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Someone asked me today what the letters METAR stand for. Is anyone's memory bank better than mine? (Please don't explain to me what a METAR is ---- what do the letters stand for?)

"Aviation Routine Weather Report". .. .I am guessing that the term METAR means Met Aviation Report!!!!

I always thought it was Meteorological Area Report

METAR = Meteorological Aviation Routine. .. .(Long Name = Routine Aviation Meteorological Report)

You're all wrong.. .. .METAR = Met ACTUAL Report, ie, what's actually going on at the time of the report -in other words, the met assistant's observation.. .. .That's why we talk about "TAFs and Actuals".. .. .In fact, an old RAF friend of mine was going to open a pub just outside the main gates of an RAF station. He reckoned that a good name would be the "TAF and Actual".. . . . [ 10 March 2002, 14:40: Message edited by: oxford blue ]

All of these suggestions/speculations (or variations thereon) are what I get at the hangar too. Can anyone cite an official document that says what the letters stand for? I have seen one that seems to indicate the letters are actually from French words ---- but I wouldn't bet a beer on it.

From The Air Pilot's Glossary & Reference Guide.. .METAR :- METeorogical Aerodrome Forecast

<blockquote>quote:<hr />METAR are the aviation routine weather reports. They replace the report we now know as SA or hourly surface analysis. METAR are issued once an hour, with the observation taken by a human weather observer, AWOS, or ASOS. If a special observation is required it will be called a SPECI.. . <hr /></blockquote>From the US FAA website. .. . <a href="http://www.faa.gov/avr/news/metar.htm" target="_blank">FAA</a> . .. . <blockquote>quote:<hr />National Weather Service. .METAR/TAF Information . .. .Frequently Asked Questions about METAR/SPECI and TAF . .. .--------------------------------------------------------------------------------. .. .Q1 . What is METAR/SPECI and what do the acronyms stand for? . .. .A1 . METAR is the international standard code format for hourly surface weather observations which is analogous to the SA coding currently used in the US. The acronym roughly translates from French as Aviation Routine Weather Report . SPECI is merely the code name given to METAR formatted products which are issued on a special non-routine basis as dictated by changing meteorological conditions. The SPECI acronym roughly translates as Aviation Selected Special Weather Report . . .. .Q2 . What is TAF and what does the acronym stand for? . .. . <hr /></blockquote>From the US NWS site. .. . <a href="http://205.156.54.206/oso/oso1/oso12/faq.htm" target="_blank">NWS</a> . .. . <blockquote>quote:<hr />What is an Aviation Weather Observer (AWO)? . .. .An AWO is an individual who holds a valid National Weather Service (NWS) METAR (Meteorological Aviation Routine) weather observation certification, and is an employee of a specialized, private FAA contract company.. . <hr /></blockquote><a href="http://www.omni-weather.com/metar1.htm" target="_blank">Omni-Weather</a>

Don't some of the METAR codes come from French too? e.g. BR -> Mist doesn't make much sense in English, but the French word for Mist is Brume.

This is kind of humorous. No one can say what the acronym really stands for. I live in France -- and speak fluent French, but I'll be damned if I can figure out its origin in French.. .. .Meteo d'aviation routine? Doesn't work in French very well either.. .. .Anyway -- thanks for all of the responses.

Static...Oxford told you what it stands for...Meterorological Actual report.. .. ."What the weather is doing NOW" (at time of observation)...anybody who has used the word "forecast" is WAY off line.