What's the weather where you are?
- Thread starter Maia
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We finally got some light snow in Texas, it’s been a constant 60-70F most winter (aside from a couple of 10F days from the polar/artic front back in December)
XPan
The Living Force
Stockholm, Sweden
3 Feb 2023 • (10:00)
We are temporally in a space with few clouds, so the sun is shining
albeit it is pretty cold. This morning it went down to -16°C / 3.2°F at the notoriously cold station Tullinge (SW Stockholm), but even at my place in the Southern suburbs, it reached -11°C / 12.2°F
As of writing it has risen to -5°C / 23°F at my place.
Already soon after i wrote my earlier entry - snow was falling - turning everything white again. Kind of like bungy-jump type of weather. Mild. Cold. Mild. Cold. etc.
Over Southern Sweden there is a cyclone raving, with pretty stiff winds and snowfall along its northern flank. The city of Malmö (extreme south if Sweden) however reports +7°C / 44.6°F at 10:00
This is telling a story about large temperature differences in a relatively tight space - fueling that cyclone over South Scandinavia. It seem to move quickly towards southeast, towards Poland and Belarus. This might suck down some additional cold air over a small corridor, e.g. over Stockholm. Then, it will gradually get milder again, beginning next week.
3 Feb 2023 • (10:00)
We are temporally in a space with few clouds, so the sun is shining
albeit it is pretty cold. This morning it went down to -16°C / 3.2°F at the notoriously cold station Tullinge (SW Stockholm), but even at my place in the Southern suburbs, it reached -11°C / 12.2°FAs of writing it has risen to -5°C / 23°F at my place.
Already soon after i wrote my earlier entry - snow was falling - turning everything white again. Kind of like bungy-jump type of weather. Mild. Cold. Mild. Cold. etc.
Over Southern Sweden there is a cyclone raving, with pretty stiff winds and snowfall along its northern flank. The city of Malmö (extreme south if Sweden) however reports +7°C / 44.6°F at 10:00
This is telling a story about large temperature differences in a relatively tight space - fueling that cyclone over South Scandinavia. It seem to move quickly towards southeast, towards Poland and Belarus. This might suck down some additional cold air over a small corridor, e.g. over Stockholm. Then, it will gradually get milder again, beginning next week.
XPan
The Living Force
Stockholm, Sweden
19 Feb 2023
We still have after many weeks, this "Yoyo" weather going on, between mild and brief snow or freezing periods. It really goes back and forth all the time. I remember one night a week ago [10-11 Feb 2023] , going to work in the evening at 21:50 - it was suddenly all snowy with 5 cm depths with a temperature around -2°C / 28.4°F, see below.
All of the sudden
4 1/2 hours later at around 02.30 it felt strangely mild. Well, the temperature had suddenly risen to +6°C / 42.8°F - only to fall back to 0° / 32°F at 06.00 the same morning on my way home from work.
Overall, the very mild weather has been dominating during February, as it already did in January (The January electricity average price per hour in Stockholm (for us) was only 33% of what we paid in December 2022).
Here below, you see the February MIN & MAX temperatures for Stockholm City + additionally, from Stockholm-Tullinge, which shows to me, how easily cold it gets in an unaffected area outside the warm core of the city. Once cold air travels to Stockholm, even only briefly or brushing us,Tullinge Station is the "canary bird in the coal-mine" - immediately falling steeply down to -15°C / 5°F or even lower...
Sunshine hours
Well, it looked good for a while - until of lately when the sun has begun to hide itself behind plenty of clouds. The last days have been all overcast. Therefore the average daily sunshine hours have fallen again, now being below average (I would say) - but there are still days left of February, so this could change.
19 Feb 2023
We still have after many weeks, this "Yoyo" weather going on, between mild and brief snow or freezing periods. It really goes back and forth all the time. I remember one night a week ago [10-11 Feb 2023] , going to work in the evening at 21:50 - it was suddenly all snowy with 5 cm depths with a temperature around -2°C / 28.4°F, see below.
