22 Weather & METAR/TAF Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. A surface observation begins: METAR KXYZ 121755Z AUTO 21016G24KT ... What does the group 121755Z tell the remote pilot?

   • A.The observation is valid for 12 hours beginning at 1755 local time
   • B.The observation was taken on the 12th day of the month at 1755 coordinated universal time (Zulu)✓ Answer
   • C.The observation was taken at 17 minutes past 55 past the hour on 12 December
   • D.The observation was taken on the 12th at 1755 local standard time at the station

   The METAR date/time group is always six digits in the form DDHHMMZ: the first two digits are the day of the month, the next four are the time, and the trailing Z means the time is coordinated universal time (Zulu), never local time. All aviation weather reports and forecasts use UTC so that observations from every time zone can be compared directly. (Note: the live FAA knowledge test presents three answer choices, not four.)

   Source: FAA-H-8083-28A Aviation Weather Handbook, METAR date/time group (DDHHMMZ, always UTC)Report a problem with this question

2. 2. In the report METAR KXYZ 121755Z AUTO 21016G24KT 10SM FEW035 24/12 A3005, how should the wind group be interpreted?

   • A.Wind from 216° true at 10 knots, with a peak gust of 24 knots
   • B.Wind from 210° magnetic at 16 knots, gusting to 24 knots
   • C.Wind from 210° true at 16 miles per hour, gusting to 24 miles per hour
   • D.Wind from 210° true at 16 knots, gusting to 24 knots✓ Answer

   The wind group is five digits plus KT: the first three digits are the direction the wind is blowing FROM in degrees, and the next two are the sustained speed in knots; a G followed by two digits gives the peak gust. Directions in written, coded reports such as METAR and TAF are referenced to TRUE north, while winds spoken by a tower or on an ATIS broadcast are referenced to magnetic north — a distinction the FAA tests deliberately.

   Source: FAA-H-8083-28A Aviation Weather Handbook, METAR wind group; coded reports referenced to true northReport a problem with this question

3. 3. A METAR contains the sequence 18012KT 150V210. A variable wind direction group such as 150V210 is included when the wind direction:

   • A.Varies by more than 30°, regardless of the wind speed
   • B.Varies while the total wind speed remains below 3 knots
   • C.Varies by 60° or more while the wind speed is greater than 6 knots✓ Answer
   • D.Varies by any amount whenever gusts exceed 10 knots

   The variable group (two directions separated by V) is reported only when the direction swings through 60° or more AND the speed is more than 6 knots; below that speed the direction is simply coded VRB. The rule exists because slow, wandering winds are not operationally significant, while a wide directional swing at usable speed warns a remote pilot of shifting crosswinds during launch and recovery.

   Source: FAA-H-8083-28A Aviation Weather Handbook, METAR variable wind direction group criteria (60° or more and speed greater than 6 knots)Report a problem with this question

4. 4. A METAR reports: 3/4SM +TSRA BR BKN007 OVC012CB 18/17 A2970. What do BKN007 and OVC012CB describe?

   • A.A broken layer at 700 feet AGL and an overcast layer at 1,200 feet AGL containing cumulonimbus✓ Answer
   • B.A broken layer 7 miles from the field and an overcast layer 12 miles from the field
   • C.A broken layer at 7,000 feet MSL and an overcast layer at 12,000 feet MSL
   • D.Seven-eighths sky cover at 700 feet MSL and twelve-eighths cover at 1,200 feet MSL

   Sky condition is coded as a three-letter amount contraction followed by three digits giving the height in HUNDREDS of feet above ground level, so 007 is 700 feet AGL and 012 is 1,200 feet AGL; the appended CB identifies cumulonimbus in that layer. Misreading these heights as thousands of feet, or as MSL, is one of the most common errors on the knowledge test — and here the true 700-foot base sits inside typical sUAS operating altitudes.

   Source: FAA-H-8083-28A Aviation Weather Handbook, METAR sky condition group (height in hundreds of feet AGL)Report a problem with this question

5. 5. A METAR reports the sky as FEW008 SCT015 BKN025 OVC060. What is the reported ceiling?

   • A.2,500 feet AGL✓ Answer
   • B.1,500 feet AGL
   • C.800 feet AGL
   • D.6,000 feet AGL

   A ceiling is defined as the height above the surface of the LOWEST layer reported as broken or overcast, or the vertical visibility into an obscuration; few and scattered layers are never ceilings because they cover less than half the sky. Here the lowest broken-or-greater layer is BKN025, so the ceiling is 2,500 feet AGL, which is why the FEW008 and SCT015 layers below it are distractors.

