Weather to Fly

The aviation weather reporting system can be confusing.  This article from the FAA gives tips on How to Obtain a Good Weather Briefing.  To it I add, my advice:

• If you are calling for a weather briefing, back that up by using the Duats site. It is easier for me to look at a report in writing than to hear a briefer ramble on about it. Check weather online first and then you can ask your briefer for trends and clarification on the phone rather than trying to get everything from them. If you can only call, listen closely.
• Learning WX codes can be difficult.  Duats will give you long text and WX codes if you specify – so use both for learning. You can also download a short training pamphlet that covers the codes HERE.  A more thorough guide comes with our Airplane Pilot Training Kit and many of the other kits.  
• My best advice is that it gets easier with time so keep working on it.  Eventually, codes will become faster and easier than reading long text description of conditions.