# Meteorological Briefing

> Types of weather charts and reports used in pre-flight planning.

- **Subject:** 033 — Flight Planning Monitoring
- **Section:** 033-04 — Pre-Flight Preparation
- **Topic code:** 033-04-02
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-04-01
- **Author:** Pablo Asensio Martínez
- **HTML version:** https://pilotsyllabus.com/en/flight-planning-monitoring/pre-flight-preparation/meteorological-briefing/

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## Meteorological Reports (Actual Weather)

*   **METAR**: Meteorological Terminal Air Report. Routine observation (usually every 30 or 60 mins).
*   **SPECI**: Special report issued when significant changes occur between routine METARs.

## Meteorological Forecasts

*   **TAF (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast)**: Forecast for a specific airport (Validity usually 9, 24, or 30 hours).
    *   Essential for checking Destination and Alternate suitability.
*   **TREND**: A short landing forecast appended to a METAR (valid for 2 hours).

## En-Route Weather

*   **SIGMET (Significant Meteorological Information)**: Warning of severe weather (Turbulence, Icing, Ash, Thunderstorms) affecting all aircraft.
*   **AIRMET**: Warning of weather potentially hazardous to low-level aircraft (smaller than SIGMET).
*   **Significant Weather Charts (SIGWX)**: Graphic charts showing fronts, jet streams, tropopause height, and turbulence areas.
*   **Wind and Temperature Charts**: Show wind direction/speed and temperature at various Flight Levels. Used for calculating Ground Speed and Fuel Temp.

## Briefing Sources
*   **Self-briefing**: Using automated systems.
*   **Consultation**: Asking a meteorologist (less common now).
*   **Documentation**: Charts and reports provided in the flight folder.

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Free study notes from pilotsyllabus.com. Not a substitute for training at an approved ATO.