explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3024: METAR

2024-12-13T21:25:29Z

Janfred: Remark on the high QNH

{{comic
| number = 3024
| date = December 13, 2024
| title = METAR
| image = metar_2x.png
| imagesize = 640x360px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = In the aviation world, they don't use AM/PM times. Instead, all times are assumed to be AM unless they're labeled NOTAM.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an A380 - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In aviation, the {{w|METAR}} (Meteorological Aerodrome Report) is used to give pilots a brief overview of the current meteorological conditions at the airport.
The METAR follows a specific structure and makes heavy usage of abbreviations, which makes it hard to read for anyone not familiar with it.
The comic makes fun of that by assuming meaning of the words based on what non-aviation people might think the different elements of the METAR report may represent.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Code !! Real Meaning !! According to the comic
|-
| METAR
| Type: Meteorological Aerodrome Report
| The comic assumes that this is just a spelling error and it should be "meter"
|-
| KNYC
| Station ID: 4 character ICAO airport identifier; in this instance the general area code for New York City (not an actual airport, but a weather station for general observations in the New York area)
| Radio station, likely parodying WNYC radio. US radio stations west of the Mississippi River usually start with K and those east of it usually start with W, though there have been exceptions. For example, KDKA in Pittsburgh was one of the first commercially licensed radio stations. Airport, weather, and radio station call signs share a common heritage.
|-
| 251600Z
| Time of observation: 25th day of the month at 4 PM UTC. Z is not part of the time, but simply shorthand for GMT or "Zulu" time.
| Misreading the "Z" as a 2, resulting in a nonsensical time. Hours greater than 24 are sometimes used to indicate a time after midnight, e.g., in Japan 17~25h means from 5 P.M. to 1 A.M. the following day.
|-
| 18035G45KT
| Wind direction and speed: Wind direction: 180° (directly from the south, degrees based on 0°=magnetic north), speed: 35 knots, gusts: 45 knots
| Instead of interpreting the first 5 digits as direction and speed, it is assumed that it is one big number and the G45 stands for the time span in which this was observed with "G" standing for "good". 18,035 knots is an unrealistically high wind speed, faster than orbital velocity; the {{w|jet stream}} typically contains the highest winds on Earth, and may reach about 250 knots.
|-
| 6SM
| In weather reports related to aviaion, "6SM" stands for 6 statute miles, meaning that objects can be seen clearly up to 6 miles away.<ref>https://weather.cod.edu/notes/metar.html#:~:text=6SM%2DVisibility,SM)%20up%20to%2010%20SM.</ref> It typically indicates clear weather.
| The comic interprets "6SM" to humorously mean a "Size '''6 Sm'''all".
|-
| VCFCFZVA
| In the vicinity (VC): funnel cloud (FC), freezing (FZ), volcanic ash (VA)
| A riff on the repeated letters which give off the impression the string is constructed by typing randomly on the keyboard. All the letters are near each other at the lower left of the keyboard (S, D, and X are somehow avoided).
|-
| +BLUP
| Heavy (+) blowing (BL) unknown precipitation (UP)
| Riffing on the fact that it looks like an onomatopoetic word
|-
| NOSIG
| No significant change is expected to the reported conditions within the next 2 hours
| The comic assumes that the transmitter of the METAR report wants the receivers to know that they do not have a significant other, which the comic finds sad. The observer could be trying to abuse the METAR report as a dating platform.
|-
| LTG OHD
| Lightning overhead
| OHD is interpreted as "overheard" instead of "overhead", indicating that they did not observe it themselves and instead just overheard people talking about it.
|-
| A3808
| Altimeter setting: (calculated) air pressure at {{w|Mean_sea_level|mean sea level}} at the airport is 38.08 <ref>The value of 38.08 inHg is extremely high. The standard atmospheric pressure used in aviation is 29.92 inHg, the highest recorded barometric pressure was 32.00 inHg. Given that the weather station is automated, this value cannot be explained by a typo by the METAR sender.</ref> {{w|Inch_of_mercury|inches of mercury (inHG)}} ("A" for inHG, used primarily in USA, Canada and Japan, "Q" would indicate a value in hPa). This is used to adjust the altimeter in the aircraft to the local air pressure, instead of using the standard setting used in higher air spaces.
| The comic says that the observer saw an {{w|Airbus_A380|Airbus A380-800}}. Note: The {{w|List_of_ICAO_aircraft_type_designators|ICAO aircraft type code}} for the Airbus A380-800 is A388 and not A3808.
|-
| RMK
| Beginning of the section with remarks
| Remarkable. Might be a comment about the A380.
|-
| AO2
| The weather station is automated (A) and has a precipitation discriminator (O2)
| Reference to the {{w|fan fiction|fanfic}} site [https://archiveofourown.org/ Archive of Our Own], often abbreviated as AO3
|-
| SLP130=
| {{w|Sea_level_pressure|Sea-level pressure}} is 1013.0 hPa (approx. 29.91 inHg). The equal sign signifies the end of the METAR.
| "SLP" interpreted as abbreviation for sleepy, the numbers as a time, and the = sign as "around" (maybe confused with ≈)
|-
| NOTAM (title text)
| Not part of a METAR report, but instead another aviation abbreviation. It stands for {{w|NOTAM|Notice to Air Missions}} (previously Notice to Airmen).
| Parsed as "not A.M.", indicating that a given time is to be interpreted as P.M. While AM and PM are indeed not used in aviation, as the comic says, they use a 24-hour clock system, not an "A.M.-by-default" 12-hour clock system.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Decoding a METAR Report:

