Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

KDTW / DTW

Detroit, US

Current TAF Forecast

Raw TAF:
TAF KDTW 041743Z 0418/0524 13005KT P6SM BKN250 FM050100 10005KT 3SM -DZ BR OVC010 FM050600 05005KT 3/4SM -SHRA BR OVC003 FM051200 06009KT 3/4SM -DZ BR OVC004 FM051600 07010KT 1SM RA BR OVC004

Detailed TAF Table

Parameter
Wed
19:00Z
+-1h
Wed
20:00Z
+0h
Wed
21:00Z
+1h
Wed
22:00Z
+2h
Wed
23:00Z
+3h
Thu
00:00Z
+4h
Thu
01:00Z
+5h
Thu
02:00Z
+6h
Thu
03:00Z
+7h
Thu
04:00Z
+8h
Thu
05:00Z
+9h
Thu
06:00Z
+10h
Thu
07:00Z
+11h
Thu
08:00Z
+12h
Thu
09:00Z
+13h
Thu
10:00Z
+14h
Thu
11:00Z
+15h
Thu
12:00Z
+16h
Thu
13:00Z
+17h
Thu
14:00Z
+18h
Thu
15:00Z
+19h
Thu
16:00Z
+20h
Thu
17:00Z
+21h
Thu
18:00Z
+22h
Thu
19:00Z
+23h
Thu
20:00Z
+24h
Thu
21:00Z
+25h
Thu
22:00Z
+26h
Wind Dir
130°
SE
130°
SE
130°
SE
130°
SE
130°
SE
130°
SE
100°
E
100°
E
100°
E
100°
E
100°
E
50°
NE
50°
NE
50°
NE
50°
NE
50°
NE
50°
NE
60°
NE
60°
NE
60°
NE
60°
NE
70°
E
70°
E
70°
E
70°
E
70°
E
70°
E
130°
SE
Wind Speed
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
9 kt
9 kt
9 kt
9 kt
10 kt
10 kt
10 kt
10 kt
10 kt
10 kt
5 kt
Visibility
>6SM
>6SM
>6SM
>6SM
>6SM
>6SM
3SM
3SM
3SM
3SM
3SM
3/4SM
3/4SM
3/4SM
3/4SM
3/4SM
3/4SM
3/4SM
3/4SM
3/4SM
3/4SM
1SM
1SM
1SM
1SM
1SM
1SM
>6SM
Weather
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
Light Drizzle, Mist
-DZ BR
Light Drizzle, Mist
-DZ BR
Light Drizzle, Mist
-DZ BR
Light Drizzle, Mist
-DZ BR
Light Drizzle, Mist
-DZ BR
Light Showers Rain, Mist
-SHRA BR
Light Showers Rain, Mist
-SHRA BR
Light Showers Rain, Mist
-SHRA BR
Light Showers Rain, Mist
-SHRA BR
Light Showers Rain, Mist
-SHRA BR
Light Showers Rain, Mist
-SHRA BR
Light Drizzle, Mist
-DZ BR
Light Drizzle, Mist
-DZ BR
Light Drizzle, Mist
-DZ BR
Light Drizzle, Mist
-DZ BR
Rain, Mist
RA BR
Rain, Mist
RA BR
Rain, Mist
RA BR
Rain, Mist
RA BR
Rain, Mist
RA BR
Rain, Mist
RA BR
☀️ Clear
Clouds
BKN250
BKN250
BKN250
BKN250
BKN250
BKN250
OVC010
OVC010
OVC010
OVC010
OVC010
OVC003
OVC003
OVC003
OVC003
OVC003
OVC003
OVC004
OVC004
OVC004
OVC004
OVC004
OVC004
OVC004
OVC004
OVC004
OVC004
BKN250
Ceiling
25,000 ft
AGL
25,000 ft
AGL
25,000 ft
AGL
25,000 ft
AGL
25,000 ft
AGL
25,000 ft
AGL
1,000 ft
AGL
1,000 ft
AGL
1,000 ft
AGL
1,000 ft
AGL
1,000 ft
AGL
300 ft
AGL
300 ft
AGL
300 ft
AGL
300 ft
AGL
300 ft
AGL
300 ft
AGL
400 ft
AGL
400 ft
AGL
400 ft
AGL
400 ft
AGL
400 ft
AGL
400 ft
AGL
400 ft
AGL
400 ft
AGL
400 ft
AGL
400 ft
AGL
25,000 ft
AGL
Flight Rules VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR IFR IFR IFR IFR IFR LIFR LIFR LIFR LIFR LIFR LIFR LIFR LIFR LIFR LIFR LIFR LIFR LIFR LIFR LIFR LIFR VFR
Day/Night
🌙
Night
🌇 17:34Z
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌅 06:24Z
🌙
Night
🌅 06:24Z
🌅
Dawn
🌅 06:24Z
☀️
Day
🌅 06:24Z
☀️
Day
🌅 06:24Z
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
🌇 17:35Z
☀️
Day
🌇 17:35Z
☀️
Day
🌇 17:35Z
🌇
Dusk
🌇 17:35Z
🌙
Night
🌇 17:35Z
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
Flight Rules
VFR: Visual Flight Rules
MVFR: Marginal VFR
IFR: Instrument Flight Rules
LIFR: Low IFR
Ceiling Colors
Red: < 500ft
Amber: 500-1000ft
Blue: 1000-3000ft
Green: > 3000ft
⛈️ TCU: Towering Cumulus
🌩️ CB: Cumulonimbus
+Nh: Hours from now • %: Probability of occurrence • AGL: Above Ground Level