   Source: Pilot/Controller Glossary and FAA-H-8083-28A: ceiling = lowest broken or overcast layer, or vertical visibilityReport a problem with this question

6. 6. A METAR ends with the groups M02/M06 A3012. What do these indicate?

   • A.Temperature 2 °C, dew point 6 °C, altimeter setting 3,012 millibars
   • B.Temperature −2 °F, dew point −6 °F, altimeter setting 30.12 millibars
   • C.Temperature −2 °C, dew point −6 °C, altimeter setting 30.12 inches of mercury✓ Answer
   • D.Minimum temperature 2 °C and maximum dew point 6 °C, station pressure 3.012 inHg

   Temperature and dew point are always reported in whole degrees CELSIUS separated by a slash, with the prefix M meaning minus, and the altimeter setting is coded as A followed by four digits representing inches of mercury with an assumed decimal point (A3012 = 30.12 inHg). The freezing temperature matters operationally: visible moisture at or below 0 °C is one of the two conditions required for structural icing on a small unmanned aircraft.

   Source: FAA-H-8083-28A Aviation Weather Handbook, METAR temperature/dew point and altimeter groupsReport a problem with this question

7. 7. A METAR closes with: RMK AO2 PRESFR. What has the remote pilot been told?

   • A.Automated cloud sensors failed, and precipitation has ended
   • B.Two automated stations agree, and the pressure is rising rapidly
   • C.The observation came from an automated station equipped with a precipitation discriminator, and the atmospheric pressure is falling rapidly✓ Answer
   • D.The observation was taken by a human observer, and the pressure is steady

   In the remarks section AO1 identifies an automated station WITHOUT a precipitation discriminator and AO2 one WITH it (so AO2 can distinguish liquid from frozen precipitation), while PRESFR means pressure falling rapidly (PRESRR is rising rapidly). A rapid pressure fall signals a deteriorating, often rapidly changing weather situation — a reason to reassess or postpone a small UAS flight.

   Source: FAA-H-8083-28A Aviation Weather Handbook, METAR remarks contractions AO1/AO2, PRESFR/PRESRRReport a problem with this question

8. 8. A product reads: TAF KXYZ 121130Z 1212/1312 22010KT P6SM SCT030. What does this product provide?

   • A.An observation of conditions at the airport at 1212Z, valid until 1312Z
   • B.A record of the highest and lowest conditions observed between 1212Z and 1312Z
   • C.A forecast of expected conditions within 5 statute miles of the airport, valid from 1200Z on the 12th to 1200Z on the 13th✓ Answer
   • D.A forecast covering a 25 statute mile radius, valid for 5 hours after issuance

   A Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) is a FORECAST — not an observation like a METAR — of conditions expected within a 5 statute mile radius of the airport, and its valid period group is coded DDHH/DDHH, so 1212/1312 runs from 1200Z on the 12th to 1200Z on the 13th. Because it is a prediction of a small area, a remote pilot planning a flight some hours ahead uses the TAF, then confirms with the current METAR before launching.

   Source: FAA-H-8083-28A Aviation Weather Handbook, TAF: 5 SM radius forecast, valid period group DDHH/DDHHReport a problem with this question

9. 9. A TAF contains: FM121800 24012KT P6SM SCT040 TEMPO 1220/1222 3SM TSRA BKN015. What do the TEMPO group and P6SM mean?

   • A.Temporary fluctuations expected between 2000Z and 2200Z, each lasting less than one hour; P6SM means visibility greater than 6 statute miles✓ Answer
   • B.A 30 percent probability of thunderstorms after 2000Z; P6SM means a pressure of 6 millibars
   • C.Conditions expected to persist continuously from 2000Z to 2200Z; P6SM means visibility of precisely 6 statute miles
   • D.A permanent change beginning at 2000Z; P6SM means partial obscuration below 6,000 feet

   TEMPO marks temporary fluctuations expected during the stated period that last LESS THAN one hour at a time and, in total, cover less than half the period, whereas FM marks a rapid, lasting change and PROB30 states a 30 percent probability. P6SM is the TAF-only way of coding visibility greater than 6 statute miles, since TAFs do not forecast specific values above that threshold.