[A METAR report is shown with annotations. The report is:]

<code>
METAR KNYC 251600Z 18035G45KT 6SM VCFCFZVA +BLUP NOSIG LTG OHD A3808 RMK A02 SPL130=
</code>

[The annotations are:]

* <code>METAR</code> "METER" (Usually misspelled)
* <code>KNYC</code> Station ID
* <code>251600Z</code> Time (25:16:002)
* <code>18035G45KT</code> Wind speed has been 18,035 knots for a good 45 minutes now
* <code>6SM</code> Observer is a size 6 small
* <code>VCFCFZVA</code> Sorry, the station cat walked on the keyboard
* <code>+BLUP</code> Weird noise the sky made earlier
* <code>NOSIG</code> Observer has no significant other :(
* <code>LTG OHD</code> We overheard someone saying there was lightning
* <code>A3808</code> Hey look, an Airbus A380-800!
* <code>RMK</code> Remarkable!
* <code>A02</code> Fanfic Archive equipped with a precipitation sensor
* <code>SPL130=</code> Observer got sleepy around 1:30

==References==
{{reflist}}
[https://e6bx.com/metar-decoder/ Metar Decoder]
{{comic discussion}}

Talk:3024: METAR

2024-12-13T21:14:31Z

Janfred:

OMG RANDALL ADDED AN AO3 REFERENCE '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 19:43, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
:must've been reading the fic of bill [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 21:04, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
I love the things I learn from these things[[User:Rustykid52|Rustykid52]] ([[User talk:Rustykid52|talk]]) 19:48, 13 December 2024 (UTC)

Was the explanation of wind speed written by a European? The punctuation after "18" is a comma, not a period, so they it means over 18 thousand knots. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:59, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
: Yes, it was. I'm sorry. [[User:Janfred|Janfred]] ([[User talk:Janfred|talk]])

"38.08 inches of mercury" seems a very high pressure, even for a station that is well below sea level. (1290 hPa Pressure around the dead sea is typically 1060hPa).. Is that physically realistic, or is it part of the joke? I know funnel clouds, freezing and volcanic ash in the same location are unlikely outside of the apocalypse, but can be justified by the rule of funny. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.135|172.70.160.135]] 20:11, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
:Indeed, 31.80 is the reference high limit. Still, is Randall a pilot? The structure of a METAR is horribly familiar to us pilots but pretty much a blank stare to anyone else. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.245.25|172.68.245.25]] 21:03, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
:Feeding it into a [https://www.weather.gov/epz/wxcalc_pressurealtitude calculator] gives an altitude of -2080m (-6825'). So it's entirely reasonable as long as your weather station is in a deep mine. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 21:08, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
:: But isn't the value always put in reference to MSL? I.e. I'm at an airport at 1000ft, the pressure reads 977 hPa, but I'll put 1013 hPa in the METAR. (QNH in METAR vs QFE at the station) [[User:Janfred|Janfred]] ([[User talk:Janfred|talk]]) 21:14, 13 December 2024 (UTC)