Forecast Periods

BASE
VFR
Wind
130° at 5 kt
Visibility
>6SM
Clouds
BKN250
📖 Plain English Explanation:

This is the base forecast condition. Winds from the Southeast (130°) at 5 kt. Visibility will be excellent at more than 6SM. Broken clouds at 25000 feet. Conditions will be suitable for Visual Flight Rules (VFR) operations.

FM050100 01:00Z - 07:00Z
IFR
Wind
100° at 5 kt
Visibility
3SM
Weather
Light Drizzle, Mist
Clouds
OVC010
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Winds from the East (100°) at 5 kt. Visibility will be good at 3SM. Weather conditions: Light Drizzle, Mist. Overcast skies at 1000 feet. Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) conditions - instrument flying required.

FM050600 06:00Z - 12:00Z
LIFR
Wind
50° at 5 kt
Visibility
3/4SM
Weather
Light Showers Rain, Mist
Clouds
OVC003
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Winds from the Northeast (50°) at 5 kt. Visibility will be good at 3/4SM. Weather conditions: Light Showers Rain, Mist. Overcast skies at 300 feet. Low IFR conditions - challenging even for instrument operations.

FM051200 12:00Z - 18:00Z
LIFR
Wind
60° at 9 kt
Visibility
3/4SM
Weather
Light Drizzle, Mist
Clouds
OVC004
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Winds from the East-Northeast (60°) at 9 kt. Visibility will be good at 3/4SM. Weather conditions: Light Drizzle, Mist. Overcast skies at 400 feet. Low IFR conditions - challenging even for instrument operations.

FM051600 16:00Z - 22:00Z
LIFR
Wind
70° at 10 kt
Visibility
1SM
Weather
Rain, Mist
Clouds
OVC004
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Winds from the East-Northeast (70°) at 10 kt. Visibility will be moderate at 1SM. Weather conditions: Rain, Mist. Overcast skies at 400 feet. Low IFR conditions - challenging even for instrument operations.

📚 Understanding TAF Forecasts

Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) provides detailed weather forecasts specifically for aviation operations. Our system translates complex meteorological codes into plain English to help pilots of all experience levels understand forecasted conditions.

What TAF Includes:

  • • Wind direction, speed, and gusts
  • • Visibility in statute miles or kilometers
  • • Weather phenomena (rain, snow, fog, thunderstorms)
  • • Cloud coverage types and altitudes
  • • Forecast changes with timing
  • • Flight rules categories (VFR/IFR)

Change Indicators Explained:

  • • BASE - Main forecast conditions
  • • FM - Permanent change from specific time
  • • BECMG - Gradual change over 2-4 hours
  • • TEMPO - Temporary changes (less than 1 hour)
  • • PROB30/40 - 30% or 40% probability

🛩️ Flight Rules Categories

VFR

Visual Flight Rules

  • • Ceiling ≥ 3000 ft
  • • Visibility ≥ 5 miles
  • • Good for visual flying

MVFR

Marginal VFR

  • • Ceiling 1000-3000 ft
  • • Visibility 3-5 miles
  • • Caution for VFR

IFR

Instrument Flight Rules

  • • Ceiling 500-1000 ft
  • • Visibility 1-3 miles
  • • Instruments required

LIFR

Low IFR

  • • Ceiling < 500 ft
  • • Visibility < 1 mile
  • • Challenging conditions

💡 TAF Reading Tips

For Student Pilots:

  • • Focus on the plain English explanations above
  • • Pay attention to flight rules categories
  • • Look for wind direction relative to runway headings
  • • Check for temporary conditions (TEMPO)

For Experienced Pilots:

  • • Cross-reference with raw TAF for precise timing
  • • Consider probability forecasts for alternate planning
  • • Monitor BECMG periods for gradual changes
  • • Always check current METAR vs TAF forecast

Important: TAF forecasts should always be supplemented with current METAR observations, PIREPs, and other weather information for complete situational awareness. Weather can change rapidly, and forecasts have inherent limitations.