Weather (METAR & TAF)

Retrieve real-time aviation weather observations and forecasts for any airport worldwide using its ICAO code.

What is a METAR?

A METAR (Meteorological Aerodrome Report) is a standardized weather observation report issued by airports, typically updated every hour (or more frequently when conditions change rapidly). It contains current conditions including wind, visibility, cloud cover, temperature, dew point, and barometric pressure. METARs are the primary way pilots and dispatchers assess current weather at an airport.

What is a TAF?

A TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast) is a weather forecast specific to the area within approximately 5 nautical miles of an airport. TAFs are typically issued every 6 hours and cover a 24- to 30-hour forecast period. They include predicted wind, visibility, cloud cover, and significant weather, broken down into time periods with expected changes.

Get METAR

Retrieve the current METAR weather observation for an airport.

GET /v3/weather/metar/{icao}

Parameters

Parameter	In	Type	Required	Default	Description
`icao`	path	string	Yes	--	4-letter ICAO airport code (e.g., `KJFK`, `EGLL`)
`parsed`	query	boolean	No	`false`	Include decoded/structured weather fields alongside raw text

Response Fields

Field	Type	Description
`raw`	string	Raw METAR text as issued by the weather station
`icao`	string	ICAO airport code
`airport_name`	string	Full airport name
`timestamp`	string	ISO 8601 timestamp of when the data was retrieved
`parsed`	object	(only if `parsed=true`) Decoded weather fields (see below)

Parsed METAR Fields

When parsed=true, the response includes a parsed object with the following fields:

Field	Type	Description
`wind.direction`	number	Wind direction in degrees true (0-360)
`wind.speed`	number	Wind speed in knots
`wind.gust`	number	Gust speed in knots (null if no gusts)
`visibility.value`	number	Visibility value
`visibility.repr`	string	Raw visibility representation (e.g., `"10SM"`)
`clouds`	array	Cloud layers with `type` (FEW, SCT, BKN, OVC) and `base` (altitude in hundreds of feet)
`temperature`	number	Temperature in degrees Celsius
`dewpoint`	number	Dew point in degrees Celsius
`altimeter`	number	Altimeter setting (inches of mercury)
`flight_rules`	string	Flight rules category: `VFR`, `MVFR`, `IFR`, or `LIFR`
`wx_codes`	array	Present weather codes (e.g., rain, snow, fog)
`remarks`	string	Remarks section of the METAR
`density_altitude`	number	Calculated density altitude
`pressure_altitude`	number	Calculated pressure altitude
`relative_humidity`	number	Relative humidity percentage
`time`	string	Observation time (UTC)

Examples

Bash

# Basic METAR (raw text only)
curl -H "X-RapidAPI-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "YOUR_API_BASE_URL/v3/weather/metar/KJFK"

# METAR with parsed/decoded fields
curl -H "X-RapidAPI-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "YOUR_API_BASE_URL/v3/weather/metar/KJFK?parsed=true"

Python

import requests

API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"
BASE_URL = "YOUR_API_BASE_URL/v3"

# Get parsed METAR for JFK
response = requests.get(
    f"{BASE_URL}/weather/metar/KJFK",
    headers={"X-RapidAPI-Key": API_KEY},
    params={"parsed": True}
)

data = response.json()
print(f"Raw: {data['raw']}")
print(f"Airport: {data['airport_name']}")

if "parsed" in data:
    parsed = data["parsed"]
    print(f"Wind: {parsed['wind']['direction']}° at {parsed['wind']['speed']} kts")
    print(f"Temperature: {parsed['temperature']}°C")
    print(f"Flight Rules: {parsed['flight_rules']}")

JavaScript

const API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY";
const BASE_URL = "YOUR_API_BASE_URL/v3";

const response = await fetch(
  `${BASE_URL}/weather/metar/KJFK?parsed=true`,
  { headers: { "X-RapidAPI-Key": API_KEY } }
);

const data = await response.json();
console.log(`Raw METAR: ${data.raw}`);
console.log(`Airport: ${data.airport_name}`);

if (data.parsed) {
  const { wind, temperature, flight_rules } = data.parsed;
  console.log(`Wind: ${wind.direction}° at ${wind.speed} kts`);
  console.log(`Temperature: ${temperature}°C`);
  console.log(`Flight Rules: ${flight_rules}`);
}