All of the sudden
4 1/2 hours later at around 02.30 it felt strangely mild. Well, the temperature had suddenly risen to +6°C / 42.8°F - only to fall back to 0° / 32°F at 06.00 the same morning on my way home from work.
Overall, the very mild weather has been dominating during February, as it already did in January (The January electricity average price per hour in Stockholm (for us) was only 33% of what we paid in December 2022).
Here below, you see the February MIN & MAX temperatures for Stockholm City + additionally, from Stockholm-Tullinge, which shows to me, how easily cold it gets in an unaffected area outside the warm core of the city. Once cold air travels to Stockholm, even only briefly or brushing us,Tullinge Station is the "canary bird in the coal-mine" - immediately falling steeply down to -15°C / 5°F or even lower...
Sunshine hoursWell, it looked good for a while - until of lately when the sun has begun to hide itself behind plenty of clouds. The last days have been all overcast. Therefore the average daily sunshine hours have fallen again, now being below average (I would say) - but there are still days left of February, so this could change.
XPan
The Living Force
"Cracked Mirrors" of Ice
11-12 Feb 2023
Additionally I wanted to share a few photos from an icy effect I noticed on 11-12 Feb 2023. It was first when i went to work, passing the school near by my home, which has two outdoor ping-pong ball tables. One of them, showed the most fantastic pattern of thin ice I have seen (the other table albeit, did not). On my way back home next morning the ice patterns where still present - and I had more time to take photos, but only with the iPhone.
Notice it was a very dark spot, at night, with "black ice".
Visually the sight was really strange. On one hand, the surface was crystal clear black within the "shards", but at the same time showing also fine detailed patterns like that of a cracked mirror.
So the images look brighter than the appearance to the naked eye, because it was 1) very dark, but the motive itself also was nearly black. Each section within itself however, had a sheen that of a mirror, in the most strange ways - but the photographical image does not do it justice
I would say, the feeling of black mirrors overall was much stronger. While the photos seem to highlight the fine details instead. But in reality, there were almost no "nuances" to the naked eye. It was more like a "black darkly / polished shimmer", and the highlights where few and tiny - the rest mainly black, and not as gray as shown in the photos.
I must give the iPhone 13 Pro Max (and onwards) an applause for being finally a serious photographical tool: for managing to take good (RAW file) photos, in such quirky dark light conditions (5s exposure time, handheld !) on a motive which on top was almost black.
11-12 Feb 2023
Additionally I wanted to share a few photos from an icy effect I noticed on 11-12 Feb 2023. It was first when i went to work, passing the school near by my home, which has two outdoor ping-pong ball tables. One of them, showed the most fantastic pattern of thin ice I have seen (the other table albeit, did not). On my way back home next morning the ice patterns where still present - and I had more time to take photos, but only with the iPhone.
Notice it was a very dark spot, at night, with "black ice".
Visually the sight was really strange. On one hand, the surface was crystal clear black within the "shards", but at the same time showing also fine detailed patterns like that of a cracked mirror.
So the images look brighter than the appearance to the naked eye, because it was 1) very dark, but the motive itself also was nearly black. Each section within itself however, had a sheen that of a mirror, in the most strange ways - but the photographical image does not do it justice
I would say, the feeling of black mirrors overall was much stronger. While the photos seem to highlight the fine details instead. But in reality, there were almost no "nuances" to the naked eye. It was more like a "black darkly / polished shimmer", and the highlights where few and tiny - the rest mainly black, and not as gray as shown in the photos.
I must give the iPhone 13 Pro Max (and onwards) an applause for being finally a serious photographical tool: for managing to take good (RAW file) photos, in such quirky dark light conditions (5s exposure time, handheld !) on a motive which on top was almost black.
lilies
The Living Force
Forecast were -2°C / 28.4°F last week, but we got 2°C / 35.6°F as coldest ever this winter in Hungary, ~90 miles west of the Ukrainian border.
