The current decoded TAF aerodrome forecast for Tulsa International Airport (KTUL), including its validity period and every change group. Updated as each new forecast is issued.
TAF AMD KTUL 011306Z 0113/0212 33012G19KT P6SM SCT025 TEMPO 0113/0115 BKN025 FM011500 34015G25KT P6SM SCT050 FM020100 36005KT P6SM SKC
Airport icao: KTUL / Airport name: Tulsa International Airport
TAF delivered for the day 1 of the month at 13:06:00
| Runway | Length | Surface |
|---|---|---|
| 18L/36R | 10,000 ft (3,048 m) | Concrete |
| 08/26 | 7,376 ft (2,248 m) | Concrete |
| 18R/36L | 6,101 ft (1,860 m) | Asphalt |
A TAF forecasts what is expected; a METAR reports what is happening now. See the live METAR for KTUL.
Other reporting stations close to Tulsa International Airport:
TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast) reports weather forecast information. They are valid for 30 hours and are generally issued every 6 hours.
Most aerodromes issue a TAF four times a day, around 00:00, 06:00, 12:00 and 18:00 UTC. A short TAF covers 9 to 24 hours, a long TAF 24 or 30 hours. An amended forecast is marked AMD, a corrected one COR, and a cancelled one CNL.
A TAF only describes the weather expected within roughly 8 km of the aerodrome reference point. It is a forecast, not an observation: it states what is expected, whereas a METAR states what is currently measured.
TAF are usually split in lines with the first line containing the delivery date, the validity period, information regarding the wind, visibility, cloud cover and weather at delivery time. Then each lines describe changes to come, they start by BECMG/TEMPO/FM and contain several changes for the next hours.
The format of the TAF is the following:
For the first line:
Report type: TAF
Validity of forecast: DDDD/DDDD: The part before the / represents the starting day and hour of the TAF validity, the part after the / represents the ending day and hour of the validity.
For the next lines:
The type of change: BECMG, TEMPO, FM, PROB
The validity of the change: DDHH/DDHH
If the change is of type FM there is no space between FM and the validity
After the first line, each group describes how the forecast conditions are expected to change. The indicator tells you both the nature of the change and how to read the time that follows it.
Here is the example forecast you can load from the form above, broken down group by group.
TAF EGLL 010800Z 0109/0215 27015KT 9999 FEW020 BECMG 0112/0114 VRB03KT
A TAF can carry forecast information that never appears in a METAR.
| Aspect | METAR | TAF |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Observation of what is measured now | Forecast of what is expected |
| Period covered | The moment of observation, plus an optional two-hour trend | A validity window of 9 to 30 hours |
| Issued | Every hour or half hour, plus SPECI on significant change | Usually four times a day, plus AMD when the forecast no longer holds |
A TAF tells you what is expected over the coming hours. For the conditions observed right now, use the METAR decoder.
Speed: 12 KT
Direction: North North West (330°)
Gusts: 19 KT
P6 (SM)
Type of trend: Temporary
A TAF, or Terminal Aerodrome Forecast, is a coded forecast of the weather expected within roughly 8 km of an aerodrome over a defined validity period. It covers wind, visibility, weather and cloud, plus every change expected during that period.
A short TAF covers 9 to 24 hours and a long TAF covers 24 or 30 hours. The validity window is the DDHH/DDHH group on the first line: the part before the slash is the start day and hour in UTC, the part after it is the end day and hour.
BECMG marks a gradual and lasting change. The conditions that follow are expected to set in at some point inside the stated period, normally over less than two hours, and then to persist for the rest of the forecast unless a later group changes them.
BECMG is a permanent change: once it happens, the new conditions hold. TEMPO is a fluctuation: the conditions come and go inside the stated period, each occurrence lasting under an hour and all of them together covering less than half the period. BECMG moves the baseline, TEMPO does not.
PROB30 means there is a 30 % probability that the conditions that follow occur during the stated period, and PROB40 means 40 %. Probabilities below 30 % or above 40 % are not used: anything more likely is stated directly with BECMG or TEMPO.
A METAR reports the weather observed at an aerodrome at a given moment. A TAF forecasts the weather expected there over the hours ahead. Crews use the METAR for current conditions and the TAF for planning.