The actual time of the observation will be H+55 to H+59 minutes past the hour (standard time of a METAR observation). This describes which type of report?

• A. METAR with SPECI criteria
• B. SPECI only
• C. Local
• D. TAF

Answer: (A)

A METAR with SPECI criteria.

In METAR practice, routine observations are issued hourly. If significant weather changes occur between those hourly METARs, a SPECI is issued as soon as possible to convey the update. Seeing an observation time listed as H+55 to H+59 minutes past the hour shows the reading happened just before the next scheduled METAR, which is exactly the situation that triggers a SPECI. The report is still in METAR format but carries the SPECI criteria because of the notable change detected between hourly observations.

This isn’t a SPECI-only product, since the timing hinges on the standard METAR hourly cadence, and it isn’t a forecast (TAF) or a local-time product, so those options don’t fit.