Definition
The total amount of the celestial dome covered by clouds and other obscuring phenomena, expressed in eighths (oktas) or as a descriptive category such as clear, few, scattered, broken, or overcast. It represents the combined coverage of all cloud layers as seen from the ground, not the coverage of any single layer.
Plain English
How much of the whole sky is covered by clouds when you add up all the layers together, looking straight up from the ground.
Context Anchor
Seen on weather charts and station plots, where the filled-in circle shows how cloudy the sky is at a reporting station.
Why Pilots Care
It helps determine whether conditions meet VFR or IFR requirements and affects choices about cloud hazards and visibility.
Analogy
Think of the sky as a round pie above the station. The more of the pie that is filled in, the more of the sky is covered.
Grounding Statement
If you stood at the reporting station and looked at the whole sky from horizon to horizon, total sky cover is the part of that view blocked by clouds or similar cover.
Intuition Check
Total sky cover does not mean how thick the clouds are or how high they are. It only describes how much of the sky is covered from that location.
Example Sentence 1
The station circle on the chart was fully shaded, indicating total sky cover of overcast.
Example Sentence 2
With only two-eighths total sky cover reported at the destination, the pilot expected clear visual conditions for landing.