This week got significantly warmer ~8°C / 46.4°F.
Global Warming®© is battling with Ice Age™ as today we had an early spring feel with a bit of light rain in the early afternoon, while still in the last month of winter..
But by 17:00 o'clock it feels "freezing" COLD AGAIN. :D
So both warring sides are satisfied:
This week got significantly warmer ~8°C / 46.4°F.
Global Warming®© is battling with Ice Age™ as today we had an early spring feel with a bit of light rain in the early afternoon, while still in the last month of winter..
But by 17:00 o'clock it feels "freezing" COLD AGAIN. :D
So both warring sides are satisfied:
The Holy Order Of The Ice Age
versus
The Al Gore Global Warming Cult
..
on planet Earth,
solar system Sol..
versus
The Al Gore Global Warming Cult
..
on planet Earth,
solar system Sol..
Metrist
The Living Force
I feel like a groundhog, coming out of hibernation.
In SC Alaska, it is 35°F. It has hovered around freezing for some time now. I would say it is a warmer than normal winter so far.
Winter in Feb. is usually sunny but colder, so it has temperature swings - or 'feels like' situation where it's cold, but the suns radiance makes it feel warm. And it will be cold in the shade, but comfortable in the sun - like a microwave, I imagine.
But, it's cloudy, and warm. The sun doesn't shine in my window, but still I feel like spring is upon us, and I want to do things.
In SC Alaska, it is 35°F. It has hovered around freezing for some time now. I would say it is a warmer than normal winter so far.
Winter in Feb. is usually sunny but colder, so it has temperature swings - or 'feels like' situation where it's cold, but the suns radiance makes it feel warm. And it will be cold in the shade, but comfortable in the sun - like a microwave, I imagine.
But, it's cloudy, and warm. The sun doesn't shine in my window, but still I feel like spring is upon us, and I want to do things.
XPan
The Living Force
Stockholm, Sweden
1 March 2023
Beautiful day with plenty of intense sunshine and temperatures which rose to around 7°C / 44.6°F. Actually - almost entire Sweden had today temperatures which we call springtime temperatures up to 7°C - even in the northern regions. In some parts of Southern Sweden up to +11.3°C / 52.3°F (in the past two days), see below.
. 
However, Winter might come back.
Both Swedish SMHI predict that pretty soon temperatures are expected to fall down (at the most) to -10°C / 14°F in Stockholm City next week. American GFS gives out a rather bizarre cold outlook - but take it with a grain of salt, since almost all models are notoriously bad in predicting the weather beyond day 5. Not to mention beyond day 10 !
GFS prognosis takes it to an ice-age kind of extreme
In case the GFS prognosis would turn true, a rather massive inflow of cold air would hit Scandinavia. And for Stockholm (city), down to a whopping -14°C / 6.8°F for mid March. That is in my opinion extreme to say the least, almost little "ice age" like... because I cannot remember that temperatures could or would ever fall such low levels almost -15°C in the city center during mid march.
In the beginning of march - yes, it has happened a few times. The extreme was during the first week of March 1987 - also called "the coldest march week in a hundred years"
So, my thinking is, that -14°C / 6.8°F for mid march in the city (not to mention how low it could get in the outer suburbs), would be bizarre - and frankly I don't believe it will get to that. Those predictive models are just too "out of alignment" and invalid for distant times, such as 10-13 days ahead of time.
1 March 2023
Beautiful day with plenty of intense sunshine and temperatures which rose to around 7°C / 44.6°F. Actually - almost entire Sweden had today temperatures which we call springtime temperatures up to 7°C - even in the northern regions. In some parts of Southern Sweden up to +11.3°C / 52.3°F (in the past two days), see below.
. However, Winter might come back.
