The EZWxBrief progressive app allows you to not only show forecasts for airports across the conterminous U.S. and southern Canada, but also provides the latest surface observations for most airports and other stations that issue a routine (METAR) or special observation (SPECI).
First, here's how you display station markers on the Map. Click or tap on the Layer button when viewing the Map. This will open up the layer selector menu. Surface observations are included as part of the Station Marker layer. To add a Station Marker layer, choose any of the layers in the menu under Station Markers. In the example to the left, the Flight Category marker has been selected with the attribute All to display the station markers for all of the flight category types (e.g., VFR, MVFR, etc.). If you only want to display markers that have a low IFR (LIFR) flight category, deselect the VFR, MVFR and IFR attributes to have those filtered from the map.
Second, surface observations are always valid in the past. Therefore, to see the station markers that are associated with observations, the EZDeparture Advisor™ slider handle located at the bottom of the Map needs to be positioned to a time prior to the current time. For example, in the image below, the current time is 2126Z. This means that the EZDeparture Advisor™ time needs to be set prior 2126Z. Below, the slider is set to 1840Z, and therefore, all of the markers shown on the Map are associated with the most recent observations that have occurred within the last 75 minutes of the time set...in this case 1840Z.
For example, with the time set at 1840Z and pressing the blue three-quartered-filled marker on the Map shown above, a tabular display will show the most recent surface observation (METAR) prior to this time. In this case, the observation for the Alva Regional Airport (KAVK) is valid at 1835Z. If there isn't an observation within the previous 75 minutes of this time, the marker will not be shown. This keeps the station marker layer depicting the most current data relative to the time set on the EZDeparture Advisor™.
If you press and drag the EZDeparture Advisor™ handle left or right, as long at the time remains in the past, the markers shown will reflect surface observations. In EZWxBrief, historical observations go back twelve hours prior to the current time. If you keep increasing the time (moving the slider to the right), eventually, those markers will no longer represent observations, but will provide the EZForecast. This will usually occur with an hour after the current time or at the top of the next whole hour.
Most pilots are weatherwise, but some are otherwise™
Dr. Scott Dennstaedt
Weather Systems Engineer
Founder, EZWxBrief™
CFI & former NWS meteorologist
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