FAA Private Pilot Airplane (PAR)Weather Theory and ServicesEasy
A METAR report includes the group 'OVC008' followed by temperature and dew point values. What does this group indicate to the pilot?
- AAn overcast ceiling at 800 feet above ground level
- BAn overcast layer at 800 feet mean sea level
- CA broken ceiling at 8,000 feet above ground level
- DAn overcast ceiling at 80 feet above ground level
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. An overcast ceiling at 800 feet above ground level
In METAR sky condition groups, cloud height is reported in hundreds of feet AGL. 'OVC008' means overcast (OVC) sky coverage with the base at 800 feet AGL (008 x 100).
Why the other options are wrong
- B. METAR cloud heights are always reported AGL, not MSL.
- C. BKN, not OVC, denotes broken coverage, and the height math is also wrong.
- D. Misplacing the decimal gives an incorrect height of 80 feet.
METAR Sky Condition Coding
Cloud cover in METARs is reported as coverage abbreviation (e.g., FEW, SCT, BKN, OVC) followed by a three-digit height code representing hundreds of feet above ground level.
- OVC = overcast (7/8 to 8/8 sky coverage)
- Height code x 100 = feet AGL
- BKN = broken (5/8 to 7/8), SCT = scattered (3/8 to 4/8), FEW = few (1/8 to 2/8)
Memory trick: Three digits, times 100, always AGL