TDS: METAR Output Formats

XML Output

  • The METAR XML output has an XML schema .

  • METAR fields are returned in the same order, indicated by the METAR Field Description.
    The XML element names are in lower-case, with words separated by an underscore (_). The units of the field are reflected in the element name. For instance, the element cloud_base_ft_agl indicates that for the cloudBase field, the height of the cloud base is represented in feet (above ground level).

  • The output includes some statistics about the request, such as the number of results and the time taken to fulfill the request.

  • All data is ordered by descending observation time, except in cases where a flight path constraint is used. For flight path queries, data is ordered by distance along the flight path from origin to destination

  • An error message is generated when an error in the input request prevents the retrieval of data.

  • If a constraint parameter is missing and a default value exists, an appropriate warning message is produced and the default request is fulfilled.

  • For a description of the METAR field names, their units and types, please refer to: METAR Field Description


An example of XML output is below:

All METARS collected within the past 4 hours for PHTO

CSV Output

  • What is CSV format?

    • CSV (Comma Separated Value) is a file format used as a "pseudo standard" to exchange data between applications. Results saved in this format can be read by Microsoft Excel and other spreadsheet applications.

  • Where I can I find out more?
    Please refer to the following links to learn more about the CSV file format:


  • CSV Format
    • Statistics are reported first, followed by a header indicating which fields are being reported. This header is helpful when importing the report into a spreadsheet application.

    • Field Parameter not used
      The METAR fields are always returned in the same order, indicated by the Metar Field Description Table .

      Each row of METAR data is returned as a separate line and METAR fields are separated by a comma ','. Any fields that appear to be missing are either not reported in the METAR or were not parsed.

    • Field Parameter used
      The METAR fields are returned in the order indicated by the Metar Field Description Table except that only the requested fields will appear. Any fields that appear to be missing are either not reported in the METAR or were not parsed.
The output includes some statistics about the request, such as the number of results and the time taken to fulfill the request. All data is ordered by descending observation time. An error message is generated when an error in the input request prevents the retrieval of data. If a constraint parameter is missing and a default value exists, an appropriate warning message is produced and the default request is fulfilled. For a description of the METAR field names, their units and types, please refer to: METAR Field Description


An example of CSV output is below:

Output for METARS collected for KDEN from the past two hours:

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