequency and listened to the one-minute weather to confirm the wind and altimeter setting before joining the pattern.
Example Sentence 2
One-minute weather reports helped the student pilot decide it was safe to practice landings despite changing visibility.