Townsville Airport / RAAF Base Townsville

YBTL / TSV

Townsville, AU

Current TAF Forecast

Raw TAF:
TAF AMD YBTL 041126Z 0412/0512 14010KT 9999 FEW025 FM041800 19008KT 9999 SCT025 FM050000 14014KT 9999 SCT025 BKN040 FM050400 11018G28KT 9999 SCT030 SCT050 FM050900 14015G25KT 9999 -SHRA SCT025 BKN050 INTER 0507/0512 VRB20G35KT 2000 SHRA BKN015

Detailed TAF Table

Parameter
Wed
15:00Z
+-1h
Wed
16:00Z
+0h
Wed
17:00Z
+1h
Wed
18:00Z
+2h
Wed
19:00Z
+3h
Wed
20:00Z
+4h
Wed
21:00Z
+5h
Wed
22:00Z
+6h
Wed
23:00Z
+7h
Thu
00:00Z
+8h
Thu
01:00Z
+9h
Thu
02:00Z
+10h
Thu
03:00Z
+11h
Thu
04:00Z
+12h
Thu
05:00Z
+13h
Thu
06:00Z
+14h
Thu
07:00Z
+15h
Thu
08:00Z
+16h
Thu
09:00Z
+17h
Thu
10:00Z
+18h
Wind Dir
140°
SE
140°
SE
140°
SE
190°
S
190°
S
190°
S
190°
S
190°
S
190°
S
140°
SE
140°
SE
140°
SE
140°
SE
110°
E
110°
E
110°
E
110°
E
110°
E
VRB
VRB
Wind Speed
10 kt
10 kt
10 kt
8 kt
8 kt
8 kt
8 kt
8 kt
8 kt
14 kt
14 kt
14 kt
14 kt
18 kt
G28 kt
18 kt
G28 kt
18 kt
G28 kt
18 kt
G28 kt
18 kt
G28 kt
20 kt
G35 kt
20 kt
G35 kt
Visibility
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
2 km
2 km
Weather
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
☀️ Clear
Light Showers Rain, Showers Rain
-SHRA SHRA
Light Showers Rain, Showers Rain
-SHRA SHRA
Clouds
FEW025
FEW025
FEW025
SCT025
SCT025
SCT025
SCT025
SCT025
SCT025
SCT025
BKN040
SCT025
BKN040
SCT025
BKN040
SCT025
BKN040
SCT030
SCT050
SCT030
SCT050
SCT030
SCT050
SCT030
SCT050
SCT030
SCT050
SCT025
BKN050
SCT025
BKN050
Ceiling
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
4,000 ft
AGL
4,000 ft
AGL
4,000 ft
AGL
4,000 ft
AGL
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
1,500 ft
AGL
1,500 ft
AGL
Flight Rules VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR IFR IFR
Day/Night
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
🌇 18:12Z
☀️
Day
🌇 18:12Z
☀️
Day
🌇 18:12Z
🌙
Night
🌇 18:12Z
🌙
Night
🌇 18:12Z
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌅 05:47Z
🌙
Night
🌅 05:47Z
🌙
Night
🌅 05:47Z
☀️
Day
🌅 05:47Z
☀️
Day
🌅 05:47Z
☀️
Day
☀️
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
VFR
Wind
140° at 10 kt
Visibility
10+ km
Clouds
FEW025
📖 Plain English Explanation:

This is the base forecast condition. Winds from the Southeast (140°) at 10 kt. Visibility will be excellent at 10+ km. Few clouds at 2500 feet. Conditions will be suitable for Visual Flight Rules (VFR) operations.

FM041800 18:00Z - 00:00Z
VFR
Wind
190° at 8 kt
Visibility
10+ km
Clouds
SCT025
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Winds from the South (190°) at 8 kt. Visibility will be excellent at 10+ km. Scattered clouds at 2500 feet. Conditions will be suitable for Visual Flight Rules (VFR) operations.

FM050000 00:00Z - 06:00Z
VFR
Wind
140° at 14 kt
Visibility
10+ km
Clouds
SCT025 BKN040
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Winds from the Southeast (140°) at 14 kt. Visibility will be excellent at 10+ km. Scattered clouds at 2500 feet, Broken clouds at 4000 feet. Conditions will be suitable for Visual Flight Rules (VFR) operations.

FM050400 04:00Z - 10:00Z
VFR
Wind
110° at 18 kt
Gusts: 28 kt
Visibility
10+ km
Clouds
SCT030 SCT050
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Winds from the East-Southeast (110°) at 18 kt. Gusts up to 28 kt are expected. Visibility will be excellent at 10+ km. Scattered clouds at 3000 feet, Scattered clouds at 5000 feet. Conditions will be suitable for Visual Flight Rules (VFR) operations.

FM050900 09:00Z - 15:00Z
IFR
Wind
VRB° at 20 kt
Gusts: 35 kt
Visibility
2 km
Weather
Light Showers Rain, Showers Rain
Clouds
SCT025 BKN050 BKN015
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Winds will be variable in direction at 20 kt. Gusts up to 35 kt are expected. Visibility will be moderate at 2 km. Weather conditions: Light Showers Rain, Showers Rain. Scattered clouds at 2500 feet, Broken clouds at 5000 feet, Broken clouds at 1500 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.