The Airport Wx view in the EZWxBrief progressive web app provides access to the most recent METARs and TAFs for each airport located in the EZWxBrief domain. While these are not decoded into plain English, each textual report is color-coded based on the flight category for visibility and ceiling.
To visit the Airport Wx view, find the Airport Wx menu item from the top menu bar like the one shown below from the EZWxBrief Dashboard.
From an iPhone or tablet in portrait orientation, tap on the hamburger menu icon to bring up this drop-down menu where you will find the Airport Wx menu item. Selecting this item (shown by the red arrow above) will bring up an airport selector dialog box (shown below) so you can enter the three-letter (FAA) or four-letter (ICAO) airport identifier of interest.
Once the Airport Wx view has been rendered for the desired airport (KBGM in the example below), press the Airport sitemap dropdown menu and select the METARs or TAFs option from the list.
When selecting METARs or TAFs from the menu, the most recent 12 hours of surface observations or forecasts will be listed in chronological order with the most recent one being at the top of the list. You will notice that each of the METARs (or TAFs) are color-coded based on the flight category for that particular element as shown below.
Ceiling and visibility
MAGENTA = LIFR or FOG
RED = IFR
BLUE = MVFR
GREEN = VFR
For example, the visibility for the latest surface observation (one listed at the top) for KBGM is 1 3/4SM as shown below. This is considered to be in the Low IFR (LIFR) category, so it is color-coded as red. The ceiling is defined as the lowest overcast or broken cloud deck or vertical visibility into an obscuration. For the most recent observation, the ceiling is OVC025 which is in the MVFR category so it is color-coded as blue.
Similar to a METAR, TAFs are also color-coded based on the category. In the most recent TAF for KBGM (below), the first line of the TAF forecasts a visibility of 2SM which is in the IFR category and is color-coded as red. Also note for both METARs and TAFs, the wind speed and wind gust will be color-coded as brown if the sustained wind speed is greater than 14 knots and/or the wind gust is greater than 19 knots. This includes a forecast for non-convective LLWS when it appears in a TAF.
Most pilots are weatherwise, but some are otherwise™
Dr. Scott Dennstaedt
Weather Systems Engineer
Founder, EZWxBrief™
CFI & former NWS meteorologist
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