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Atmolix Historical METAR

Historical METAR

Atmolix Historical METAR provides access to historical METAR data from 2006 onward. Original METAR reports are presented in their raw format, without further processing or modification. Any decoded weather information is provided separately and does not replace or alter the original report.

How to Use Historical METAR

Use the Historical METAR search to find an airport or reporting station and retrieve available observations for a specific date and time.

1. Select the station Enter the station's ICAO identifier, such as LBSF, EGLL or EDDF.
2. Select the date Choose the historical date you want to investigate.
3. Select the observation time Select the available observation closest to the requested time. METAR observation times are expressed in UTC (Zulu time).
4. Review the report Open the selected observation to view the original METAR report and its decoded weather information.

Historical Data Source

Historical METAR reports displayed by Atmolix are sourced from NOAA's Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System (MADIS) archive. See the official NOAA MADIS METAR documentation for information about the source dataset.

Global historical data Global METAR collection in the archive began on March 13, 2006.
Original reports Original METAR reports are displayed in their raw text format, separately from any decoded weather information.

What Is a Historical METAR?

A historical METAR is a recorded aviation weather observation from a specific station at a specific time. Unlike a forecast, it describes the weather conditions actually reported at the station.

Station identifier Identifies the airport or reporting station that issued the report.
Observation time Indicates when the weather observation was made. METAR observation times are expressed in UTC.
Wind Provides wind direction and speed, as well as gust information when reported.
Visibility Provides reported horizontal visibility and runway visual range information when available.
Present weather Reports weather phenomena such as rain, snow, fog, thunderstorms and other significant conditions.
Cloud information Reports cloud amount and cloud-base information, including conditions relevant to aviation ceilings.
Temperature and dew point Shows the observed air temperature and dew-point temperature.
Pressure Provides the reported atmospheric pressure or altimeter setting used for aviation purposes.
Remarks May include additional observation details in the remarks section of the report.

Working with UTC Time

Accurate time interpretation is essential when working with historical aviation weather observations. METAR timestamps use UTC, regardless of the airport's local time zone.

  • UTC / Z: A timestamp ending in Z is expressed in Coordinated Universal Time.
  • Local time: The local date at an airport may differ from the UTC date.
  • Midnight: Reports around 0000Z must be interpreted using the UTC date stated in the report.
  • Comparisons: Use UTC when comparing observations from different airports or dates.

METAR and SPECI

The historical archive may contain both routine METAR reports and special observations known as SPECI. A METAR is a routine aviation weather observation, while a SPECI is issued outside the regular reporting schedule when significant changes in weather or operating conditions meet the applicable reporting criteria.

METAR A routine aviation weather observation issued according to the station's reporting schedule.
SPECI A special observation issued when significant changes meet the applicable reporting criteria.

For a detailed explanation of how to read and interpret METAR reports, including the meaning of individual report groups and weather codes, see the METAR Guide.

Understanding Data Availability

Historical METAR data is available from 2006 onward, but coverage varies by station. The archive's global collection start date does not guarantee that every airport has a continuous record from that date.

Station coverage Individual stations may have different periods of availability, reporting schedules and gaps in their historical records.
Missing observations A missing record does not necessarily mean that no weather observation was made. The observation may simply not be available in the historical archive.

Typical Uses

Flight analysis Review historical wind, visibility, cloud and pressure conditions relevant to a flight or airport operation.
Weather verification Determine the weather conditions reported at an airport at a specific time.
Historical research Investigate past weather events, changing conditions and aviation weather patterns.
Airport comparison Compare observations from multiple stations using the same UTC time reference.

Example Workflow

To investigate historical weather at Sofia Airport, enter its ICAO identifier LBSF, select the required historical date, choose an available observation time and open the corresponding report. You can then review the original METAR code alongside the available decoded weather parameters.

Usage Limits

To ensure fair access to historical aviation weather data and maintain reliable service performance, Atmolix applies two daily request limits to each user. Both limits apply simultaneously.

100 requests per user per day Each user can make a maximum of 100 Historical METAR requests per day across all airports combined.
10 requests per airport per user per day Each user can make a maximum of 10 Historical METAR requests per airport per day. This limit is tracked separately for each airport.
When the airport limit is reached Further requests for that airport are blocked until the daily reset. Requests for other airports can still be made, provided the user has not reached the 100-request daily limit.
When the daily user limit is reached Once a user has made 100 requests across all airports, all additional Historical METAR requests are blocked until the daily reset.
Daily reset Both the per-user and per-airport request counters reset daily.