Response Example

{
  "raw": "METAR KJFK 271851Z 16013KT 10SM FEW024 15/09 A3020 RMK AO2 SLP216 T01500089",
  "icao": "KJFK",
  "airport_name": "John F Kennedy International Airport",
  "timestamp": "2025-09-27T18:51:00Z",
  "parsed": {
    "wind": {
      "direction": 160,
      "speed": 13,
      "gust": null,
      "variable": null
    },
    "visibility": {
      "value": 10,
      "repr": "10SM"
    },
    "clouds": [
      {
        "type": "FEW",
        "base": 24,
        "repr": "FEW024"
      }
    ],
    "temperature": 15,
    "dewpoint": 9,
    "altimeter": 30.2,
    "flight_rules": "VFR",
    "wx_codes": [],
    "remarks": "AO2 SLP216 T01500089",
    "density_altitude": null,
    "pressure_altitude": null,
    "relative_humidity": null,
    "time": "2025-09-27T18:51:00Z"
  }
}

Get TAF

Retrieve the Terminal Aerodrome Forecast for an airport.

GET /v3/weather/taf/{icao}

Parameters

Parameter	In	Type	Required	Default	Description
`icao`	path	string	Yes	--	4-letter ICAO airport code (e.g., `KJFK`, `EGLL`)
`parsed`	query	boolean	No	`false`	Include decoded/structured forecast periods alongside raw text

Response Fields

Field	Type	Description
`raw`	string	Raw TAF text as issued
`icao`	string	ICAO airport code
`airport_name`	string	Full airport name
`timestamp`	string	ISO 8601 timestamp of when the data was retrieved
`parsed`	object	(only if `parsed=true`) Decoded forecast data (see below)

Parsed TAF Fields

When parsed=true, the response includes a parsed object with:

Field	Type	Description
`start_time`	string	Forecast validity start (UTC)
`end_time`	string	Forecast validity end (UTC)
`forecast`	array	Array of forecast period objects

Each forecast period contains:

Field	Type	Description
`type`	string	Period type: `FROM`, `BECMG` (becoming), `TEMPO` (temporary), `PROB`
`start_time`	string	Period start time (UTC)
`end_time`	string	Period end time (UTC)
`wind.direction`	number	Forecast wind direction in degrees
`wind.speed`	number	Forecast wind speed in knots
`wind.gust`	number	Forecast gust speed in knots (null if none)
`visibility`	object	Forecast visibility with `value` and `repr`
`clouds`	array	Forecast cloud layers
`wx_codes`	array	Forecast weather phenomena
`flight_rules`	string	Expected flight rules: `VFR`, `MVFR`, `IFR`, `LIFR`
`probability`	number	Probability percentage (for PROB periods)
`turbulence`	array	Turbulence forecasts (if any)
`icing`	array	Icing forecasts (if any)

Examples

Bash

# Basic TAF (raw text only)
curl -H "X-RapidAPI-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "YOUR_API_BASE_URL/v3/weather/taf/EGLL"

# TAF with parsed forecast periods
curl -H "X-RapidAPI-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  "YOUR_API_BASE_URL/v3/weather/taf/EGLL?parsed=true"

Python

import requests

API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"
BASE_URL = "YOUR_API_BASE_URL/v3"

response = requests.get(
    f"{BASE_URL}/weather/taf/EGLL",
    headers={"X-RapidAPI-Key": API_KEY},
    params={"parsed": True}
)

data = response.json()
print(f"Raw TAF: {data['raw']}")

if "parsed" in data:
    for period in data["parsed"]["forecast"]:
        print(f"\n{period['type']}: {period['start_time']} to {period['end_time']}")
        print(f"  Wind: {period['wind']['direction']}° at {period['wind']['speed']} kts")
        print(f"  Flight Rules: {period['flight_rules']}")

