Weather and METAR
Weather complexity is computed from real METAR data — never procedurally generated. The same TAF and METAR your VATSIM controllers see feeds the multiplier on your mission. Marginal weather pays more; CAVOK pays the base rate.
Sources
- Primary: VATSIM METAR endpoint, queried alongside the data feed. This is what controllers use; the multiplier therefore matches the network's reality.
- Fallback: aviationweather.gov for airports VATSIM doesn't surface. Same NOAA-sourced data.
Both sources are read on-demand at generation time and at landing time. Nothing is persisted in our database beyond the per-mission snapshot of "what was the METAR when this completed?".
What we read
We parse five fields out of each METAR:
- Ceiling — lowest broken or overcast layer in feet AGL.
- Visibility — prevailing visibility in statute miles or kilometres.
- Wind — sustained speed in knots.
- Gusts — peak gust speed if reported.
- Significant weather — thunderstorms (TS), freezing precipitation (FZRA), snow showers (SHSN). Flagged but not currently a separate multiplier.
We do not read or store the raw METAR string in the database — only the parsed fields needed for scoring. The full string is rendered to you on the mission card via a fresh fetch.
Difficulty scoring
Each factor that crosses a threshold adds to the weather multiplier.
Multiple factors stack additively up to a 1.3× cap. CAVOK
(clear sky, >10km visibility, light wind) gives the base
1.0×.
| FACTOR | THRESHOLD | EFFECT |
|---|---|---|
| Ceiling (cloud base) | <1,000ft | +0.15× base |
| Ceiling (marginal) | 1,000–3,000ft | +0.05× base |
| Visibility | <3 SM / 5 km | +0.10× base |
| Wind (sustained) | >25kt | +0.05× base |
| Gust factor | Gusts >35kt | +0.05× base |
The multiplier is computed for both dep and arr; the higher of the two is what applies (you took the harder of the pair, you get paid for it).
Diversion threshold
Weather can force a diversion. The completion verifier accepts a diversion as a successful — not failed — outcome when all three are true:
- The METAR at the filed arrival, at the time of arrival, is below applicable mins (or the airport reported
VRBvisibility <1 SM, or ceiling at OVC for an IFR-only field). - You landed within 75nm of the filed arrival.
- Your VATSIM flight plan was active at the time of the alternate landing.
The diverted outcome pays a partial reward (typically 60–70% of the base) and does not trigger the crash penalty. Your XP earns the same pro-rated share.
Freshness
METAR updates roughly every 30–60 minutes per airport. vCareer's generator uses whatever the most recent METAR is — we don't extrapolate, we don't blend, we don't smooth. If a METAR is older than 90 minutes we treat it as missing and fall back to "weather complexity = 1.0×" for that airport (it's not your fault the reporting station is silent).