Talk:3024: METAR

2024-12-13T20:50:29Z

Janfred:

3024: METAR

2024-12-13T20:46:13Z

Janfred:

{{comic
| number = 3024
| date = December 13, 2024
| title = METAR
| image = metar_2x.png
| imagesize = 640x360px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = In the aviation world, they don't use AM/PM times. Instead, all times are assumed to be AM unless they're labeled NOTAM.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an A380 - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In aviation, the METAR report is used to give pilots a brief overview of the current meteorological conditions at the airport.
The METAR follows a specific structure and makes heavy usage of abbreviations, which makes it hard to read for anyone not familiar with it.
The comic makes fun of that by assuming meaning of the words based on what non-aviation people might think the different elements of the METAR report may represent.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Code !! Real Meaning !! According to the comic
|-
| METAR
| Type: METAR Meteorological Aerodrome Report
| The comic assumes that this is just a spelling error and it should be "meter"
|-
| KNYC
| Station ID: 4 character ICAO airport identifier; in this instance the general area code for New York City (not an actual airport, but a weather station for general observations in the New York area)
| Radio station, likely parodying WNYC radio. US radio stations West of the Mississippi River usually start with K and those East of it usually start with W. Some early call signs for radio stations in the East used an initial K. For example, KDKA in Pittsburgh was one of the first commercially licensed radio stations. Airport, weather, and radio station call signs share a common heritage.
|-
| 251600Z
| Time of observation: 25th day of the month at 4 PM UTC. Z is not part of the time, but simply shorthand for GMT or "Zulu" time.
| Misreading the "Z" as a 2, resulting in a nonsensical time. Hours greater than 24 are sometimes used to indicate a time after midnight, e.g. in Japan 17~25h means from 5 P.M. to 1 A.M. the following day.
|-
| 18035G45KT
| Wind Direction and Speed: Wind Direction: 180° (directly from the south, degrees based on magnetic north) Speed: 35 knots, Gusts: 45 knots
| Instead of interpreting the first 5 digits as direction and speed, it is assumed that it is one big number and the G45 stands for the time span in which this was observed with "G" standing for "good". 18,035 knots is an unrealistically high wind speed; the {{w|jet stream}} typically contains the highest winds on Earth, and may reach about 250 knots.
|-
| 6SM
| In weather reports related to aviaion, "6SM" stands for 6 Statute Miles, meaning that objects can be seen clearly up to 6 miles away.<ref>https://weather.cod.edu/notes/metar.html#:~:text=6SM%2DVisibility,SM)%20up%20to%2010%20SM.</ref> It typically indicates clear weather.
| The comic interprets "6SM" to humorously mean a "Size '''6 Sm'''all".
|-
| VCFCFZVA
| In the vicinity(VC) Funnel cloud(FC) Freezing(FZ) Volcanic ash(VA)
| A riff on the repeated letters which give off the impression the string is constructed by typing randomly on the keyboard. All the letters are near each other at the lower left of the keyboard (S, D, and X are somehow avoided).
|-
| +BLUP
| Heavy(+) Blowing(BL) Unknown precipitation(UP)
| Riffing on how it looks like a onomatopoetic word
|-
| NOSIG
| No significant change is expected to the reported conditions within the next 2 hours
| The comic assumes that the transmitter of the METAR report wants the receivers to know that they do not have a significant other, which the comic finds sad. The observer could be trying to abuse the METAR report as a dating platform.
|-
| LTG OHD
| Lightning Overhead
| OHD is interpreted as "Overheard" instead of "overhead", indicating that they did not observe it themselves, instead they just overheard people talking about it.
|-
| A3808
| Altimeter setting: (calculated) air pressure at {{w|Mean_sea_level|Mean Sea Level}} at the airport is 38.08 {{w|Inch_of_mercury|inches of mercury}}. This is used to adjust the altimeter in the aircraft to the local air pressure, instead of using the standard setting used in higher air spaces.
| The comic says that the observer saw an {{w|Airbus_A380|Airbus A380-800}} (note: the {{w|List_of_ICAO_aircraft_type_designators|ICAO aircraft type code}} for the Airbus A380-800 is A388 and not A3808)
|-
| RMK
| Beginning of the section with Remarks
| Remarkable. Might be a comment about the A380.
|-
| AO2
| The weather station is automated (A) and has a precipitation discriminator (O2)
| Reference to the fanfic site [https://archiveofourown.org/ Archive of Our Own], often abbreviated as AO3
|-
| SLP130=
| {{w|Sea_level_pressure|Sea-Level Pressure}} is 1013.0 hPa (approx. 29.91 inHg). The equal sign signifies the end of the METAR.
| "SLP" interpreted as abbreviation for "'''sl'''ee'''p'''y", the numbers as a time and the = sign as "around" (maybe confused with ≈)
|-
| NOTAM (title text)
| Not part of a METAR report, but instead another aviation abbreviation. It stands for {{w|NOTAM|Notice to Air Missions}}.
| Parsed as "not A.M.", indicating that a given time is to be interpreted as P.M. While AM and PM are indeed not used in aviation, as the comic says, they use a 24-hour clock system, not an "A.M.-by-default" 12-hour clock system.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

