Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF)

A TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast) is an official, aviation-specific weather forecast issued for airports. It provides a concise summary of expected meteorological conditions in the vicinity of an aerodrome, typically within a 5 NM radius, over a 30-hour or 24-hour period (occasionally 9 or 12 hours for smaller airports).
TAFs are issued by meteorological authorities and are formatted according to ICAO standards for international use.

• Help pilots plan departure and arrival operations
• Assist in alternate airport selection
• Provide essential input for IFR fuel planning, approach minima, and contingency strategies

A typical TAF includes:

• Airport ICAO code
• Date/time of issuance
• Forecast validity period
• Forecasted wind, visibility, weather phenomena, cloud layers
• Probability and timing of changes (e.g., TEMPO, BECMG, PROB)

LOWW 081100Z 0812/0918 27008KT 9999 SCT030
BECMG 0814/0816 32012KT
TEMPO 0816/0820 4000 -RA BKN020
PROB30 TEMPO 0900/0904 2000 TSRA

Decoded:

• LOWW: Vienna International Airport
• 081100Z: Issued on the 8th day at 1100 UTC
• 0812/0918: Valid from the 8th at 12:00 UTC until the 9th at 18:00 UTC
• 27008KT: Wind from 270° at 8 knots
• 9999: Visibility 10 km or more
• SCT030: Scattered clouds at 3000 ft
• BECMG 0814/0816: Becoming between 14:00–16:00 UTC
• 32012KT: New wind from 320° at 12 knots
• TEMPO 0816/0820: Temporary condition between 16:00–20:00 UTC
• 4000 -RA BKN020: Visibility 4 km, light rain, broken clouds at 2000 ft
• PROB30 TEMPO 0900/0904 2000 TSRA: 30% chance of thunderstorms with rain, 2 km visibility from 00:00–04:00 on the 9th

• ✅ Critical for fuel planning and alternates
• ✅ Used to determine landing and takeoff minima
• ✅ Aid in assessing weather-related delays or rerouting
• ✅ Required for IFR pre-flight planning

• Always compare TAF with METAR to assess trends
• Monitor BECMG/TEMPO to anticipate weather windows
• Use LearnATC to practice interpreting and applying TAFs to real scenarios
• Check for TAF amendments (TAF AMD) that override previous forecasts