   Source: FAA-H-8083-28A Aviation Weather Handbook, TAF change groups (FM, TEMPO, PROB30) and P6SMReport a problem with this question

10. 10. An evening METAR reports 12/11 with calm wind and clear skies. What should the remote pilot anticipate for an early-morning flight?

    • A.Nothing can be inferred; temperature and dew point have no relationship to visibility
    • B.Thunderstorms are imminent because the temperature and dew point are nearly equal
    • C.The air is very dry, so visibility will improve steadily through the night
    • D.The air is close to saturation, so fog, mist, or low clouds and reduced visibility are likely as the surface cools overnight✓ Answer

    The dew point is the temperature to which air must be cooled to become saturated, so a spread of only 1–3 °C means very little cooling is needed before moisture condenses. On a clear, calm night the ground radiates heat and chills the air in contact with it, which is exactly how radiation fog forms — and fog or low stratus can put visibility below the 3 statute miles a remote pilot must have at the control station.

    Source: FAA-H-8083-28A Aviation Weather Handbook, temperature/dew point convergence and radiation fog formationReport a problem with this question

11. 11. Which combination of conditions produces the HIGHEST density altitude at a given launch site?

    • A.High temperature, low humidity, and high atmospheric pressure
    • B.Low temperature, low humidity, and low atmospheric pressure
    • C.Low temperature, high humidity, and high atmospheric pressure
    • D.High temperature, high humidity, and low atmospheric pressure✓ Answer

    Air density falls as temperature rises, as pressure drops, and as humidity increases — the classic "high, hot, and humid" combination — and lower density means higher density altitude. Humidity is the trap most candidates miss: a water vapor molecule is LIGHTER than the nitrogen and oxygen molecules it displaces, so moist air is less dense than dry air at the same temperature and pressure, which pushes density altitude up rather than down.

    Source: FAA-H-8083-25 PHAK, atmosphere and density altitude: effects of pressure, temperature, and humidityReport a problem with this question

12. 12. On a hot summer afternoon at a high-elevation site, what effect should the remote pilot expect on a multirotor sUAS?

    • A.No measurable effect, because small UAS operate below 400 feet AGL
    • B.Increased lift, offset by a proportional increase in battery capacity
    • C.Reduced propeller and motor efficiency, slower climb, reduced payload capability, and shorter endurance✓ Answer
    • D.Increased propeller efficiency, because thinner air produces less drag on the blades

    Propellers and rotors generate thrust by accelerating a mass of air, so when high elevation and high temperature thin that air the same RPM produces less thrust and less lift. The aircraft must spin faster or work harder to hold altitude, which drains the battery sooner — the net result is degraded climb rate, reduced payload capability, and shortened flight time.

    Source: FAA-G-8082-22 Remote Pilot sUAS Study Guide, effects of density altitude on sUAS performanceReport a problem with this question

13. 13. Density altitude is best defined as:

    • A.The height above ground level indicated by the aircraft's barometric sensor
    • B.Pressure altitude corrected for nonstandard temperature✓ Answer
    • C.The altitude shown when the altimeter is set to the local altimeter setting
    • D.True altitude corrected for the density of the payload carried

    Density altitude is pressure altitude corrected for nonstandard temperature — that is, the altitude in the standard atmosphere (29.92 inHg and 15 °C at sea level) at which the air would have the density currently present. It is not a height the aircraft can measure or fly to; it is a performance yardstick, telling the remote pilot what altitude the aircraft's motors and propellers "think" they are operating at.

    Source: FAA-H-8083-25 PHAK, definition of density altitude (pressure altitude corrected for nonstandard temperature)Report a problem with this question

14. 14. Which set of characteristics is associated with UNSTABLE air?

    • A.Stratiform clouds, continuous precipitation, smooth air, and poor visibility
    • B.Fog and haze with steady drizzle and no vertical air movement
    • C.Clear skies, calm winds, and a temperature that increases with altitude
    • D.Cumuliform clouds, showery precipitation, turbulence, and good visibility✓ Answer

    Stability describes the atmosphere's resistance to vertical motion: unstable air allows rising parcels to keep rising, building cumuliform clouds that release their moisture in intermittent showers and stirring the air into turbulence, while that same vertical mixing scours out haze and yields good visibility. Stable air resists lifting, so it spreads into layered stratiform clouds with steady precipitation, smooth flight conditions, and haze or smoke trapped near the surface — candidates most often flip the visibility half of this table.

