METAR Remarks Reference
Everything after RMK in a METAR is a remark. These codes provide extra detail about station type, pressure trends, precise temperatures, precipitation amounts, and sensor status. Learn what each one means.
Station Type
2 codesIdentifiers that tell you what kind of automated station produced the observation.
Indicates an automated weather observation station that lacks a precipitation discriminator. AO1 stations can detect...
RMK AO1RMK AO1 SLP982+1 moreIndicates an automated weather observation station equipped with a precipitation discriminator. AO2 stations can...
RMK AO2RMK AO2 SLP135+1 morePressure
3 codesSea-level pressure readings and pressure trend indicators.
Reports the atmospheric pressure adjusted to mean sea level in hectopascals (millibars), encoded as a three-digit...
SLP982SLP135+1 moreIndicates that the atmospheric pressure has been falling at a rate of at least 0.06 inches of mercury (2.03 hPa) per...
RMK PRESFRRMK AO2 PRESFR+1 moreIndicates that the atmospheric pressure has been rising at a rate of at least 0.06 inches of mercury (2.03 hPa) per...
RMK PRESRRRMK AO2 PRESRR+1 moreTemperature
1 codePrecise temperature and dewpoint data encoded to the nearest tenth of a degree.
Precipitation
3 codesHourly and cumulative precipitation amounts and snow depth reports.
Reports the amount of precipitation that has fallen in the past hour, in hundredths of an inch. The value follows the P...
P0012P0000+1 moreReports the total precipitation accumulation over the preceding 6-hour period, encoded as a five-character group...
6004260000+1 moreReports that snow depth is increasing rapidly, given as the increase in inches during the past hour followed by the...
SNINCR 2/10SNINCR 1/4+1 moreWeather
6 codesSignificant weather events including frontal passages, wind shifts, and virga.
Indicates that the METAR is a correction to a previously issued observation. When an error is found in a routine or...
METAR COR KJFKCOR KORD 121856Z+1 morePrecipitation that falls from clouds but evaporates before reaching the ground. Virga is visible as streaks or wisps...
RMK VIRGARMK VIRGA SW+1 moreIndicates that a weather front (cold, warm, or occluded) has passed over the station during the observation period....
RMK FROPARMK AO2 FROPA PRESFR+1 moreIndicates that a significant wind shift occurred at the specified time (in minutes past the hour). A wind shift is...
WSHFT 30WSHFT 45 FROPA+1 moreReports the highest instantaneous wind speed observed since the last routine observation, including the direction and...
PK WND 28045/15PK WND 31060/1254+1 moreA trend forecast appended to a METAR indicating that no significant change in weather conditions is expected in the...
NOSIGBKN025 NOSIG+1 moreMaintenance
5 codesSensor outages and maintenance flags that may affect observation accuracy.
Indicates that the Runway Visual Range (RVR) reporting system is not operating or is not available at this station. RVR...
RMK RVRNORMK AO2 RVRNO+1 morePlaced at the end of a METAR to indicate that the automated station requires maintenance. The $ symbol means that one...
RMK AO2 $RMK $+1 moreIndicates that the automated station's thunderstorm detection sensor (lightning detector) is not operating. Without...
RMK TSNORMK AO2 TSNO+1 moreIndicates that the automated station's freezing rain sensor is not operating. Without this sensor, the station cannot...
RMK FZRANORMK AO2 FZRANO+1 moreIndicates that the automated station's present weather identifier sensor is not functioning. This sensor is responsible...
RMK PWINORMK AO2 PWINO+1 moreHow to read METAR remarks
In a raw METAR, the remarks section begins with the keyword RMK. Everything that follows provides supplementary information about the observation that cannot be expressed in the standard coded body of the report.
KJFK 121856Z 31012KT 10SM FEW250 18/06 A3002 RMK AO2 SLP168 T01830061 PRESRR
AO2 — Automated station with precipitation discriminator
SLP168 — Sea level pressure 1016.8 hPa
T01830061 — Temperature 18.3C, dewpoint 6.1C
PRESRR — Pressure rising rapidly
Remarks are not always present in every METAR. When they do appear, they typically include the station type (AO1 or AO2), sea-level pressure, precise temperature, and any notable weather events. Some remarks also flag sensor outages, which is critical information because the absence of a weather phenomenon in the report may simply mean the sensor is offline.
What are METAR remarks?
METAR remarks appear after the "RMK" keyword in a METAR observation. They provide additional detail that does not fit into the standard coded body of the report, such as precise temperature, sea-level pressure, precipitation amounts, sensor status, and significant weather events like frontal passages and wind shifts.
Where do remarks appear in a METAR?
Remarks always follow the "RMK" keyword at the end of the METAR body. Everything before RMK is the standard coded observation; everything after it is supplementary information. For example: KJFK 121856Z 31012KT 10SM FEW250 18/06 A3002 RMK AO2 SLP168 T01830061. In this report, AO2, SLP168, and T01830061 are all remarks.
What is the difference between AO1 and AO2?
AO1 and AO2 identify the type of automated weather station. AO2 stations have a precipitation discriminator that can distinguish between liquid and frozen precipitation (rain vs. snow). AO1 stations lack this sensor and may report UP (unknown precipitation) instead. Most ASOS stations in the US are AO2.
How do I decode the SLP remark?
SLP (Sea Level Pressure) is a three-digit code. To decode it, prefix with 9 or 10 (whichever brings the value closer to 1000) and place a decimal before the last digit. For example, SLP982 means 998.2 hPa and SLP135 means 1013.5 hPa. If the number is above 500, prefix with 9; if below 500, prefix with 10.
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