How often are METARs published?

METARs, which are aviation routine weather reports, are typically published every hour. This frequency allows pilots and other aviation personnel to receive up-to-date weather information necessary for safe flight operations. The information contained in a METAR includes temperature, dew point, wind speed and direction, visibility, and significant weather conditions.

By providing hourly updates, METARs ensure that pilots have access to current weather data that can affect flight planning and aircraft performance. While there may be other observation types that report weather conditions more or less frequently, the standard for these routine reports is one hour.

The other options do not align with the standard practices of weather reporting in aviation, with the exception of the possibility of updates during significant weather changes, but those are not the norm for METAR reporting schedules.