TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast)

TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast) is a meteorological forecast issued for the area within approximately 5 nautical miles of an aerodrome. It uses a coded format similar to METAR and covers wind, visibility, weather phenomena, and cloud conditions expected over a 24-hour or 30-hour period.

• Issued every 6 hours (some stations every 3 hours)
• Uses change indicators: BECMG (becoming), TEMPO (temporary), PROB (probability), FM (from)
• Essential for flight planning — determines whether an airport can be used as destination or alternate
• Decoded alongside METARs for a complete weather picture