What does the "CAVOK" group in a METAR report indicate?
Why →
CAVOK (Ceiling And Visibility OK) is an international METAR code meaning: visibility is 10 km or more, there are no clouds below 5,000 feet (or Minimum Sector Altitude if higher), no cumulonimbus at any height, and no significant weather phenomena. CAVOK is used outside the U.S.. U.S. METARs typically use SKC (sky clear) or CLR (clear below 12,000 feet) instead.The trap →
CAVOK is not geographically limited to the reporting station. It describes general conditions meeting the standard thresholds, not a local radius. The acronym expands to Ceiling And Visibility OK with no geographic qualifier. The station-only limitation is a common misreading of how METAR observations work in general.SOURCE → FAA Aviation Weather Services (AC 00-45H)CHECKED APR 21ACS III.A.K1MED