Definition
A concise weather forecast issued for the area within approximately a five-statute-mile radius of an airport, describing expected surface wind, visibility, weather phenomena, and cloud conditions over a defined valid period (typically 24 or 30 hours). TAFs are issued routinely four times daily and are amended as conditions warrant.
Plain English
A short, structured weather forecast for what's expected at and very near a specific airport over the next day or so. It tells you the wind, visibility, weather, and clouds you should plan for when arriving or departing.
Context Anchor
Pilots use TAFs during preflight weather planning, especially when checking departure, destination, and alternate airports.
Derivation
Terminal' refers to the airport (the terminal point of a flight); 'aerodrome' is the international term for an airport, used because TAFs follow an ICAO standard format. Together it signals: a forecast for the airport itself, not the wider region.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots use the TAF to decide whether conditions will allow the planned flight, whether an alternate airport is needed, and what approach minima to expect.
Intuition Check
Do not read “terminal” as the airport building. In TAF, “terminal” means the area around the airport.
Example Sentence 1
The TAF for the destination showed visibility dropping to one mile in fog around the planned arrival time, so the pilot filed an alternate.
Example Sentence 2
According to the TAF, ceilings were forecast to lift above 2000 feet after 1800Z.