aviation-weather

name

aviation-weather

description

Retrieve and decode real-world METAR and TAF aviation weather for airports. Use this skill whenever the user asks for "METAR", "TAF", "weather at [airport]", "conditions at [airport]", "what's the ceiling", "wind check", "altimeter setting", "flight category", or any request for current or forecast airport weather. Also trigger for phrases like "is the weather good at", "can I land VFR at", "what's the vis at", or just an ICAO code when the context implies weather (e.g., "KJFK weather"). Handles single airports or multiple at once. Provides decoded plain-language weather alongside raw METAR/TAF strings.

Aviation Weather Skill

Retrieve and present real-world METAR observations and TAF forecasts in a quick, pilot-friendly format. Designed for fast lookups during flight planning or mid-flight.

Workflow

1 — Identify Airports

Extract ICAO codes from the user's request. Accept:

• Explicit ICAO codes: "KJFK", "EGLL"
• IATA codes or airport names: "JFK" → KJFK, "Heathrow" → EGLL, "O'Hare" → KORD
• Context references: "my departure and arrival" → pull from active flight plan
• Multiple airports: "weather at KJFK, KORD, and KLAX"

If the user references a flight plan (e.g., "weather for my flight"), call getLatestFlightPlanSummary first to extract departure, arrival, and alternate ICAO codes — then proceed.

2 — Fetch Weather

Call getAviationWeather with all ICAO codes in a single request and includeTaf: true (always include TAF unless the user only asks for METAR):

getAviationWeather(icaoCodes: ["KJFK", "KORD", "KLAX"], includeTaf: true)

Both METAR and TAF come back in one call — no need for separate requests.

3 — Present Results

For each airport, present a compact block:

## KJFK — John F. Kennedy Intl 🟢 VFR

**METAR**
Wind 320° at 12 kt · Visibility 10+ sm · Few clouds at 4,500 ft
Temp 8°C / Dewpoint 2°C · Altimeter 30.12 inHg
`KJFK 171456Z 32012KT 10SM FEW045 08/02 A3012`

**TAF Summary**
Valid 17/1500Z – 18/1500Z
- Now–22Z: Winds 320/12, good visibility, few clouds 4,500 ft
- 22Z–04Z: Winds shifting 350/15G22, ceiling lowering BKN025, light rain likely
- After 04Z: Improving — SCT040, winds 010/10

Flight Category Badges

Always show the flight category prominently with a color indicator:

• VFR 🟢 — Ceiling > 3,000 ft AND visibility > 5 sm
• MVFR 🟡 — Ceiling 1,000–3,000 ft OR visibility 3–5 sm
• IFR 🟠 — Ceiling 500–999 ft OR visibility 1–3 sm
• LIFR 🔴 — Ceiling < 500 ft OR visibility < 1 sm

METAR Decoding

Always decode every METAR into plain language. Key fields to present:

• Wind: Direction, speed, gusts. Flag gusts > 25 kt with ⚠️. Note variable winds (e.g., "Variable 280–340° at 6 kt")
• Visibility: Statute miles (US) or meters (international)
• Weather phenomena: Decode all abbreviations into plain English:
  • RA = rain, SN = snow, FG = fog, BR = mist, TS = thunderstorm, HZ = haze, DZ = drizzle, FZ = freezing, SH = showers, GR = hail
  • Intensity: - light, (none) moderate, + heavy
  • Example: -TSRA → "Light thunderstorms with rain"
• Clouds: Layer type and altitude AGL (FEW/SCT/BKN/OVC + height)
• Temp/Dewpoint: In °C. Flag spread < 3°C with ⚠️ (fog/mist risk)
• Altimeter: inHg for US airports, QNH hPa for international
• Remarks: Decode significant RMK items (peak wind, pressure tendency, precipitation, runway visual range)

Always include the raw METAR string in backticks below the decoded version.

TAF Presentation

Summarize the TAF in plain language organized by time periods:

• Break into logical time blocks (now, next few hours, later)
• Focus on changes: wind shifts, ceiling drops, visibility reduction, precipitation onset/ending
• Decode TEMPO groups: "Temporarily between 18Z–21Z: visibility dropping to 2 sm in moderate rain"
• Decode PROB groups: "30% chance between 02Z–05Z: thunderstorms"
• Highlight the worst expected conditions in the forecast window
• Note when conditions are expected to improve

Only show the raw TAF string if the user explicitly asks for it.

Flagging Concerns

Use ⚠️ to flag operationally significant conditions:

• Ceiling below 1,000 ft AGL
• Visibility below 3 sm
• Crosswind or gusts > 25 kt
• Thunderstorms (TS) present or forecast
• Freezing precipitation (FZRA, FZDZ)
• Wind shear (WS in METAR remarks or TAF)
• Temp/dewpoint spread < 3°C (fog risk)
• Rapidly deteriorating conditions in TAF
• RVR reported (indicates low-vis operations)

Response Style

• Concise — the user wants weather fast, not a weather lecture
• Scannable — bold labels, consistent block format, flight category badge at the top
• When multiple airports are requested, present in order: departure → arrival → alternate, or the order the user specified
• Don't add lengthy intros — go straight to the weather blocks
• One-line closing at most

Multiple Airport Efficiency

getAviationWeather accepts an array of up to 10 ICAO codes. Always batch into a single call rather than separate calls per airport.

Comparison Requests

If the user asks "which airport has better weather" or "compare conditions at":

• Present each airport's weather block
• Add a brief comparison summary at the end noting which has better ceiling, visibility, and wind conditions
• Recommend the more favorable option if one is clearly better

Follow-Up Suggestions

Keep brief — one line:

• "Want me to check VATSIM ATIS for these airports too?"
• "Need NOTAMs for any of these?"
• "Want a full briefing for your flight?"