TAF Response element

The TAF Response Element is returned for the following request type:

TAF
Element Cardinality Description
<taf> 0..1 Holder element for a TAF report
<report>TAF AMD KVPS 2816/2917 15020G40KT 4800 SHRA BKN020 BKN100 OVC160 540008 QNH2965INS BECMG 2823/2824 15015G25KT 6000 SHRA BKN030 BKN160 540008 QNH2968INS T30/2819Z T25/2911Z AMD 281629</report> 1..1 Original TAF report text.
<reportTime>2012-08-27T21:52:00.000Z</reportTime> 1..1 Time the report was issued by the weather station (UTC).
<observationTime>2012-08-27T21:42:00.000Z</observationTime> 1..1 Timestamp of the observations the report is based on (UTC).
<reportType>Normal</reportType> 1..1 Type of report: "Normal", "Amendment", or "Correction".
<weatherStationIcao>KABQ</weatherStationIcao> 1..1 ICAO code of the weather station issuing the report. This is not the same as the ICAO code of the nearest airport.
<forecasts> 1..1 List of forecasts contained in the report.
<forecast> 0..n Entry for a forecast.
<type>Base</type> 1..1 Type of forecast. Possible values:
Type Description
Base The base forecast for the period covered by this TAF
From Prevailing conditions changing rapidly (within the span of about an hour) and continuing until end of forecast or further changes.
Temporary Temporary conditions generally expected to last less than an hour at a time, and taking up less than half of the indicated time period. Base conditions continue to apply unless overridden.
Becoming Prevailing conditions changing gradually over a longer time period, usually about two hours.
Intermittent Intermittent changes expected to occur for periods of less than 30 minutes.
Probability Conditions expected to occur with a given probability during the stated interval.
<start>2012-08-28T16:00:00.000Z</start> 1..1 Start of the valid period for this forecast (UTC).
<end>2012-08-29T16:00:00.000Z</end> 1..1 End of the valid period for this forecast (UTC).
<probability>30</probability> 0..1 Probability (percentage) associated with this forecast. Most of the time, the only values used are 30% and 40%.
<conditions> ... </conditions> 1..1 Primary group of weather conditions for this forecast section.
</forecast>
</forecasts>
</taf>
Conditions
The primary set of weather conditions are grouped into a "Conditions" model object including wind, visibility, weather phenomena, cloud coverage, and barometric pressure. "Conditions" sections occur in both METAR reports and TAF forecast sections.
Element Cardinality Description
<conditions> 1..1
<wind> 0..1 Wind information
<direction>120</direction> 0..1 Wind direction (degrees counter-clockwise from north).
<directionMin>100</directionMin> 0..1 Minimum wind direction, for variable wind (degrees counter-clockwise from north).
<directionMax>130</directionMax> 0..1 Maximum wind direction, for variable wind (degrees counter-clockwise from north).
<directionIsVariable>false</directionIsVariable> 1..1 Boolean value indicating whether wind direction is variable.
<speedKnots>15</speedKnots> 0..1 Wind speed (knots).
<gustSpeedKnots>15</gustSpeedKnots> 0..1 Wind gust speed (knots).
</wind> Wind information
<visibility> 0..1
<miles>5.0</miles> 0..1 Horizontal visibility in statute miles. Generally the only reason for this field not to be present is if cavok is true, implying unimpeded visibility without a specific numeric measurement.
<cavok>true</cavok> 0..1 Boolean value indicating "Ceiling and Visibility OK" (abbreviated "CAVOK").
<lessThan>false</lessThan> 1..1 Boolean value indicating that the actual visibility is less than the number of miles stated.
<visibility> 0..1
<weatherConditions> 1..1 List of all weather conditions described by the report.
<weatherConditions> 0..n Entry for a weather condition.
<phenomenon>Rain</phenomenon> 1..1 Primary phenomenon described by this weather condition. Possible values: "Drizzle", "Dust/sand whirls", "Dust storm", "Fog", "Funnel cloud", "Hail", "Haze", "Ice crystals", "Ice pellets", "Mist", "Rain", "Sand", "Sand storm", "Small hail", "Smoke/fumes", "Snow", "Snow grains", "Spray", "Squalls", "Unknown precipitation", "Volcanic ash", "Widespread dust".
<descriptor>Freezing</descriptor> 0..1 Descriptor of this weather condition, indicating phenomenon characteristics. Possible values: "Shallow", "Blowing", "Patches", "Showers", "Partial", "Drifting", "Thunderstorm", "Freezing".
<intensity>Light</intensity> 1..1 Intensity of the phenomenon: "Light", "Moderate", "Heavy", or "Vicinity".
</weatherCondition>
</weatherConditions>
<skyConditions> 1..1 List of all sky conditions described by the report.
<skyCondition> 0..n Entry for a sky condition.
