How To Determine Cloud Tops

Good afternoon forum,

When reviewing the METAR it will list the clouds if applicable, but from what I understand that is the start of the cover above ground level (MGL).

How do I termine how thich that cloud layer is, meaning what alitude I need to reach to break through the layer?

Thanks in advane.

If you want the data that Flight Simulator actually uses, rather than a more typical aviation source, you can pull up cloud tops from Meteoblue’s numerical forecast model here:

https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/maps/31.275N-90.997E104_America%2FChicago#coords=4/45.93/-93.08&map=cloudAltitude~top~NEMSGLOBAL~sfc~none

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Thank you @SkipTalbot & @skypilotYTS - I never knew that the MeteoBlue data was available to us in such a powerful format !!

If it was, I just incorrectly "assumed’ it would be a subscription service

There goes the rest of my weekend, playing with this !!!

Has anyone attempted or made a MeteoBlue weather map addon for MSFS. ?

Probably something that displays the above website, and puts your plane location and plane Icon on it

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@SkipTalbot gets the credit for the source :slight_smile:

Thanks!

Currently I don’t use the sim weather but rather REX. I guess I would have to check where they pull from but given it’s usually pretty bang on accurate, how would real world pilots obtain this information?

Thanks.

Yes, my BAD, I hit the wrong @ !!!

Thanks to both of you !! Its exactly what I had wished for … a MetroBlue “WINDY.COM” ++

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I use REX as well, especailly when I want Airports to be reporting the RW Metar data, that say the GTN750 can display.

Miss Unreal Weather – for me, that worked very well as well, till SU7 broke ot

Having played about with the MeteoBlue website, a few interesting conditions have become visible to me … (maybe this is not NEW NEWS, but it’s new to me)

Here is a Screen show @ KDCA - Real Weather – also showing

  1. The Current metar from MeteoBlue, (Top)
  2. The MSFS weather related Simvars (Altimeter, wind speed direction) (Stream Deck)
  3. What ATC is saying in a take off clearance (Altimeter, wind speed direction) (ATC window)

I had always assumed, that MSFS was not getting the correc t/ current MeteoBlue Metar data, and this was why ATC was giving strange altimeter, wind speed, direction (and runway) that did not match what the sim windsock etc were indicating

But now, with the actual MeteoBlue Metar data visible , it looks like MSFS is getting that data correctly, as reflected in the Stream Deck display of the relevant SIMVARS, and it is 100% the ATC that is reporting the data incorrectly

SO, the data looks good, the two things that seem wrong are

The way MSFS sometimes depicts that weather (subjective)
The way MSFS ATC reports the data (Just Plain INCORRECT !!)

Wishing Asobo “good Luck” and every Success in sorting this out in 2022

(So relieved it is not my problem, or task to achieve)

Obviously NOT flying out of KDCA this afternoon in a C172 !!!
I’ll be lucky to get the plane door open, and get back to the warmth of the FBO !!

Yes - TOTAL IMMERSION !!!

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Not sure what you guys use up in Canada, but in the States I’d just pull up the Aviation Weather Center, which has a plot for tops, or another forecast model like the HRRR:

Keep in mind that Flight Simulator Live Weather is now injecting METAR data including cloud cover and base. Tops are still probably coming from Meteoblue since the METAR doesn’t have that information.

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Thanks for this!

Do you mind stepping through the URL (what you are clicking on to get to that map). I can launch the map just want to see where it is on the site.

Thanks.

I was just looking about on Skyvector and noticed it also shows cloud top heights.

Ha, every time I compare the States to Germany in regards to aviation and especially weather charts/data etc. I begin to cry. And its even free in the States…

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