Definition
The official height above mean sea level of a weather reporting station, used as the reference point for that station's pressure and temperature observations.
Plain English
How high above sea level the weather station sits. It's the fixed altitude that the station's readings are tied to.
Context Anchor
Seen when reading Winds and Temperature Aloft Forecasts and checking which forecast altitude levels apply near a reporting station.
Derivation
Station comes from a word meaning a fixed place to stand or stay. Elevation comes from a word meaning raised height. Together, the term points to the fixed weather station’s height, measured from sea level rather than from the nearby ground.
Why Pilots Care
It establishes the baseline so pilots know how the reported winds and temperatures relate to their actual altitude above the ground.
Grounding Statement
A weather station on a mountain airport starts from a higher sea-level height than a station at a coastal airport, so the usable forecast levels can be different.
Intuition Check
Do not read station elevation as the height of a radio station, a train station, or the airplane. Here, station means the weather reporting location, and elevation means its height above average sea level.
Example Sentence 1
Denver's station elevation is high enough that the 6,000-foot wind level is omitted from its FB forecast.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots subtract station elevation from their planned cruise altitude to find the correct forecast level.