How to Read METAR Weather Reports

[@cre8tivephotographer987]

Don, I stumbled across your youtube channel in my search of preparing for my Drone pilot's licence exam. You made a complex topic easy to understand. Thanks for your time and patience in teaching these subjects.

[@DonJoyce]

I very glad you are finding my videos helpful. Check out my Training Roadmap to ensure you're watching all the right ones!

[@viewswithmike7732]

I’ll be coming to Canada for my instructors rating this December, and I’ve been reading “sharper edge ground school anywhere” I’ve had problems understanding the METAR, it seems quite different from what we use in Nigeria. This has been very helpful. I hope you have videos on GFA, TAF, Surface analysis chart and upper winds

[@DonJoyce]

Hi Mike! Please note that this video was for drone pilots, in the unlikely event that they would need to interpret a METAR. In general, a drone operation would be better off with 'layman' local weather readings (and or 'wet finger in the air') rather than a METAR. I do not have videos on GFA, TAF, etc....they also would not be helpful for a drone pilot. With regard to the differences between Canadian vs Nigerian METARs, that's interesting! I imagine runway conditions are more variable in Canada due to winter snow, ice, and visibility. Thanks for watching and commenting. Enjoy your arrival in Canada...buy a good coat! :-)

[@laurerobichon8227]

Watching this video after reading the MET section of the AIM document feels like a breeze of fresh air. Thanks! It sums it up nicely for METARs.

[@DonJoyce]

Thanks, Laure! Glad you found it "breezy"!

[@the1andonly]

Helpful for sure, but this is so far the toughest module to absorb. Those abbreviations drive me nuts. Thanks for the charts. I will use them to study and refer to during the exam. another great video!

[@DonJoyce]

To be honest, I've never seen a question asking for a full decoding of a METAR, but you never know. The key thing to know is that a METAR is a snapshot of the weather, not a forecast.

[@denisdion6847]

Outsanding video once again. I now look forward to challenging myself while killing time somewhere. Just pull up a METAR and try to make sense of it. Keep up the great work and thank you.

[@DonJoyce]

Thanks again, Denis! METARs are more fun than Sudoku...

[@DanHansen1]

thank you very much for doing this. It is immensely helpful.

[@DonJoyce]

Thanks Dan.

[@tugg-sp7ty]

You were a great help in getting my basic cert, thank you. And will be my guru for hopefully getting my advanced cert in January some time. Thanks for all your effort you put into these videos. Please keep up the great work.

[@DonJoyce]

Best wishes on your Advanced!

[@t.ticklesfpv]

I really appreciate you taking the time to make these videos. Thank you!

[@DonJoyce]

Glad you are finding them helpful!

[@yuyo57]

Glad this info wasn’t on the drone pilot exam or I would be flying sub 250.😅 Nice Video!!

[@DonJoyce]

LOL...yeah it's pretty complicated! I have seen several questions about METARs on the exams...high level on the Basic, and a bit more detailed on the Advanced. I tried to cover all bases with this one.

[@yuyo57]

@@DonJoyce yes a question or 2 did popped up about METARs. Just the short forms for weather cities etc would of screwed me up..lol CHEERS!!

[@JamieRamageVO]

Thank you, Don. As always, you did a great job of making this easier to understand...

[@DonJoyce]

Thanks, Jamie! Glad to hear it helped make it easier to understand!

[@patton2442]

Great video 👍

[@DonJoyce]

Thanks, Pattan! Hope it helped!

[@glikar1]

Great job! This is good for anyone studying for any flying licence.

[@DonJoyce]

Yes, while I normally look at things strictly from a droner's perspective, understanding METARs applies to everyone in aviation, and I think my explanation covers all bases.

[@LudoLiuExtras]

that s a very informative and useful video ! thanks for sharing ! thanks a lot for sharing !

[@DonJoyce]

Thank you, Ludo! Glad you found it helpful!

