Cairns International Airport

YBCS / CNS

Cairns, AU

Current TAF Forecast

Raw TAF:
TAF AMD YBCS 142021Z 1421/1518 17012KT 9999 -SHRA SCT015 BKN025 FM150000 14016KT 9999 -SHRA SCT025 FM150800 17012KT 9999 -SHRA SCT015 BKN025 INTER 1421/1503 5000 SHRA SCT015 INTER 1509/1518 4000 SHRA BKN015

Detailed TAF Table

Parameter
Thu
22:00Z
+-1h
Thu
23:00Z
+0h
Fri
00:00Z
+1h
Fri
01:00Z
+2h
Fri
02:00Z
+3h
Fri
03:00Z
+4h
Fri
04:00Z
+5h
Fri
05:00Z
+6h
Fri
06:00Z
+7h
Fri
07:00Z
+8h
Fri
08:00Z
+9h
Fri
09:00Z
+10h
Fri
10:00Z
+11h
Fri
11:00Z
+12h
Fri
12:00Z
+13h
Fri
13:00Z
+14h
Fri
14:00Z
+15h
Fri
15:00Z
+16h
Fri
16:00Z
+17h
Wind Dir
170°
S
170°
S
140°
SE
140°
SE
140°
SE
140°
SE
140°
SE
140°
SE
170°
S
170°
S
170°
S
170°
S
170°
S
170°
S
170°
S
170°
S
170°
S
170°
S
170°
S
Wind Speed
12 kt
12 kt
16 kt
16 kt
16 kt
16 kt
16 kt
16 kt
12 kt
12 kt
12 kt
12 kt
12 kt
12 kt
12 kt
12 kt
12 kt
12 kt
12 kt
Visibility
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
4 km
4 km
4 km
4 km
4 km
4 km
10+ km
10+ km
10+ km
Weather
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain, Showers Rain, Showers Rain
-SHRA SHRA SHRA
Light Showers Rain, Showers Rain, Showers Rain
-SHRA SHRA SHRA
Light Showers Rain, Showers Rain, Showers Rain
-SHRA SHRA SHRA
Light Showers Rain, Showers Rain, Showers Rain
-SHRA SHRA SHRA
Light Showers Rain, Showers Rain, Showers Rain
-SHRA SHRA SHRA
Light Showers Rain, Showers Rain, Showers Rain
-SHRA SHRA SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Light Showers Rain
-SHRA
Clouds
SCT015
BKN025
SCT015
BKN025
SCT025
SCT025
SCT025
SCT025
SCT025
SCT025
SCT015
BKN025
SCT015
BKN025
SCT015
BKN025
SCT015
BKN025
SCT015
BKN025
SCT015
BKN025
SCT015
BKN025
SCT015
BKN025
SCT015
BKN025
SCT015
BKN025
SCT015
BKN025
Ceiling
2,500 ft
AGL
2,500 ft
AGL
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
🌤️ Unlimited
2,500 ft
AGL
2,500 ft
AGL
1,500 ft
AGL
1,500 ft
AGL
1,500 ft
AGL
1,500 ft
AGL
1,500 ft
AGL
1,500 ft
AGL
2,500 ft
AGL
2,500 ft
AGL
2,500 ft
AGL
Flight Rules MVFR MVFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR VFR MVFR MVFR IFR IFR IFR IFR IFR IFR MVFR MVFR MVFR
Day/Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌙
Night
🌅 06:27Z
🌙
Night
🌅 06:27Z
🌅
Dawn
🌅 06:27Z
☀️
Day
🌅 06:27Z
☀️
Day
🌅 06:27Z
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
☀️
Day
🌇 17:32Z
☀️
Day
🌇 17:32Z
Flight Rules
VFR: Visual Flight Rules
MVFR: Marginal VFR
IFR: Instrument Flight Rules
LIFR: Low IFR
Ceiling Colors
Red: < 500ft
Amber: 500-1000ft
Blue: 1000-3000ft
Green: > 3000ft
⛈️ TCU: Towering Cumulus
🌩️ CB: Cumulonimbus
+Nh: Hours from now • %: Probability of occurrence • AGL: Above Ground Level

Forecast Periods

BASE
MVFR
Wind
170° at 12 kt
Visibility
10+ km
Weather
Light Showers Rain
Clouds
SCT015 BKN025
📖 Plain English Explanation:

This is the base forecast condition. Winds from the South (170°) at 12 kt. Visibility will be excellent at 10+ km. Weather conditions: Light Showers Rain. Scattered clouds at 1500 feet, Broken clouds at 2500 feet. Marginal VFR conditions - some restrictions for visual flying.

FM150000 00:00Z - 06:00Z
VFR
Wind
140° at 16 kt
Visibility
10+ km
Weather
Light Showers Rain
Clouds
SCT025
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Winds from the Southeast (140°) at 16 kt. Visibility will be excellent at 10+ km. Weather conditions: Light Showers Rain. Scattered clouds at 2500 feet. Conditions will be suitable for Visual Flight Rules (VFR) operations.

FM150800 08:00Z - 14:00Z
IFR
Wind
170° at 12 kt
Visibility
4 km
Weather
Light Showers Rain, Showers Rain, Showers Rain
Clouds
SCT015 BKN025 SCT015 BKN015
📖 Plain English Explanation:

Winds from the South (170°) at 12 kt. Visibility will be moderate at 4 km. Weather conditions: Light Showers Rain, Showers Rain, Showers Rain. Scattered clouds at 1500 feet, Broken clouds at 2500 feet, Scattered clouds at 1500 feet, Broken clouds at 1500 feet. Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) conditions - instrument flying required.

📚 Understanding TAF Forecasts

Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) provides detailed weather forecasts specifically for aviation operations. Our system translates complex meteorological codes into plain English to help pilots of all experience levels understand forecasted conditions.

What TAF Includes:

  • • Wind direction, speed, and gusts
  • • Visibility in statute miles or kilometers
  • • Weather phenomena (rain, snow, fog, thunderstorms)
  • • Cloud coverage types and altitudes
  • • Forecast changes with timing
  • • Flight rules categories (VFR/IFR)

Change Indicators Explained:

  • • BASE - Main forecast conditions
  • • FM - Permanent change from specific time
  • • BECMG - Gradual change over 2-4 hours
  • • TEMPO - Temporary changes (less than 1 hour)
  • • PROB30/40 - 30% or 40% probability

🛩️ Flight Rules Categories

VFR

Visual Flight Rules

  • • Ceiling ≥ 3000 ft
  • • Visibility ≥ 5 miles
  • • Good for visual flying

MVFR

Marginal VFR

  • • Ceiling 1000-3000 ft
  • • Visibility 3-5 miles
  • • Caution for VFR

IFR

Instrument Flight Rules

  • • Ceiling 500-1000 ft
  • • Visibility 1-3 miles
  • • Instruments required

LIFR

Low IFR

  • • Ceiling < 500 ft
  • • Visibility < 1 mile
  • • Challenging conditions

💡 TAF Reading Tips

For Student Pilots:

  • • Focus on the plain English explanations above
  • • Pay attention to flight rules categories
  • • Look for wind direction relative to runway headings
  • • Check for temporary conditions (TEMPO)

For Experienced Pilots:

  • • Cross-reference with raw TAF for precise timing
  • • Consider probability forecasts for alternate planning
  • • Monitor BECMG periods for gradual changes
  • • Always check current METAR vs TAF forecast

Important: TAF forecasts should always be supplemented with current METAR observations, PIREPs, and other weather information for complete situational awareness. Weather can change rapidly, and forecasts have inherent limitations.