METAR weather code reference for OVC (Overcast)
Complete cloud coverage of 8/8 of the sky. An overcast layer is always a ceiling. The height reported is the ceiling height in hundreds of feet AGL. Low overcast layers (e.g., OVC005) represent IFR conditions and may require instrument approaches for landing.
Here are common ways OVC appears in real METAR observations:
OVC005OVC012OVC090These METAR codes are commonly seen alongside OVC or describe related weather phenomena:
Cloud coverage of 5/8 to 7/8 of the sky. A broken layer constitutes a ceiling because more than half the sky is obscured. The reported height becomes the ceiling height. BKN conditions often result in IFR or MVFR flight categories depending on the height of the cloud base.
Reported when the sky is completely obscured (typically by fog, heavy precipitation, or blowing snow) and individual cloud layers cannot be identified. The number following VV indicates how far upward the observer or sensor can see, in hundreds of feet. VV represents an indefinite ceiling and always indicates IFR conditions.