Both Swedish SMHI predict that pretty soon temperatures are expected to fall down (at the most) to -10°C / 14°F in Stockholm City next week. American GFS gives out a rather bizarre cold outlook - but take it with a grain of salt, since almost all models are notoriously bad in predicting the weather beyond day 5. Not to mention beyond day 10 !
GFS prognosis takes it to an ice-age kind of extreme
In case the GFS prognosis would turn true, a rather massive inflow of cold air would hit Scandinavia. And for Stockholm (city), down to a whopping -14°C / 6.8°F for mid March. That is in my opinion extreme to say the least, almost little "ice age" like... because I cannot remember that temperatures could or would ever fall such low levels almost -15°C in the city center during mid march.
In the beginning of march - yes, it has happened a few times. The extreme was during the first week of March 1987 - also called "the coldest march week in a hundred years"
So, my thinking is, that -14°C / 6.8°F for mid march in the city (not to mention how low it could get in the outer suburbs), would be bizarre - and frankly I don't believe it will get to that. Those predictive models are just too "out of alignment" and invalid for distant times, such as 10-13 days ahead of time.
XPan
The Living Force
Stockholm, Sweden
7 March 2023. 06:00
What a plunge
The city of Stockholm reports a moderate -5°C / 22.6°F, while at my place south of it, -9°C / 15.8°F, and near by station Tullinge a whopping -14.9°C / 5.8°F but the kicker takes Norrtälje-Svanberga, in the northeast away from the city, with a fascinating -19.8°C equivalent to -3.64°F. Now that's a switch...
The difference between the warm city core and the outskirts this morning - is really something.
Since we are still in the first week of March, i would have to look into the archive of past temperatures - I am sure i'll find some events that were equally cold after all. Albeit the -5°C in Stockholm (city), isn't anything unusual for a 7th march, really. But with the large difference in temperature (today) e.g. between city core and suburbs - it becomes increasingly difficult, to compare it with past very cold events...
Optical phenomena
I made a photo of this cold, but beautiful frostbitten morning at my balcony. It actually didn't feel like -9°C to be honest. THE sun smiled to brightly... you know. At the same time, i spotted a faint "something" above the sun. An optical phenomena - and then realized that there was a presence of very thin haze, which i assume were faint cirrus clouds. In the photos, this came out clearer compared to the naked eye, mainly because I under exposed the image, in order make the structure better visible.
Oh. by the way.
Something wicked is coming this way...
A STORM WARNING
In a couple of hours it is expected that the first clouds of an intense storm will approach Stockholm (and already covering Southwest Sweden), then continue its course with strong wind gusts, as well 15-25 cm snow in the next 24 hours or so. After that, it sucks cold air over the fresh fallen snow... Temperatures will plunge anew during a couple of nights, down to -13°C in the city, and most likely a bit below -20°C in the outer regions away from Stockholm.
For comparison (Stockholm City)
Normal Ø MAX this time of the year, is +2.0°C
Normal Ø MIN this time of the year, is -3.0°C
It should get really interesting tonight... when I start driving my subway trains (since the line i am working at, has large outdoor sections were snow sometimes can spell trouble... The company often unprepared. Which is funny, given that they get special weather reports from our SMHI meteorological institute. Oh well.
While I am at it - the next storm is predicted to pull over on 11 March, in the same fashion like the approaching one - dumping even more snow (another 20-25 cm likely). GFS predicts for Stockholm a deep winter period, with lots of snow, and very cold nights up until 16 March. But daytime temperatures should still reach to -2°C to 0°C.
Sounds like a throwback; to the cold, snowy March 1987 ?
7 March 2023. 06:00
What a plunge
The city of Stockholm reports a moderate -5°C / 22.6°F, while at my place south of it, -9°C / 15.8°F, and near by station Tullinge a whopping -14.9°C / 5.8°F but the kicker takes Norrtälje-Svanberga, in the northeast away from the city, with a fascinating -19.8°C equivalent to -3.64°F. Now that's a switch...