[@thinkthicc3770]

Hey Don! i downloaded your roadmap PDF. and there is a section for the videos you have listed for the advanced exam. such as like this one. is that section and this video relevant if we are just going for our basic exam.. you have made this so much easier and i usually never drop a LIKE or SUBSCRIBE.. but your channel and videos all get likes and subscription. ive been telling my friends about you .. thank you for the clarity

[@DonJoyce]

Thank you for the kind words and support! Much appreciated! Regarding METARs, you are unlikely to encounter a question on the Basic exam asking you to decipher one...but you may need to know what a METAR is.

[@108hugh]

Mommy, I want to become a pilot when I grow up! After seeing the METAR Okay, flipping burgers at Mcdonald's fine.

[@DonJoyce]

Lol. Funny comment. Every specialization, technical or artistic, has its jargon that helps those "in the club" to communicate efficiently, but can create a barrier to newcomers. Unfortunately, TC and many ground schools have elected to make droning part of the aviation club...an unnatural and unhelpful move in my opinion. I have endeavored to help break down that barrier.

[@BrantAerials]

Good lesson well taught. Still clear as mud! LOL

[@DonJoyce]

LOL. Thanks Gary! Well, there's certainly a lot of mud to muddle through with METARs!

[@davidmackinnon9645]

Hi Don Saskatoon doesn't change times so may have a difference from Zulu dependent on time of your Visibility may be in statute miles as the cutoff between mist and fog may be one statute mile

[@DonJoyce]

The Saskatoon example is taken straight from the NAV Canada material.

[@davidmackinnon9645]

@@DonJoyce well if the rest of the world changes its clocks except Saskatchewam they must be referring to that point in time not 6 months later without a shDow of a doubt

[@bhupendrakumarbutani8080]

thank you

[@DonJoyce]

Glad you're enjoying my videos, Bhupendra!

[@sweetlifeadventure7]

Super painful, where can I buy the ring?

[@DonJoyce]

The decoder ring is in the pit of Mordor where it truly belongs!

[@okanaganpeterjames]

Is it the direction the wind is heading or the direction the wind is coming from?

[@DonJoyce]

A west wind is from the west...heading east.

[@HomeDronen]

🖐️🤠👍 Interesting!!

[@DonJoyce]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@Laizurelylife]

Holy!!

[@DonJoyce]

Lol! Good reaction to METARs!

[@Laizurelylife]

@@DonJoyce oh my cryptic hieroglyphs

[@danilobarcinas6488]

Hi Don .. 292000Z , is it 2000Z read 8:00 pm ? please correct me if I am wrong, ty

[@DonJoyce]

Hi Danilo! 2000Z means 2000 zulu time, or UTC, which is indeed 8:00pm...UTC. However, Saskatoon is UTC-6, so that means the local time is 2pm, as stated in the video.

[@WisamAL-QAISI]

Thanks ! excellent video and it is extremely helpful.

[@DonJoyce]

Glad it was helpful!

[@EmilyTestAccount]

Runway Numbers: let's keep it simple, round and lop off the zero An entire METAR: Let's put as many numbers in as many units here as we can get away with

[@DonJoyce]

Lol. Yeah, if only life was that simple. Unfortunately, METARs have evolved, not designed.

[@richardwagner282]

What camera did you use to capture that sunset scene at the end?

[@DonJoyce]

DJI Osmo Pocket...it's in the credits.

[@richardwagner282]

@@DonJoyce OH I must have overlooked it in the credits, TY. That scene looks awesome , thought maybe it was taken with a DSLR.

[@michaelripple8371]

Excellent video but I can't ever see learning this it looks like algebra times 20

[@DonJoyce]

Hey, Algebra is far easier than METARs! LOL. Thanks for watching.

[@michaelripple8371]

@@DonJoyce I wonder if I will pass the test if I don't learn that very well

[@DonJoyce]

Sometimes it is enough to know that there IS a way to decode these things, allowing you to quickly do so on the exam.

