Townsville Airport / RAAF Base Townsville

YBTL / TSV

Townsville, AU

Current TAF Forecast

Raw TAF:
TAF AMD YBTL 230416Z 2304/2400 10017KT 9999 -SHRA SCT030 BKN050 FM230900 12010KT 9999 NSW SCT025 FM231400 17008KT 9999 FEW025 INTER 2304/2309 11018G28KT 3000 SHRA BKN020

Detailed TAF Table

Parameter
Thu
04:00Z
+-1h
Thu
05:00Z
+0h
Thu
06:00Z
+1h
Thu
07:00Z
+2h
Thu
08:00Z
+3h
Thu
09:00Z
+4h
Thu
10:00Z
+5h
Thu
11:00Z
+6h
Thu
12:00Z
+7h
Thu
13:00Z
+8h
Thu
14:00Z
+9h
Thu
15:00Z
+10h
Thu
16:00Z
+11h
Thu
17:00Z
+12h
Thu
18:00Z
+13h
Thu
19:00Z
+14h
Thu
20:00Z
+15h
Thu
21:00Z
+16h
Thu
22:00Z
+17h
Wind Dir
100°
E
100°
E
100°
E
100°
E
100°
E
120°
SE
120°
SE
120°
SE
120°
SE
120°
SE
110°
E
110°
E
110°
E
110°
E
110°
E
110°
E
100°
E
100°
E
100°
E
Wind Speed
17 kt
17 kt
17 kt
17 kt
17 kt
10 kt
10 kt
10 kt
10 kt
10 kt
18 kt
G28 kt
18 kt
G28 kt
18 kt
G28 kt
18 kt
G28 kt
18 kt
G28 kt
18 kt
G28 kt
17 kt
17 kt
17 kt
Visibility
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
3 km
3 km
3 km
3 km
3 km
3 km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
Weather
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
Showers Rain
SHRA
Showers Rain
SHRA
Showers Rain
SHRA
Showers Rain
SHRA
Showers Rain
SHRA
Showers Rain
SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Clouds
SCT030
BKN050
SCT030
BKN050
SCT030
BKN050
SCT030
BKN050
SCT030
BKN050
SCT025
SCT025
SCT025
SCT025
SCT025
FEW025
BKN020
FEW025
BKN020
FEW025
BKN020
FEW025
BKN020
FEW025
BKN020
FEW025
BKN020
SCT030
BKN050
SCT030
BKN050
SCT030
BKN050
Ceiling
5,000 ft
AGL
5,000 ft
AGL
5,000 ft
AGL
5,000 ft
AGL
5,000 ft
AGL
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
2,000 ft
AGL
2,000 ft
AGL
2,000 ft
AGL
2,000 ft
AGL
2,000 ft
AGL
2,000 ft
AGL
5,000 ft
AGL
5,000 ft
AGL
5,000 ft
AGL
Flight Rules VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR IFR IFR IFR IFR IFR IFR VFR VFR VFR
Day/Night
🌙
Night
🌅 06:20Z
🌙
Night
🌅 06:20Z
🌅
Dawn
🌅 06:20Z
☀️
Day
🌅 06:20Z
☀️
Day
🌅 06:20Z
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
🌇 17:39Z
☀️
Day
🌇 17:39Z
☀️
Day
🌇 17:39Z
🌇
Dusk
🌇 17:39Z
🌙
Night
🌇 17:39Z
🌙
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
100° at 17 kt
Visibility
10+ km
Weather
Light Showers Rain
Clouds
SCT030 BKN050
📖 Plain English Explanation:

This is the base forecast condition. Winds from the East (100°) at 17 kt. Visibility will be excellent at 10+ km. Weather conditions: Light Showers Rain. Scattered clouds at 3000 feet, Broken clouds at 5000 feet. Conditions will be suitable for Visual Flight Rules (VFR) operations.

FM230900 09:00Z - 15:00Z
VFR
Wind
120° at 10 kt
Visibility
10+ km
Clouds
SCT025
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Winds from the East-Southeast (120°) at 10 kt. Visibility will be excellent at 10+ km. Scattered clouds at 2500 feet. Conditions will be suitable for Visual Flight Rules (VFR) operations.

FM231400 14:00Z - 20:00Z
IFR
Wind
110° at 18 kt
Gusts: 28 kt
Visibility
3 km
Weather
Showers Rain
Clouds
FEW025 BKN020
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Winds from the East-Southeast (110°) at 18 kt. Gusts up to 28 kt are expected. Visibility will be moderate at 3 km. Weather conditions: Showers Rain. Few clouds at 2500 feet, Broken clouds at 2000 feet. Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) conditions - instrument flying required.

📚 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.