The difference between the warm city core and the outskirts this morning - is really something.
Since we are still in the first week of March, i would have to look into the archive of past temperatures - I am sure i'll find some events that were equally cold after all. Albeit the -5°C in Stockholm (city), isn't anything unusual for a 7th march, really. But with the large difference in temperature (today) e.g. between city core and suburbs - it becomes increasingly difficult, to compare it with past very cold events...
Optical phenomena
I made a photo of this cold, but beautiful frostbitten morning at my balcony. It actually didn't feel like -9°C to be honest. THE sun smiled to brightly... you know. At the same time, i spotted a faint "something" above the sun. An optical phenomena - and then realized that there was a presence of very thin haze, which i assume were faint cirrus clouds. In the photos, this came out clearer compared to the naked eye, mainly because I under exposed the image, in order make the structure better visible.
Oh. by the way.
Something wicked is coming this way...A STORM WARNING
In a couple of hours it is expected that the first clouds of an intense storm will approach Stockholm (and already covering Southwest Sweden), then continue its course with strong wind gusts, as well 15-25 cm snow in the next 24 hours or so. After that, it sucks cold air over the fresh fallen snow... Temperatures will plunge anew during a couple of nights, down to -13°C in the city, and most likely a bit below -20°C in the outer regions away from Stockholm.
For comparison (Stockholm City)
Normal Ø MAX this time of the year, is +2.0°C
Normal Ø MIN this time of the year, is -3.0°C
It should get really interesting tonight... when I start driving my subway trains (since the line i am working at, has large outdoor sections were snow sometimes can spell trouble... The company often unprepared. Which is funny, given that they get special weather reports from our SMHI meteorological institute. Oh well.
While I am at it - the next storm is predicted to pull over on 11 March, in the same fashion like the approaching one - dumping even more snow (another 20-25 cm likely). GFS predicts for Stockholm a deep winter period, with lots of snow, and very cold nights up until 16 March. But daytime temperatures should still reach to -2°C to 0°C.
Sounds like a throwback; to the cold, snowy March 1987 ?
XPan
The Living Force
Stockholm, Sweden
9 March 2023
We too, got a few lightning strikes (but those were never registered at the above Blitzortung.org). Just outside of Stockholm to the east, over the Baltic sea at around 05:00. This happened yesterday morning (8 march), due to a plume of warmer air / energy from the sea, got sucked up right north of a cyclone center. The rotational "backwards" movement, made this "package" become almost "stationary" for some times over the open waters - and therefore built up much larger quantities of clouds. Eventually it rotated further anti clockwise, pulled in over land, down from the northeast, covering the larger Stockholm area, resulting into a second onset of heavy snowfalls.
The Storm
So, I went to work in the evening of 7 March 2023, and well - it snowed a lot. But there was no dram at the subway, no larger delays, no disruptions - and the winds where nothing to write home about, not even exceeding 10 meter/sec in the city.
By the time i returned back home around 02:45, the snow had accumulated to around 11 cm, albeit deeper in many areas due to the winds blowing the powdery snow over open areas. Walking home from the depot, through 2+ km of virgin, unplowed snow, was like a power walk on a treadmill - quite the sweaty exercise, i realized *LOL*
It was not until early morning when the winds started to switch, coming from the north and getting more aggressive. Our windows and the roof started to rumble - while the landscape outside showed anew typical white-out conditions at times. This second act - only affected the eastern part of the Greater Stockholm region.
The snow depth reached 30 cm in the northeast and east (Norrtälje, Dalarö, Stockholm Archipelago), while the city reported 18 cm at 07:00 (the time, when they usually measure it every day). At my balcony we got 21 cm snow depth now. In some places in Southern Sweden, such as Falköping up to 35 cm.
By the way, Northern Sweden, reported temperatures down to -34°C / -29°F.
