San Francisco International Airport (KSFO · SFO) METAR & TAF
Live METAR, TAF & runway wind for San Francisco International Airport.
Get the current KSFO (SFO) weather for San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, United States. The decoder below pulls the live METAR and TAF, breaks them into plain language, and uses the published runway headings to show which runway end is best lined up with the reported wind. It is the same operational weather language tested across the EASA ATPL Meteorology and Flight Planning syllabus.
Other major airports in North America with live SkyStudy weather pages include Baltimore (BWI), Salt Lake City (SLC) and San Diego (SAN).
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San Francisco International Airport airport facts
- ICAO code
- KSFO
- IATA code
- SFO
- Location
- San Francisco, United States
- Elevation
- 13 ft
- Runways
- 4
- Coordinates
- 37.620, -122.375
San Francisco International Airport runways
San Francisco International Airport has 4 published runways (01L/19R, 01R/19L, 10L/28R, 10R/28L). The longest runway, 10L/28R, is about 11,870 ft (3,618 m) long. SkyStudy uses these runway headings with the live METAR wind to show the best-aligned runway end.
| Runway | Length | Surface | Headings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01L/19R | 7,500 ft | ASP | 01L (28°) / 19R (208°) |
| 01R/19L | 8,648 ft | ASP | 01R (28°) / 19L (208°) |
| 10L/28R | 11,870 ft | ASP | 10L (118°) / 28R (298°) |
| 10R/28L | 10,602 ft | ASP | 10R (118°) / 28L (298°) |
Want to work a runway scenario by hand? Open the wind component calculator to get headwind, crosswind, and the gust case for any heading.
How to read the KSFO METAR
A METAR always follows the same order, so once you know the pattern you can read any station, including KSFO, at a glance:
- Station & time, the ICAO code (KSFO) and the observation time in UTC (Zulu).
- Wind, direction in degrees true and speed in knots, with gusts after a G. This is what SkyStudy matches against the San Francisco International Airport runways above.
- Visibility & weather: prevailing visibility, then any precipitation or obscuration codes.
- Cloud, cover and base in hundreds of feet AGL (FEW, SCT, BKN, OVC).
- Temperature / dewpoint and the altimeter setting close out the report.
This is the same operational weather language tested across EASA ATPL Meteorology and Flight Planning. Prefer a guided walkthrough? Use the full METAR & TAF decoder.
KSFO weather, frequently asked questions
What is the ICAO code for San Francisco International Airport?
The ICAO code for San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, United States is KSFO, and its IATA code is SFO. Pilots use the ICAO code KSFO to request the METAR and TAF for this airport.
How do I read the KSFO METAR?
Read the KSFO METAR in order: station and time, then wind (direction in degrees true and speed in knots), visibility, weather and cloud, temperature and dewpoint, and finally the altimeter setting. The decoder above turns the raw KSFO METAR into this plain-language order automatically.
Where does the KSFO weather data come from?
The live METAR and TAF are pulled from the public NOAA Aviation Weather Center feed, the same authoritative source used in flight planning, and refreshed every few minutes. SkyStudy then layers its runway and wind logic on top.
How many runways does San Francisco International Airport have?
San Francisco International Airport has 4 published runways (01L/19R, 01R/19L, 10L/28R, 10R/28L). SkyStudy combines these runway headings with the live KSFO wind to show which runway end is best aligned right now.
Is the KSFO METAR and TAF decoder free?
Yes. SkyStudy publishes this KSFO weather page as a free tool. If you are studying for EASA ATPL exams, the same METAR and TAF language appears in Meteorology, Flight Planning, and Operational Procedures, and SkyStudy turns it into practice questions and mock exams.
More airports in North America
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