[@tantai589]

😅😅😅

[@alpowell393]

Thanks Don, great review on standard coded METARS! I have noted that on the NAV Canada -Aviation Weather Web Site (AWWS) (www.flightplanning.navcanada.ca), METAR/TAF bulletins can be viewed in two (2) formats: "Standard", which your review covers off very nicely, or alternatively decoded in "Plain Language". Although not as fun as the decoding, the Plain Language output format is very helpful to avoid any interpretation errors/ omissions. Please note: The website discloses that "if you find any discrepancies between the coded METAR/TAF and the plain language METAR/TAF please use the coded METAR/TAF. LWIS bulletins are not decoded in plain language".

[@DonJoyce]

Hey, Al! Thanks for the heads up! That must be new, or at least I had not seen that option before. OK, I'm not cruising the AWWS site very often either...

[@PinetreeLine]

Awesome opening Don 😂. Thanks for putting together this incredibly detailed information video on how to read METAR reports. Great job as always brother!

[@DonJoyce]

Haha! Thanks, Doug! The opening was way more fun than the rest!

[@PinetreeLine]

Don Joyce No doubt.

[@DimmyV]

I really appreciate this thorough breakdown Don, Thank You. Do drone pilots or even pilots remember everything off by heart or they have some form of reference material? It’s overwhelming!

[@DonJoyce]

Hey, Dimmy! Thanks for watching! Yeah, I think we all need a few cheat sheets!

[@DimmyV]

@@DonJoyce always love your stuff. Especially as a visual learner. I don’t feel I can fit everything into my head and this just one section of the RPAS test.

[@JerryAulenbach]

Really helpful explanation. Thank you, Don!

[@DonJoyce]

Glad to hear you found it helpful, Jerry! METARs are like secret codes!

[@nickieshadowfaxbrooklyn5192]

Decent summary Don. Let me add my 2 cents. You might see QFE(field elevation) or QNH(ASL) or just Q in some regions for pressure settings, as well as 29.92inHg in other scales, like 101.3kPa, 1013hPa or 760 mmHg. NOSIG, BECMG or TEMPO are also common. Get your weather from ATIS/AWOS and you’ll beat all ECMWF, GFS or even NAM models in no time! I recommend Stationweather, that has a simple widget. Wx rocks! All the best to all of you, my aviation friends.

[@DonJoyce]

Thanks for this additional info, Nickie!

[@frollard]

Thanks for the review! Handy lesson.

[@DonJoyce]

Thanks!

[@bobhysong4215]

Hi Don Another great video. I find these fascinating. It's information I probably won't ever use but is fun to learn. I passed my basic exam last year (with your help) and I am studying for my advanced certificate. I don't need it and probably won't fly in a circumstance where it's required but you make the subject so interesting I've decided to do it "just because". Keep up the great work.

[@DonJoyce]

Thanks, Bob! I'm glad you find my videos interesting...even the weird longs ones like this. I also find the subjects interesting BTW!

[@dronepilotcapebreton5720]

Easy as pie…. Cringe! Thanks Don for breaking this down into a meaningful method of instruction. Your efforts are greatly appreciated… love from St.Peters, Cape Breton.

[@DonJoyce]

Thank you, Tracey! Fortunately us drone pilots really only need to know what METARs are, and a few facts like they are hourly. Unfortunately you never know what little detail they might that you in an exam.

[@TravisSmith1]

Thanks Don! I'm studying for my PPL and your video is WAY better than the aviation stuff. Much appreciated!

[@DonJoyce]

Wow! That's high praise, Travis! Thanks!

[@bettyudofiah5016]

Excellent job. I finally got it because you took your time to explain. Thank you.

[@DonJoyce]

Glad the video helped, Betty!

[@Vegan_Cooking_Show]

Don, thanks for this. I'm reading METARs right now.

[@DonJoyce]

Well, have fun reading METARs! Riveting material...lol.

[@barrymacdonald2]

Excellent explanation of a confusing subject.

[@DonJoyce]

Thanks, Barry! Yes, METARs are very confusing!

[@adamsroy2702]

Why do we need to know Metar as a drone point ?

[@DonJoyce]

There's no reason to know METARs from a safety perspective, but there are often questions about them on the exams...unfortunately.

[@dolphinTern]

Thanks!

[@DonJoyce]

Thank you very much, Deepak!!