All About Precipitation

Chances are youve looked at that table of precipitation types in aviation meteorology books and been fascinated by all the different possibilities. We see all these different types of codes in METAR and TAF reports every day, so why do ground schools just give us the decoding tables and not much else? Each kind of code tells its own little story about what the air mass is doing, whats going on at that airfield, and how the weather will affect flight operations.

Tim Vasquez

Sunday, October 08, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The article details the formation processes and unique characteristics of various precipitation types relevant to aviation, including rain, snow, freezing rain, and fog.
For each precipitation type, it explains its specific impact on flight operations, such as visibility limitations, potential for airframe icing (rime or clear), and associated hazards like turbulence.
The primary goal is to equip pilots with a deeper meteorological understanding of METAR/TAF codes, enabling them to interpret the "story" behind the weather for enhanced flight safety and operational planning.

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Chances are you’ve looked at that table of precipitation types in aviation meteorology books and been fascinated by all the different possibilities. We see all these different types of codes in METAR and TAF reports every day, so why do ground schools just give us the decoding tables and not much else? Each kind of code tells its own little story about what the air mass is doing, what’s going on at that airfield, and how the weather will affect flight operations.

Here we’ll delve deep into precipitation and get familiar with each type. Hopefully, after this article if you see PL or SHRA in the TAF, you will think like a forecaster and understand where the precipitation came from and what it means for your flight. You will not just know what the precipitation is; you will understand its tale.