<code>
METAR KNYC 251600Z 18035G45KT 6SM VCFCFZVA +BLUP NOSIG LTG OHD A3808 RMK A02 SPL130=
</code>

==References==
{{reflist}}
[https://e6bx.com/metar-decoder/ Metar Decoder]
{{comic discussion}}

3024: METAR

2024-12-13T20:43:04Z

Janfred: Putting the METAR in a code environment in the transcript. Makes it easier to copy-paste it to a decoder

{{comic
| number = 3024
| date = December 13, 2024
| title = METAR
| image = metar_2x.png
| imagesize = 640x360px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = In the aviation world, they don't use AM/PM times. Instead, all times are assumed to be AM unless they're labeled NOTAM.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an A380 - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In aviation, the METAR report is used to give pilots a brief overview of the current meteorological conditions at the airport.
The METAR follows a specific structure and makes heavy usage of abbreviations, which makes it hard to read for anyone not familiar with it.
The comic makes fun of that by assuming meaning of the words based on what non-aviation people might think the different elements of the METAR report may represent.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Code !! Real Meaning !! According to the comic
|-
| METAR
| Type: METAR Meteorological Aerodrome Report
| The comic assumes that this is just a spelling error and it should be "meter"
|-
| KNYC
| Station ID: 4 character ICAO airport identifier; in this instance the general area code for New York City (not an actual airport, but a weather station for general observations in the New York area)
| Radio station, likely parodying WNYC radio. Early call signals for radio stations used an initial K. For example, KDKA in Pittsburgh was (one of) the first commercially licensed radio station.
|-
| 251600Z
| Time of observation: 25th day of the month at 4 PM UTC. Z is not part of the time, but simply shorthand for GMT or "Zulu" time.
| Misreading the "Z" as a 2, resulting in a nonsensical time. Hours greater than 24 are sometimes used to indicate a time after midnight, e.g. in Japan 17~25h means from 5 P.M. to 1 A.M. the following day.
|-
| 18035G45KT
| Wind Direction and Speed: Wind Direction: 180 Speed: 35KT, Gusts: 45KT
| Instead of interpreting the first 5 digits as direction and speed, it is assumed that it is one big number and the G45 stands for the time span in which this was observed with "G" standing for "good". 18,035 knots is an unrealistically high wind speed; the {{w|jet stream}} typically contains the highest winds on Earth, and may reach about 250 knots.
|-
| 6SM
| In weather reports related to aviaion, "6SM" stands for 6 Statute Miles, meaning that objects can be seen clearly up to 6 miles away.<ref>https://weather.cod.edu/notes/metar.html#:~:text=6SM%2DVisibility,SM)%20up%20to%2010%20SM.</ref> It typically indicates clear weather.