<coverage>Overcast</coverage> 1..1 Cloud coverage. Possible values: "Few clouds", "Scattered clouds", "Broken clouds", "Overcast", "Vertical Visibility", "Sky clear", "No significant clouds", "Clear".
<base>3000</base> 0..1 Cloud layer base (feet above ground level).
<modifier>TCU</modifier> 0..1 Sky condition modifier; see METAR for possible values.
</skyCondition>
</skyConditions>
<pressureInchesHg>0.7</pressureInchesHg> 0..1 Atmospheric pressure (inches of mercury).
</conditions>
Example XML Output
The following example is a partial response and uses inline references for simplicity.
See Full Sample Responses for a complete response.
<taf> <report> TAF AMD KPDX 302050Z 3021/3118 32010KT P6SM SKC FM310300 VRB03KT P6SM SCT200 FM311200 VRB03KT P6SM SCT012 SCT200 </report> <reportTime>2012-08-30T21:54:00.000Z</reportTime> <observationTime>2012-08-30T20:50:00.000Z</observationTime> <reportType>Amendment</reportType> <weatherStationIcao>KPDX</weatherStationIcao> <forecasts> <forecast> <type>BASE</type> <start>2012-08-30T21:00:00.000Z</start> <end>2012-08-31T18:00:00.000Z</end> <conditions> <wind> <direction>320</direction> <directionIsVariable>false</directionIsVariable> <speedKnots>10.00</speedKnots> </wind> <visibility> <miles>6.00</miles> <lessThan>false</lessThan> <cavok>false</cavok> </visibility> <weatherConditions/> <skyConditions> <skyCondition> <coverage>Sky clear</coverage> </skyCondition> </skyConditions> </conditions> </forecast> <forecast> <type>FROM</type> <start>2012-08-31T03:00:00.000Z</start> <end>2012-09-01T00:00:00.000Z</end> <conditions> <wind> <directionIsVariable>true</directionIsVariable> <speedKnots>3.00</speedKnots> </wind> <visibility> <miles>6.00</miles> <lessThan>false</lessThan> <cavok>false</cavok> </visibility> <weatherConditions/> <skyConditions> <skyCondition> <coverage>Scattered clouds</coverage> <base>20000</base> </skyCondition> </skyConditions> </conditions> </forecast> <forecast> <type>FROM</type> <start>2012-08-31T12:00:00.000Z</start> <end>2012-09-01T00:00:00.000Z</end> <conditions> <wind> <directionIsVariable>true</directionIsVariable> <speedKnots>3.00</speedKnots> </wind> <visibility> <miles>6.00</miles> <lessThan>false</lessThan> <cavok>false</cavok> </visibility> <weatherConditions/> <skyConditions> <skyCondition> <coverage>Scattered clouds</coverage> <base>1200</base> </skyCondition> <skyCondition> <coverage>Scattered clouds</coverage> <base>20000</base> </skyCondition> </skyConditions> </conditions> </forecast> </forecasts> </taf>
Example JSON Output (whitespace added for clarity)
The following example is a partial response and uses inline references for simplicity.
See Full Sample Responses for a complete response.
{ "taf": { "report": "TAF\n AMD KPDX 302050Z 3021\/3118 32010KT P6SM SKC \n FM310300 VRB03KT P6SM SCT200 \n FM311200 VRB03KT P6SM SCT012 SCT200", "reportTime": "2012-08-30T21:54:00.000Z", "observationTime": "2012-08-30T20:50:00.000Z", "reportType": "Amendment", "weatherStationIcao": "KPDX", "forecasts": [ { "type": "BASE", "start": "2012-08-30T21:00:00.000Z", "end": "2012-08-31T18:00:00.000Z", "conditions": { "wind": { "direction": 320, "directionIsVariable": false, "speedKnots": "10.00" }, "visibility": { "miles": "6.00", "lessThan": false, "cavok": false }, "weatherConditions": [ ], "skyConditions": [ { "coverage": "Sky clear" } ] } }, { "type": "FROM", "start": "2012-08-31T03:00:00.000Z", "end": "2012-09-01T00:00:00.000Z", "conditions": { "wind": { "directionIsVariable": true, "speedKnots": "3.00" }, "visibility": { "miles": "6.00", "lessThan": false, "cavok": false }, "weatherConditions": [ ], "skyConditions": [ { "coverage": "Scattered clouds", "base": 20000 } ] } }, { "type": "FROM", "start": "2012-08-31T12:00:00.000Z", "end": "2012-09-01T00:00:00.000Z", "conditions": { "wind": { "directionIsVariable": true, "speedKnots": "3.00" }, "visibility": { "miles": "6.00", "lessThan": false, "cavok": false }, "weatherConditions": [ ], "skyConditions": [ { "coverage": "Scattered clouds", "base": 1200 }, { "coverage": "Scattered clouds", "base": 20000 } ] } } ] } }
Full Sample Responses