Which weather report is issued hourly for aviation purposes?

The METAR report is specifically designed for aviation purposes and is issued hourly. It provides a concise summary of the current weather conditions at an airport or weather station, including information on temperature, dew point, wind speed and direction, visibility, cloud cover, and significant weather phenomena. This real-time information is critical for pilots and air traffic controllers to ensure safe flight operations by understanding current atmospheric conditions.

In contrast, AIRMETs and SIGMETs are different types of advisories that focus more on significant weather phenomena and hazardous conditions that may affect flight safety but are not produced on an hourly basis. TAFs, or Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts, provide weather forecasts for a specific airport over a 24 or 30-hour period, but they do not reflect current conditions as METAR reports do. Thus, the METAR is the key report issued hourly for immediate weather observations critical to aviation.