ATCT I Operations Block III Practice Test

METAR and TAF provide weather information that directly affects how the tower manages takeoffs, landings, and the spacing between aircraft, as well as identifying weather-related hazards. METAR gives the current conditions at the airport—wind direction and speed, visibility, cloud ceiling, significant weather, and runway visual range—while TAF offers forecasted conditions for the next several hours. This combination lets the tower determine which runways are usable, how to sequence arrivals and departures safely, and how to adjust spacing to account for gusts, low ceilings, fog, rain, or thunderstorms. It also aids in spotting hazards like wind shear, turbulence, or icing that could impact safe operations. In short, METAR/TAF inform the core, day-to-day safety and efficiency of takeoffs and landings, rather than routing decisions or non-operational tasks like ground crew selection.