    Source: FAA-G-8082-22 Remote Pilot sUAS Study Guide, stable vs. unstable air characteristicsReport a problem with this question

15. 15. A shallow temperature inversion has formed near the surface. What conditions should the remote pilot expect within that layer?

    • A.Rapidly building cumulus clouds and strong updrafts
    • B.Smooth, stable air with restricted visibility from fog, haze, low clouds, or smoke✓ Answer
    • C.Turbulent air with showery precipitation and unlimited visibility
    • D.Clearing skies with steadily improving visibility and gusty surface winds

    In an inversion the temperature INCREASES with height, so a parcel lifted from below is immediately colder and denser than its surroundings and sinks back — the layer is extremely stable and the air is smooth. That same stability acts as a lid, trapping moisture and pollutants underneath, so if the relative humidity is high the result is fog, haze, low clouds or smoke and poor visibility; the classic wrong answer pairs an inversion with turbulence and showers.

    Source: FAA-G-8082-22 Remote Pilot sUAS Study Guide, temperature inversionsReport a problem with this question

16. 16. What weather is typically produced by a MOIST, UNSTABLE air mass?

    • A.Turbulence and showery precipitation✓ Answer
    • B.A surface-based temperature inversion with drizzle
    • C.Poor visibility and smooth air
    • D.Widespread haze and smoke with light winds

    An air mass takes the temperature and moisture properties of its source region, and those two properties predict its weather: moisture supplies the cloud material while instability supplies the vertical motion. Moist plus unstable therefore yields cumuliform clouds, showers and turbulence, whereas moist plus stable gives stratus, fog and smooth air with poor visibility, and dry plus stable gives clear, smooth air hazed by trapped smoke.

    Source: FAA-G-8082-22 Remote Pilot sUAS Study Guide, air mass characteristics (moisture and stability)Report a problem with this question

17. 17. A fast-moving cold front is approaching the flight area. What weather is typically associated with its passage?

    • A.A wide band of stratiform clouds with steady, continuous light rain and smooth air for many hours
    • B.No change in wind direction, with slowly lowering ceilings for a full day
    • C.A narrow band of cumuliform clouds with showers, gusty shifting winds and turbulence, followed by cooler, drier air✓ Answer
    • D.A surface-based inversion with dense radiation fog forming immediately behind the front

    A cold front is dense cold air undercutting and forcefully lifting warmer air, and because it moves fast the lifting is steep and concentrated — producing a narrow band of cumuliform clouds, showers or thunderstorms, and abrupt turbulence right at the frontal zone. A distinct wind shift is the single most reliable indicator of frontal passage, and it is followed by clearing skies, cooler drier air and improving visibility; a warm front, by contrast, brings the wide stratiform cloud shield and steady precipitation described in the second option.

    Source: FAA-H-8083-28A Aviation Weather Handbook, cold front and warm front weather characteristicsReport a problem with this question

18. 18. Which three ingredients must be present for a thunderstorm to form?

    • A.A temperature inversion, dry air, and high surface pressure
    • B.Stable air, high humidity, and calm surface winds
    • C.Sufficient water vapor, an unstable lapse rate, and a lifting action✓ Answer
    • D.Freezing temperatures, visible moisture, and strong upper-level winds

    Every thunderstorm requires moisture to form the cloud and precipitation, an unstable lapse rate so a lifted parcel keeps accelerating upward on its own, and some trigger — surface heating, terrain, or a front — to start the parcel rising. Remove any one ingredient and the storm cannot develop, which is why remote pilots watch the stability forecast and the dew point, not just the cloud cover.

    Source: FAA-G-8082-22 Remote Pilot sUAS Study Guide, thunderstorm formation requirementsReport a problem with this question

19. 19. What event marks the beginning of the MATURE stage of a thunderstorm, and why is that stage the most hazardous to a small UAS?

