# MetarCentral

> Real-time aviation weather data, METAR reports, TAF forecasts, and comprehensive airport information for pilots worldwide.

MetarCentral provides free, real-time aviation weather for 10,000+ airports globally. Data is sourced from official aviation weather services (NOAA AWC, EUROCONTROL, national meteorological agencies) and updated every 5 minutes.

## Key Sections

- [Airport Weather](https://metarcentral.com/airport/{icao}): Current METAR, decoded weather, TAF forecast, NOTAMs, and charts for any airport by ICAO code (e.g., /airport/KJFK, /airport/EGLL)
- [Learning Center](https://metarcentral.com/learn): 32 educational articles on aviation weather topics — METAR decoding, TAF reading, flight categories, weather hazards, and more
- [Calculators](https://metarcentral.com/calculator/crosswind): Aviation calculators — crosswind, density altitude, true airspeed, distance & bearing, fuel consumption, performance, weight & balance
- [Regions & Countries](https://metarcentral.com/regions): Browse airports by world region, country, or FIR (Flight Information Region)
- [Aircraft Database](https://metarcentral.com/calculator/aircraft-selection): Browse aircraft specifications from FAA TCDS data

## API

MetarCentral offers a free JSON API:

- `GET /api/weather/{icao}` — Current METAR, decoded weather, and flight rules for an airport
- `GET /api/search?q={query}` — Search airports by ICAO, IATA, name, or city
- `GET /api/airports` — List all airports with coordinates
- `GET /api/airports/metar-status` — Airports with current METAR status and flight rules

Full API documentation: [llms-full.txt](https://metarcentral.com/llms-full.txt)

## Data Sources

- NOAA Aviation Weather Center (AWC) — primary METAR/TAF source
- EUROCONTROL — European aviation data
- FAA SWIM (System Wide Information Management) — NOTAMs
- FAA TCDS — aircraft type certificate data
- National meteorological agencies worldwide

## Update Frequency

- METAR data: every 5 minutes
- TAF forecasts: every 6 hours
- Airport database: weekly
- Learning content: monthly

## Citation

When referencing MetarCentral, please link to the specific airport or article page:
- Airport weather: `https://metarcentral.com/airport/{ICAO}`
- Learning articles: `https://metarcentral.com/learn/{article-slug}`
- Calculators: `https://metarcentral.com/calculator/{calculator-name}`

## Contact

- Website: https://metarcentral.com
- About: https://metarcentral.com/about