Tutorial

SA Report

The SA report is a concise picture of the weather on the surface where an airport weather station or other weatherfacility is located (station designator). This report might contain up to the 10 separate elements listed here.

• Station designator (airport or other type of aviation facility)
• Time of report and type (this could be a record observation or a special report)
• Sky condition and ceiling
• Visibility
• Weather and obstructions to vision
• Sea level pressure (in millibars)
• Temperature and dew point
• Wind information
• Altimeter setting
• Remarks and coded data

A sample SA is shown below.

ICT  SP1432  3 SCT M8 BKN 20 OVC  2  TRW  132/72/64/0214G25/ 992/ RO1VR30V50 T SW MOVG E RB15

REPORT CODE	INFORMATION GIVEN
ICT	Station from which weather is being reported
SP 1432	Type of report (SP = special); last 4 digits give the time
3 SCT M8 BKN 20 OVC	Sky condition and ceiling: First digit is in hundreds of feet followed by description of clouds; M = measured, with next digit in hundreds of feet followed by description of clouds; next digits in hundreds of feet followed by description of clouds. ( CLR = clear less than 0.1 sky cover; SCT = scattered 0.1 - 0.5 sky cover; BKN = broken 0.6 - 0.9 sky cover; - = is usually placed in front of the cloud descriptors and means "thin"; -X = partial obscuration; X = obscuration)
2	visibility given in statute miles
TRW	weather and obstructions to vision (abbreviations below): A = hail BN = blowing sand BY = blowing spray F = fog H = haze IF = ice fog IPW = ice pellet shower L = drizzle RW = rain shower SG = snow grains SW = snow shower T+ = severe thunderstorm ZR = freezing rain   BD = blowing dust BS = blowing snow D = dust GF = ground fog IC = ice crystals IP = ice pellets K = smoke R = rain S = snow SP = snow pellets T = thunderstorm ZL = freezing drizzle
132/	Sea level pressure measured in millibars
72/64/	temperature and dewpoint given in Fahrenheit
0214G25	Wind information: first 2 digits give compass direction (02 = 20 degrees; whereas 20 = 200 degrees); next 2 digits give wind speed in knots; G = gusts followed by digits indicating speed in knots of the gusts;
992/	altimeter setting
RO1VR30V50 T SW MOVG E RB15	This is reserved for additional weather data which is written in a standard coded format (think of it as a special shorthand) for this notation decoded below: R = runway following 2 digits indicate which runway (by compass direction); VR = visual range, V = variable with the 2-two digit numbers representing hundreds of feet (30 = 3,000; 50 = 5,000); T = thunderstorm; SW = direction southwest; MOVG = moving; E = east; R = rain; B = began followed by numbers which indicate number of minutes past the hour)

SA Report Decoded below:

Wichita Mid-Continent Airport . . . unscheduled special observation 1432 UTC . . . 300 feet scattered; measuredceiling 800 feet broken; 2,000 feet overcast . . . visibility 2 statute miles . . . thunderstorms and moderaterain showers . . . sea level pressure 1013.2 millibars . . . temperature 72 degrees Fahrenheit; dewpoint 64 degreesF . . . wind from 020 degrees at 14 knots; peak gusts at 25 knots . . . altimeter setting 29.92 . . . runway 01visual range variable between 3,000 and 5,000 feet . . . thunderstorm to the southwest moving east . . . rain beganat 15 minutes after the hour

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