Ceiling (cloud base)
Weather
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The ceiling is the height of the lowest cloud layer covering more than half the sky (BKN or OVC) below 20,000 ft. It is one of the key limits for VFR flights.
- German term
- Hauptwolkenuntergrenze (Ceiling)
METARs report cloud as FEW, SCT, BKN or OVC with a height in hundreds of feet above the aerodrome, e.g. BKN014 = broken at 1,400 ft. FEW and SCT layers do not form a ceiling.
In practice
Remember that cloud heights are above the aerodrome — over rising terrain en route, the gap to the cloud base shrinks.
Related in Altimate Pilot
Weather & Flyability ScoreRelated terms
Official sources
Content reviewed: 2026-11
For general information only. Always use official sources, your aircraft's flight manual and current national rules for flight decisions.