    • A.The moment the storm's anvil top stops growing, because turbulence peaks only after the updraft ends
    • B.The first appearance of a towering cumulus cloud, because the storm is growing fastest before any rain falls
    • C.The arrival of steady light rain, because the storm has become stable and predictable
    • D.Precipitation beginning to fall from the base of the cloud, signaling that a downdraft has joined the updraft; all thunderstorm hazards are at their greatest intensity in this stage✓ Answer

    A thunderstorm passes through three stages — cumulus (dominated by the updraft), mature, and dissipating (dominated by downdrafts) — and the mature stage begins the moment precipitation reaches the surface from the cloud base, because falling rain drags air down and creates a downdraft alongside the existing updraft. With updrafts and downdrafts side by side, lightning, hail, gusty outflow winds and violent turbulence are all at maximum, and the vertical currents can exceed 3,000 feet per minute, far beyond the control authority of a small unmanned aircraft.

    Source: FAA-G-8082-22 Remote Pilot sUAS Study Guide, thunderstorm life cycle (cumulus, mature, dissipating stages)Report a problem with this question

20. 20. An aircraft encountering a microburst experiences which sequence of wind effects?

    • A.An increasing headwind and rising performance, then a strong downdraft, then a rapidly increasing tailwind and falling performance✓ Answer
    • B.An increasing tailwind, then a sustained updraft, then a steady headwind
    • C.A pure downdraft with no change in the horizontal wind at any point
    • D.A gradual crosswind that slowly reverses over about 30 minutes

    A microburst is a concentrated column of sinking air that spreads outward when it strikes the ground, so an aircraft flying through it first meets the outflow head-on (a performance-increasing headwind), then the descending core, then the outflow going the same direction it is flying (a performance-decreasing tailwind). Typical microbursts are only 1–2 miles across and last 5–15 minutes with downdrafts reaching 6,000 feet per minute, so a small UAS has almost no time or power margin to recover — visual clues include a rain shaft, virga, or a ring of blowing dust.

    Source: FAA-H-8083-28A Aviation Weather Handbook, microburst characteristics and wind shear encounter sequenceReport a problem with this question

21. 21. A remote pilot plans to fly close to a row of large buildings with a steady 20-knot wind blowing across them. What wind behavior should be expected?

    • A.A calm, sheltered pocket covering the entire downwind side of the buildings
    • B.Turbulence only on the upwind side, with smooth air everywhere downwind
    • C.No measurable effect, because obstructions do not disturb wind below 400 feet AGL
    • D.Rapidly changing gusts and a turbulent rotor on the downwind side, with the wind accelerating through the gaps between buildings✓ Answer

    Wind flowing over and around a solid obstruction is broken into eddies whose intensity grows with both the size of the obstruction and the wind velocity, producing mechanical turbulence and a rotor of swirling, reversing air on the leeward side. Meanwhile the same volume of air squeezing through a narrow gap must speed up, so channels between buildings can carry winds well above the reported free-stream value — both effects occur precisely in the low-altitude band where small UAS operate.

    Source: FAA-G-8082-22 Remote Pilot sUAS Study Guide, effect of obstructions on wind (mechanical turbulence)Report a problem with this question

22. 22. Reported weather at the proposed operating site is 4 statute miles visibility with an overcast layer at 1,000 feet AGL. Under the codified small UAS weather minimums, what is the lowest ceiling clearance and visibility the remote pilot must maintain?

    • A.3 statute miles flight visibility, 300 feet above the cloud and 2,000 feet horizontally from the cloud
    • B.3 statute miles flight visibility, 500 feet below the cloud and 1,000 feet horizontally from the cloud
    • C.1 statute mile flight visibility, 500 feet below the cloud and 2,000 feet horizontally from the cloud
    • D.3 statute miles flight visibility from the control station, 500 feet below the cloud and 2,000 feet horizontally from the cloud✓ Answer

    The rule sets exactly two cloud distances — 500 feet below the cloud and 2,000 feet horizontally from the cloud — and a minimum flight visibility of 3 statute miles as observed from the location of the control station; there is no "above the cloud" distance for small UAS, which is a value borrowed from manned VFR minimums and a common trap. With a 1,000-foot overcast the aircraft must stay at or below 500 feet AGL for cloud clearance, and the 4 statute miles of visibility satisfies the 3-mile requirement.

    Source: 14 CFR 107.51(c) and 107.51(d), minimum flight visibility and cloud clearanceReport a problem with this question

Practice questions based on 14 CFR Part 107 and the FAA Airman Certification Standards for the Remote Pilot — Small UAS Rating. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Regulations are amended over time and airspace authorization procedures change; confirm the current rules with the FAA and check NOTAMs and TFRs before every flight. About the Part 107 certificate →