Cold Night approaching
(9 March, 00:00)
The clouds are gone now - the clear sky feels very crisp - while temperatures are starting to plunge considerably. Some distant areas like Floda, already reporting -15.3°C / 4.5°F - while Stockholm city only -5°C / 23°F (at balcony to the south, -6°C / 21°F), Uppsala north of the city -10°C / 14°F, while nearby Tullinge SW from my place, reports -9.2°C / 15.4°F
Correction
In my previous entry, I claimed that the current period reminded me a bit of March 1987. That's actually pretty wrong - because back then it was waaay colder.
Perhaps there is another comparison: A special memory popped into my mind, which might be somewhat related to the current weather conditions: A period around 9 March 2006 - as the temperatures dropped rapidly to very low levels. Stockholm city brought it down to -14°C / 6.8°F, while the outskirts (such as Tullinge station) reported at the lowest -23.5°C / -10.3°F, with 7 nights in a row, colder than -20°C !
PS: I didn't experience the whole icy period in Stockholm back in March 2006, because only a few days later, i went for the first time in my life on a "charter" journey outside of Europe, to Southern Turkey for 3 weeks (due to the total solar eclipse there). I felt like Bambi on Ice in a huge (!) luxury hotel complex... while being extremely shy, realizing that I barely even knew the hotel routines (at an age of just turned 40)
Anyway; March up here in middle Scandinavia, can be a month to be reckoned with.
Talk about contrast
The funny thing is - that on 8 March 2015 - the temperatures in Stockholm rose to a never before seen level of +16°C / 60.8°F. It really was startling to experience. On 20/21 March 2015 however - a partial solar eclipse day, by the way - the landscape got covered with plenty of snow - and it was like walking through a fairytale (see below)
Photo Impressions
from the snow storm last days.
In the beginning of the snowfall
Next morning, winds turned, coming from N and NE, blowing against all windows, while heavy snow showers raving outside.
9 March 2023
We too, got a few lightning strikes (but those were never registered at the above Blitzortung.org). Just outside of Stockholm to the east, over the Baltic sea at around 05:00. This happened yesterday morning (8 march), due to a plume of warmer air / energy from the sea, got sucked up right north of a cyclone center. The rotational "backwards" movement, made this "package" become almost "stationary" for some times over the open waters - and therefore built up much larger quantities of clouds. Eventually it rotated further anti clockwise, pulled in over land, down from the northeast, covering the larger Stockholm area, resulting into a second onset of heavy snowfalls.
The Storm
So, I went to work in the evening of 7 March 2023, and well - it snowed a lot. But there was no dram at the subway, no larger delays, no disruptions - and the winds where nothing to write home about, not even exceeding 10 meter/sec in the city.
By the time i returned back home around 02:45, the snow had accumulated to around 11 cm, albeit deeper in many areas due to the winds blowing the powdery snow over open areas. Walking home from the depot, through 2+ km of virgin, unplowed snow, was like a power walk on a treadmill - quite the sweaty exercise, i realized *LOL*
It was not until early morning when the winds started to switch, coming from the north and getting more aggressive. Our windows and the roof started to rumble - while the landscape outside showed anew typical white-out conditions at times. This second act - only affected the eastern part of the Greater Stockholm region.
The snow depth reached 30 cm in the northeast and east (Norrtälje, Dalarö, Stockholm Archipelago), while the city reported 18 cm at 07:00 (the time, when they usually measure it every day). At my balcony we got 21 cm snow depth now. In some places in Southern Sweden, such as Falköping up to 35 cm.
By the way, Northern Sweden, reported temperatures down to -34°C / -29°F.