JavaScript

const API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY";
const BASE_URL = "YOUR_API_BASE_URL/v3";

const response = await fetch(
  `${BASE_URL}/weather/taf/EGLL?parsed=true`,
  { headers: { "X-RapidAPI-Key": API_KEY } }
);

const data = await response.json();
console.log(`Raw TAF: ${data.raw}`);

if (data.parsed) {
  for (const period of data.parsed.forecast) {
    console.log(`${period.type}: ${period.start_time} - ${period.end_time}`);
    console.log(`  Wind: ${period.wind.direction}° at ${period.wind.speed} kts`);
    console.log(`  Flight Rules: ${period.flight_rules}`);
  }
}

Response Example

{
  "raw": "TAF KJFK 271720Z 2718/2824 16012KT P6SM FEW025 SCT250 FM272100 18010KT P6SM SCT025 BKN250",
  "icao": "KJFK",
  "airport_name": "John F Kennedy International Airport",
  "timestamp": "2025-09-27T17:20:00Z",
  "parsed": {
    "start_time": "2025-09-27T18:00:00Z",
    "end_time": "2025-09-28T24:00:00Z",
    "forecast": [
      {
        "type": "FROM",
        "start_time": "2025-09-27T18:00:00Z",
        "end_time": "2025-09-27T21:00:00Z",
        "wind": {
          "direction": 160,
          "speed": 12,
          "gust": null,
          "variable": null
        },
        "visibility": {
          "value": 7,
          "repr": "P6SM"
        },
        "clouds": [
          { "type": "FEW", "base": 25, "repr": "FEW025" },
          { "type": "SCT", "base": 250, "repr": "SCT250" }
        ],
        "wx_codes": [],
        "flight_rules": "VFR",
        "probability": null,
        "turbulence": [],
        "icing": []
      },
      {
        "type": "FROM",
        "start_time": "2025-09-27T21:00:00Z",
        "end_time": "2025-09-28T24:00:00Z",
        "wind": {
          "direction": 180,
          "speed": 10,
          "gust": null,
          "variable": null
        },
        "visibility": {
          "value": 7,
          "repr": "P6SM"
        },
        "clouds": [
          { "type": "SCT", "base": 25, "repr": "SCT025" },
          { "type": "BKN", "base": 250, "repr": "BKN250" }
        ],
        "wx_codes": [],
        "flight_rules": "VFR",
        "probability": null,
        "turbulence": [],
        "icing": []
      }
    ]
  }
}

Tips

METAR updates: Most airports update their METAR once per hour, but busy airports may issue special observations (SPECIs) when conditions change rapidly.
TAF availability: Not all airports issue TAFs. Smaller airfields without weather stations will return a 404 error.
Flight rules: The flight_rules field is extremely useful for quick go/no-go decisions. Values in order of decreasing visibility: VFR > MVFR > IFR > LIFR.
Use parsed=true to avoid writing your own METAR/TAF parsing logic. The structured fields save significant development time.

tip

If you only need the raw METAR/TAF string (e.g., for display to pilots who read them natively), omit the parsed parameter to get a smaller, faster response.

warning

Weather data is fetched in real-time from upstream sources. If the weather station at an airport is offline or not reporting, you will receive a 404 response.

What is a METAR?​

What is a TAF?​

Get METAR​

Parameters​

Response Fields​

Parsed METAR Fields​

Examples​

Bash​

Python​

JavaScript​

Response Example​

Get TAF​

Parameters​

Response Fields​

Parsed TAF Fields​

Examples​

Bash​

Python​

JavaScript​

Response Example​

Tips​

What is a METAR?

What is a TAF?

Get METAR

Parameters

Response Fields

Parsed METAR Fields

Examples

Bash

Python

JavaScript

Response Example

Get TAF

Parameters

Response Fields

Parsed TAF Fields

Examples

Bash

Python

JavaScript

Response Example

Tips