TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) -- Every Tuesday on WTXL Sunrise, you'll be able to have one of your own weather questions answered by Meteorologist Alex Cordero.
This week, our question comes from viewer Chris Floyd, via email. You can email ACORDERO@WTXL.TV
He asks: What are METAR reports?
First, METAR is an acronym. It stands for Meteorological Aviation Report.
It is a code that looks complex to any random person, but for meteorologists and aviation experts, this code neatly wraps up current weather conditions or a forecast.
Here is an example of a code (taken Monday, March 13th in the afternoon): KTLH 131753Z 05007KT 8SM -RA OVC007 11/11 A3003
What in the world is that?! Let's briefly explain. I'll include a link that goes more in depth below.
Each section of that code means something new.
For instance, KTLH means the Tallahassee area.
131753Z can be translated to the 13th of the month, and 17:53 ZULU time. That would mean 2:53 Eastern Time.
05007KT means a Northeast wind at 7 knots.
It is complex, there is no denying that.
How about -RA? That means "Light Rain". This confusing code could never be used for public forecasts on TV. For those who work in the weather or aviation field who need weather information in about a sentence, it is perfect. It requires a bit of studying, but then one can quickly interpret any METAR report.
The one I included above can be translated to this: At 2:53pm Eastern Time in Tallahassee, there is a northeast wind at around seven knots. There is light rain in the area with overcast skies. The clouds begin at 700 feet with ground visibility at eight miles. The temperature is 11° C (51° F) with a dewpoint of 11° C (51° F). The current pressure is at 30.03 inches.
All of that, in less than a line of letters and numbers.
For more information on how to interpret a METAR, click here.
Remember you can send your questions to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or send them to ACORDERO@WTXL.TV