Cold Night approaching
(9 March, 00:00)
The clouds are gone now - the clear sky feels very crisp - while temperatures are starting to plunge considerably. Some distant areas like Floda, already reporting -15.3°C / 4.5°F - while Stockholm city only -5°C / 23°F (at balcony to the south, -6°C / 21°F), Uppsala north of the city -10°C / 14°F, while nearby Tullinge SW from my place, reports -9.2°C / 15.4°F
Correction
In my previous entry, I claimed that the current period reminded me a bit of March 1987. That's actually pretty wrong - because back then it was waaay colder.
Perhaps there is another comparison: A special memory popped into my mind, which might be somewhat related to the current weather conditions: A period around 9 March 2006 - as the temperatures dropped rapidly to very low levels. Stockholm city brought it down to -14°C / 6.8°F, while the outskirts (such as Tullinge station) reported at the lowest -23.5°C / -10.3°F, with 7 nights in a row, colder than -20°C !
PS: I didn't experience the whole icy period in Stockholm back in March 2006, because only a few days later, i went for the first time in my life on a "charter" journey outside of Europe, to Southern Turkey for 3 weeks (due to the total solar eclipse there). I felt like Bambi on Ice in a huge (!) luxury hotel complex... while being extremely shy, realizing that I barely even knew the hotel routines (at an age of just turned 40)
Anyway; March up here in middle Scandinavia, can be a month to be reckoned with.
Talk about contrast
The funny thing is - that on 8 March 2015 - the temperatures in Stockholm rose to a never before seen level of +16°C / 60.8°F. It really was startling to experience. On 20/21 March 2015 however - a partial solar eclipse day, by the way - the landscape got covered with plenty of snow - and it was like walking through a fairytale (see below)
Photo Impressions
from the snow storm last days.
In the beginning of the snowfall
Next morning, winds turned, coming from N and NE, blowing against all windows, while heavy snow showers raving outside.
METAR is short for "METeorological Aerodrome Report"
This is how you read a METAR shows the format with hyperlinks for more explanation and an example below:
The Complete Guide to Understanding METARs
There are probably various ways to access the METAR data of the nearest airport. This website has more than 78,000 airports.
Example:
I looked up ZBAA, which is Beijing Capital International Airport:
When one double-clicks the field below the name, the full METAR information will open, and it is possible to find more information and explanation.
The weather in Beijing was good, below is a station that had more clouds
The above station notes in the remarks that they have Cumulonimbus to the west. This is a cloud type a pilot might like to avoid as there can be strong winds in its vicinity. But it is not the only type of clouds that one might encounter:
Some cloud types that might appear in a METAR
Not all clouds are problematic to fly in, but some indicate local atmospheric instability and the possibility of turbulence, which can be important for the safety and comfort of flying.
The Complete Guide to Understanding METARs notes:
Session 25 February 2023
Among the information a normal weather report might not have that you can find in the METAR is the cloud heights of low clouds below 5000 ft, how many eighths of the sky the low clouds cover and remarks about special weather phenomena like fog, drizzle, rain, hail, snow, mist, dust, and volcanic ash.
This is how you read a METAR shows the format with hyperlinks for more explanation and an example below:
For an alternative explanation;
The Complete Guide to Understanding METARs
There are probably various ways to access the METAR data of the nearest airport. This website has more than 78,000 airports.
Example:
I looked up ZBAA, which is Beijing Capital International Airport:
When one double-clicks the field below the name, the full METAR information will open, and it is possible to find more information and explanation.
The weather in Beijing was good, below is a station that had more clouds
The above station notes in the remarks that they have Cumulonimbus to the west. This is a cloud type a pilot might like to avoid as there can be strong winds in its vicinity. But it is not the only type of clouds that one might encounter:
Some cloud types that might appear in a METAR
Not all clouds are problematic to fly in, but some indicate local atmospheric instability and the possibility of turbulence, which can be important for the safety and comfort of flying.
The Complete Guide to Understanding METARs notes:
Sure, some clouds can be uncomfortable to fly in, but the following excerpt indicates clouds occasionally can be harbingers of more than the coming local weather.
Session 25 February 2023