Weather
The Weather & Forecasts group covers surface observations, terminal forecasts, en-route conditions, and airspace advisories. Use it when you need current or expected conditions at an airport, along a route, or across a geographic area.
Aviation weather termsExpand section
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| METAR | Surface weather observation issued at an airfield — wind, visibility, clouds, temperature, pressure |
| TAF | Terminal forecast for an airport's vicinity, valid 24–30 hours |
| PIREP | Pilot Report — voluntary in-flight observation (turbulence, icing, cloud tops) |
| AIRMET | En-route advisory for moderate hazards (IFR, turbulence, icing) |
| SIGMET | Higher-severity en-route advisory (severe turbulence, icing, volcanic ash, convective storms) |
| FB Winds | Winds and Temperatures Aloft forecast — cruise-altitude wind and temperature at fixed stations (US only) |
Requirements
Auth
x-api-key on every request (direct subscription). Learn more →| Endpoint | Page | When to use | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
GET /v3/weather/metar/{icao} | METAR | Current conditions at an airport | Surface observation (updates every 30–60 min) |
GET /v3/weather/taf/{icao} | TAF | Expected conditions over the next 24–30 h | Terminal forecast (issued 4× daily) |
GET /v3/weather/winds-aloft | Winds Aloft | Cruise-altitude wind/temp on US routes | FB Winds stations inside a bbox (US only) |
GET /v3/weather/pireps | PIREPs | Recent in-flight reports along a route | Pilot-reported turbulence, icing, and weather in a bbox |
GET /v3/weather/airsigmet | AIRMET/SIGMET | En-route hazard advisories for a map area | Active AIRMET/SIGMET polygons intersecting a bbox |
Add parsed=true on METAR and TAF for decoded fields — shared decode tables below apply to both.
Flight categories
The flight_rules field (METAR and TAF) reflects the lowest BKN or OVC layer and prevailing visibility:
| Category | Ceiling | Visibility |
|---|---|---|
VFR | > 3,000 ft AGL | > 5 SM |
MVFR | 1,000–3,000 ft AGL | 3–5 SM |
IFR | 500–999 ft AGL | 1–3 SM |
LIFR | < 500 ft AGL | < 1 SM |
Cloud cover codes
| Code | Oktas | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
FEW | 1–2 | Few |
SCT | 3–4 | Scattered |
BKN | 5–7 | Broken — ceiling when lowest BKN or OVC |
OVC | 8 | Overcast — ceiling |
SKC / CLR | 0 | Clear sky |
Integration guides
| Guide | Covers |
|---|---|
| At the airport | METAR/TAF at departure, arrival, and alternates |
| En route | Winds Aloft, PIREPs, and AIRMET overlays on a route |
| Error handling | 404 semantics, empty results, retries |
| Caching & monitoring | TTLs, rate limits, freshness |