| The comic interprets "6SM" to humorously mean a "Size '''6 Sm'''all".
|-
| VCFCFZVA
| In the vicinity(VC) Funnel cloud(FC) Freezing(FZ) Volcanic ash(VA)
| A riff on the repeated letters which give off the impression the string is constructed by typing randomly on the keyboard. All the letters are near each other at the lower left of the keyboard (S, D, and X are somehow avoided).
|-
| +BLUP
| Heavy(+) Blowing(BL) Unknown precipitation(UP)
| Riffing on how it looks like a onomatopoetic word
|-
| NOSIG
| No significant change is expected to the reported conditions within the next 2 hours
| The comic assumes that the transmitter of the METAR report wants the receivers to know that they do not have a significant other, which the comic finds sad. The observer could be trying to abuse the METAR report as a dating platform.
|-
| LTG OHD
| Lightning Overhead
| OHD is interpreted as "Overheard" instead of "overhead", indicating that they did not observe it themselves, instead they just overheard people talking about it.
|-
| A3808
| Altimeter setting: (calculated) air pressure at {{w|Mean_sea_level|Mean Sea Level}} at the airport is 38.08 {{w|Inch_of_mercury|inches of mercury}}. This is used to adjust the altimeter in the aircraft to the local air pressure, instead of using the standard setting used in higher air spaces.
| The comic says that the observer saw an {{w|Airbus_A380|Airbus A380-800}} (note: the {{w|List_of_ICAO_aircraft_type_designators|ICAO aircraft type code}} for the Airbus A380-800 is A388 and not A3808)
|-
| RMK
| Beginning of the section with Remarks
| Remarkable. Might be a comment about the A380.
|-
| AO2
| The weather station is automated (A) and has a precipitation discriminator (O2)
| Reference to the fanfic site [https://archiveofourown.org/ Archive of Our Own], often abbreviated as AO3
|-
| SLP130=
| {{w|Sea_level_pressure|Sea-Level Pressure}} is 1013.0 hPa (approx. 29.91 inHg). The equal sign signifies the end of the METAR.
| "SLP" interpreted as abbreviation for "'''sl'''ee'''p'''y", the numbers as a time and the = sign as "around" (maybe confused with ≈)
|-
| NOTAM (title text)
| Not part of a METAR report, but instead another aviation abbreviation. It stands for {{w|NOTAM|Notice to Air Missions}}.
| Parsed as "not A.M.", indicating that a given time is to be interpreted as P.M. While AM and PM are indeed not used in aviation, as the comic says, they use a 24-hour clock system, not an "A.M.-by-default" 12-hour clock system.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

<code>
METAR KNYC 251600Z 18035G45KT 6SM VCFCFZVA +BLUP NOSIG LTG OHD A3808 RMK A02 SPL130=
</code>

==References==
{{reflist}}
[https://e6bx.com/metar-decoder/ Metar Decoder]
{{comic discussion}}

3024: METAR

2024-12-13T20:40:47Z

Janfred:

