Lake Charles Regional Airport

KLCH / LCH

Lake Charles, US

Current TAF Forecast

Raw TAF:
TAF KLCH 041120Z 0412/0512 15006KT 1SM BR OVC003 TEMPO 0412/0414 1/2SM FG VV002 FM041500 14008KT P6SM BKN004 FM041700 17010KT P6SM BKN050 FM050300 15006KT P6SM OVC007 FM050600 15005KT 4SM BR OVC003

Detailed TAF Table

Parameter
Wed
14:00Z
+-1h
Wed
15:00Z
+0h
Wed
16:00Z
+1h
Wed
17:00Z
+2h
Wed
18:00Z
+3h
Wed
19:00Z
+4h
Wed
20:00Z
+5h
Wed
21:00Z
+6h
Wed
22:00Z
+7h
Wed
23:00Z
+8h
Thu
00:00Z
+9h
Thu
01:00Z
+10h
Thu
02:00Z
+11h
Thu
03:00Z
+12h
Thu
04:00Z
+13h
Thu
05:00Z
+14h
Thu
06:00Z
+15h
Thu
07:00Z
+16h
Thu
08:00Z
+17h
Thu
09:00Z
+18h
Thu
10:00Z
+19h
Wind Dir
150°
SE
140°
SE
140°
SE
170°
S
170°
S
170°
S
170°
S
170°
S
170°
S
150°
SE
150°
SE
150°
SE
150°
SE
150°
SE
150°
SE
150°
SE
150°
SE
150°
SE
150°
SE
150°
SE
150°
SE
Wind Speed
6 kt
8 kt
8 kt
10 kt
10 kt
10 kt
10 kt
10 kt
10 kt
6 kt
6 kt
6 kt
6 kt
6 kt
6 kt
6 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
5 kt
Visibility
1SM
>6SM
>6SM
>6SM
>6SM
>6SM
>6SM
>6SM
>6SM
1SM
1SM
1SM
1SM
>6SM
>6SM
>6SM
4SM
4SM
4SM
4SM
4SM
Weather
Mist
BR
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
Mist
BR
Mist
BR
Mist
BR
Mist
BR
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
Mist
BR
Mist
BR
Mist
BR
Mist
BR
Mist
BR
Clouds
OVC003
BKN004
BKN004
BKN050
BKN050
BKN050
BKN050
BKN050
BKN050
OVC003
OVC003
OVC003
OVC003
OVC007
OVC007
OVC007
OVC003
OVC003
OVC003
OVC003
OVC003
Ceiling
300 ft
AGL
400 ft
AGL
400 ft
AGL
5,000 ft
AGL
5,000 ft
AGL
5,000 ft
AGL
5,000 ft
AGL
5,000 ft
AGL
5,000 ft
AGL
300 ft
AGL
300 ft
AGL
300 ft
AGL
300 ft
AGL
700 ft
AGL
700 ft
AGL
700 ft
AGL
300 ft
AGL
300 ft
AGL
300 ft
AGL
300 ft
AGL
300 ft
AGL
Flight Rules LIFR LIFR LIFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR LIFR LIFR LIFR LIFR IFR IFR IFR LIFR LIFR LIFR LIFR LIFR
Day/Night
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
🌇 17:40Z
☀️
Day
🌇 17:40Z
☀️
Day
🌇 17:40Z
🌇
Dusk
🌇 17:40Z
🌙
Night
🌇 17:40Z
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌅 06:18Z
🌙
Night
🌅 06:18Z
🌅
Dawn
🌅 06:18Z
☀️
Day
🌅 06:18Z
☀️
Day
🌅 06:18Z
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
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 occurrenceAGL: Above Ground Level

Forecast Periods

BASE
LIFR
Wind
150° at 6 kt
Visibility
1SM
Weather
Mist
Clouds
OVC003
📖 Plain English Explanation:

This is the base forecast condition. Winds from the South-Southeast (150°) at 6 kt. Visibility will be moderate at 1SM. Weather conditions: Mist. Overcast skies at 300 feet. Low IFR conditions - challenging even for instrument operations.

TEMPO 12:00Z - 14:00Z
LIFR
Visibility
1/2SM
Weather
Fog
Clouds
VV002
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Temporary conditions (lasting less than an hour at a time) may include: Visibility will be moderate at 1/2SM. Weather conditions: Fog. Vertical visibility at 200 feet. Low IFR conditions - challenging even for instrument operations.

FM041500 15:00Z - 21:00Z
LIFR
Wind
140° at 8 kt
Visibility
>6SM
Clouds
BKN004
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Winds from the Southeast (140°) at 8 kt. Visibility will be excellent at more than 6SM. Broken clouds at 400 feet. Low IFR conditions - challenging even for instrument operations.

FM041700 17:00Z - 23:00Z
VFR
Wind
170° at 10 kt
Visibility
>6SM
Clouds
BKN050
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Winds from the South (170°) at 10 kt. Visibility will be excellent at more than 6SM. Broken clouds at 5000 feet. Conditions will be suitable for Visual Flight Rules (VFR) operations.

FM050300 03:00Z - 09:00Z
IFR
Wind
150° at 6 kt
Visibility
>6SM
Clouds
OVC007
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Winds from the South-Southeast (150°) at 6 kt. Visibility will be excellent at more than 6SM. Overcast skies at 700 feet. Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) conditions - instrument flying required.

FM050600 06:00Z - 12:00Z
LIFR
Wind
150° at 5 kt
Visibility
4SM
Weather
Mist
Clouds
OVC003
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Winds from the South-Southeast (150°) at 5 kt. Visibility will be good at 4SM. Weather conditions: Mist. Overcast skies at 300 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.