{{comic
| number = 3024
| date = December 13, 2024
| title = METAR
| image = metar_2x.png
| imagesize = 640x360px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = In the aviation world, they don't use AM/PM times. Instead, all times are assumed to be AM unless they're labeled NOTAM.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an A380 - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In aviation, the METAR report is used to give pilots a brief overview of the current meteorological conditions at the airport.
The METAR follows a specific structure and makes heavy usage of abbreviations, which makes it hard to read for anyone not familiar with it.
The comic makes fun of that by assuming meaning of the words based on what non-aviation people might think the different elements of the METAR report may represent.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Code !! Real Meaning !! According to the comic
|-
| METAR
| Type: METAR Meteorological Aerodrome Report
| The comic assumes that this is just a spelling error and it should be "meter"
|-
| KNYC
| Station ID: 4 character ICAO airport identifier; in this instance the general area code for New York City (not an actual airport, but a weather station for general observations in the New York area)
| Radio station, likely parodying WNYC radio. Early call signals for radio stations used an initial K. For example, KDKA in Pittsburgh was (one of) the first commercially licensed radio station.
|-
| 251600Z
| Time of observation: 25th day of the month at 4 PM UTC. Z is not part of the time, but simply shorthand for GMT.
| Misreading the "Z" as a 2, resulting in a nonsensical time. Hours greater than 24 are sometimes used to indicate a time after midnight, e.g. in Japan 17~25h means from 5 P.M. to 1 A.M. the following day.
|-
| 18035G45KT
| Wind Direction and Speed: Wind Direction: 180 Speed: 35KT, Gusts: 45KT
| Instead of interpreting the first 5 digits as direction and speed, it is assumed that it is one big number and the G45 stands for the time span in which this was observed with "G" standing for "good". 18,035 knots is an unrealistically high wind speed; the {{w|jet stream}} typically contains the highest winds on Earth, and may reach about 250 knots.
|-
| 6SM
| In weather reports related to aviaion, "6SM" stands for 6 Statute Miles, meaning that objects can be seen clearly up to 6 miles away.<ref>https://weather.cod.edu/notes/metar.html#:~:text=6SM%2DVisibility,SM)%20up%20to%2010%20SM.</ref> It typically indicates clear weather.
| The comic interprets "6SM" to humorously mean a "Size '''6 Sm'''all".
|-
| VCFCFZVA
| In the vicinity(VC) Funnel cloud(FC) Freezing(FZ) Volcanic ash(VA)
| A riff on the repeated letters which give off the impression the string is constructed by typing randomly on the keyboard. All the letters are near each other at the lower left of the keyboard (S, D, and X are somehow avoided).
|-
| +BLUP
| Heavy(+) Blowing(BL) Unknown precipitation(UP)
| Riffing on how it looks like a onomatopoetic word
|-
| NOSIG
| No significant change is expected to the reported conditions within the next 2 hours
| The comic assumes that the transmitter of the METAR report wants the receivers to know that they do not have a significant other, which the comic finds sad. The observer could be trying to abuse the METAR report as a dating platform.
|-
| LTG OHD
| Lightning Overhead
| OHD is interpreted as "Overheard" instead of "overhead", indicating that they did not observe it themselves, instead they just overheard people talking about it.
|-
| A3808
| Altimeter setting: (calculated) air pressure at {{w|Mean_sea_level|Mean Sea Level}} at the airport is 38.08 {{w|Inch_of_mercury|inches of mercury}}. This is used to adjust the altimeter in the aircraft to the local air pressure, instead of using the standard setting used in higher air spaces.
| The comic says that the observer saw an {{w|Airbus_A380|Airbus A380-800}} (note: the {{w|List_of_ICAO_aircraft_type_designators|ICAO aircraft type code}} for the Airbus A380-800 is A388 and not A3808)
|-
| RMK
| Beginning of the section with Remarks
| Remarkable. Might be a comment about the A380.
|-
| AO2
| The weather station is automated (A) and has a precipitation discriminator (O2)
| Reference to the fanfic site [https://archiveofourown.org/ Archive of Our Own], often abbreviated as AO3
|-
| SLP130=
| {{w|Sea_level_pressure|Sea-Level Pressure}} is 1013.0 hPa (approx. 29.91 inHg). The equal sign signifies the end of the METAR.
| "SLP" interpreted as abbreviation for "'''sl'''ee'''p'''y", the numbers as a time and the = sign as "around" (maybe confused with ≈)
|-
| NOTAM (title text)
| Not part of a METAR report, but instead another aviation abbreviation. It stands for {{w|NOTAM|Notice to Air Missions}}.
| Parsed as "not A.M.", indicating that a given time is to be interpreted as P.M. While AM and PM are indeed not used in aviation, as the comic says, they use a 24-hour clock system, not an "A.M.-by-default" 12-hour clock system.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
[https://e6bx.com/metar-decoder/ Metar Decoder]
{{comic discussion}}

3024: METAR

2024-12-13T20:05:24Z

Janfred:

3024: METAR

2024-12-13T20:01:37Z

Janfred: /* Explanation */

3024: METAR

2024-12-13T19:55:58Z

Janfred:

3024: METAR

2024-12-13T19:47:58Z

Janfred:

3024: METAR

2024-12-13T19:41:38Z

Janfred: KNYC is not JFK (that would be KJFK)

3024: METAR

2024-12-13T19:37:23Z

Janfred: Add description for SLP130