Does MSFS 2024 simulate thunderstorms accurately?

MSFS 2024 uses real METAR and TAF data to place convective weather. When a METAR reports TS (thunderstorm) or CB (cumulonimbus) clouds, the sim renders active storm cells with turbulence, rain, and reduced visibility in that area.

How does Shit Weather find thunderstorm routes?

We filter live METAR reports for airports currently reporting TS (thunderstorm) condition codes, then pair them into flyable routes at your chosen distance. Routes are ranked by weather severity score.

What aircraft work best for thunderstorm routes?

Any aircraft works, but airliners with weather radar (like the A320 or 737) give the most realistic experience. Smaller aircraft like the Cessna 172 will feel the turbulence more dramatically.

Shit Weather

Fly Into the Storm

Real-time thunderstorm routes with active CB clouds, lightning, and convective weather.

Thunderstorms are the crown jewel of bad weather flying. Active CB clouds bring severe turbulence, heavy precipitation, and dramatic visibility drops — exactly what you want for a challenging MSFS 2024 or X-Plane session. These routes connect airports currently reporting thunderstorm activity in their METAR observations.

Live Thunderstorm Routes

Origin

Distance

Destination

Weather

SBPA

Charts ↗

SBPA (POA)

Medium

Porto Alegre International

Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Elevation: 3 ft
Runways: 1
Tower: Yes
Services: Yes
Beacon: No
Taxiways: Yes

Rwy	Size	Surface
11/29	7480x148	Hard

Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

509 mi

~1h 49m

SGAS

Charts ↗

SGAS (ASU)

Medium

Asuncion

Central, Paraguay

Elevation: 83 ft
Runways: 1
Tower: Yes
Services: Yes
Beacon: No
Taxiways: Yes

Rwy	Size	Surface
02/20	10997x148	Hard

Central, Paraguay

Thunderstorm Rain

SGAS MVFR

Temp

17°C (63°F)

Dewpoint

15°C

Altimeter

29.70"

Wind

150°/17kt

Visibility

6SM

Crosswind

14kt

Clouds

scattered

Score

180

Weather

light thunderstorm rain

METAR SGAS 040200Z 15017KT 9999 -TSRA SCT006 OVC010 FEW040CB 17/15 Q1006 Copied!

TAF 00:00Z

TAF SGAS

Valid: 040000Z - 050000Z

Period	Type	Wind	Vis	Clouds	Weather	Score
00:00Z - 00:00Z	—	280°/15kt G30	—			275
00:00Z - 00:00Z	—	—	—	—	—	0
03:00Z - 09:00Z		180°/10kt	—			260

TAF SGAS 032110Z 0400/0500 28015G30KT 5000 TSRA BKN020 FEW040CB TX27/0418Z TN18/0410Z TEMPO 0403/0409 18010KT 7000 TSRA OVC015 FEW040CB BECMG 04012/0415 8000 -RA BKN015 Copied!

GABS

Charts ↗

GABS (BKO)

Medium

Bamako International

BK, Mali

Elevation: 375 ft
Runways: 1
Tower: Yes
Services: Yes
Beacon: No
Taxiways: Yes

Rwy	Size	Surface
06/24	10499x148	Hard

BK, Mali

589 mi

~1h 58m

GBYD

Charts ↗

GBYD (BJL)

Medium

Banjul International

Central River, Gambia

Elevation: 29 ft
Runways: 1
Tower: Yes
Services: Yes
Beacon: No
Taxiways: Backtrack

Rwy	Size	Surface
14/32	11811x148	Hard

Central River, Gambia

Thunderstorm Rain

GBYD MVFR

Temp

26°C (79°F)

Dewpoint

25°C

Altimeter

29.88"

Wind

0°/3kt

Visibility

6SM

Crosswind

0kt

Clouds

broken

Score

145

Weather

thunderstorm

METAR GBYD 040100Z VRB03KT 9999 TS BKN010 FEW018CB SCT100 26/25 Q1012 CB(NE-NW)NOSIG Copied!

TAF 02:00Z

TAF GBYD

Valid: 040600Z - 051200Z

Period	Type	Wind	Vis	Clouds	Weather	Score
02:00Z - 08:00Z		—	—			260
06:00Z - 12:00Z	—	0°/2kt	—		—	0

TAF GBYD 032345Z 0406/0512 VRB02KT 9999 SCT013 TEMPO 0402/0408 3000 TSRA BKN010 FEW025CB Copied!

SGAS

Charts ↗

SGAS (ASU)

Medium

Asuncion

Central, Paraguay

Elevation: 83 ft
Runways: 1
Tower: Yes
Services: Yes
Beacon: No
Taxiways: Yes

Rwy	Size	Surface
02/20	10997x148	Hard

Central, Paraguay

508 mi

~1h 49m

SBCO

Charts ↗

SBCO

Medium

Porto Alegre

Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Elevation: 8 ft
Runways: 1
Tower: Yes
Services: Yes
Beacon: No
Taxiways: Yes

Rwy	Size	Surface
13/31	9026x148	Hard

Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Thunderstorm

SBCO VFR

Temp

20°C (68°F)

Dewpoint

17°C

Altimeter

29.65"

Wind

130°/4kt

Visibility

6SM

Crosswind

0kt

Clouds

few

Score

135

Weather

vicinity thunderstorm

METAR SBCO 040100Z 13004KT 9999 VCTS FEW040 FEW045CB BKN100 20/17 Q1004 Copied!

TAF 02:00Z

TAF SBCO

Valid: 040000Z - 041200Z

Period	Type	Wind	Vis	Weather	Score
00:00Z - 12:00Z	—	100°/5kt	—	—	0
02:00Z - 06:00Z		—	—		200
06:00Z - 11:00Z		—	—		200

TAF SBCO 032100Z 0400/0412 10005KT 8000 FEW035 TN17/0405Z TX20/0411Z PROB30 0402/0406 TS FEW030CB PROB30 0406/0411 TS FEW025CB RMK PDE Copied!

KHST

Charts ↗

KHST (HST)

Large

Homestead Airbase

Florida, United States

Elevation: 1 ft
Runways: 1
Tower: Yes
Services: No
Beacon: Yes
Taxiways: Yes

Rwy	Size	Surface
06/24	11202x300	Concrete

Florida, United States

507 mi

~1h 49m

MUGM

Charts ↗

MUGM

Large

Guantanamo Bay/Point Airport (Military)

Guantánamo, United States

Elevation: 21 ft
Runways: 1
Tower: Yes
Services: Yes
Beacon: No
Taxiways: Yes

Rwy	Size	Surface
10/28	8000x200	Hard

Guantánamo, United States

Thunderstorm Rain

MUGM VFR

Temp

27°C (81°F)

Dewpoint

23°C

Altimeter

30.01"

Wind

350°/4kt

Visibility

10SM

Crosswind

3kt

Clouds

few

Score

115

Weather

thunderstorm

METAR MUGM 040151Z 35004KT 10SM TS FEW030CB FEW080 27/23 A3001 RMK AO2 TSB48 SLP161 OCNL LTGICCCCG SE TS SE MOV W T02720233 $ Copied!

TAF 00:00Z

TAF MUGM

Valid: 032300Z - 042300Z

Period	Type	Wind	Vis	Weather	Score
23:00Z - 05:00Z	—	360°/10kt	—		200
00:00Z - 04:00Z		0°/20kt G30	—		275
05:00Z - 17:00Z		360°/8kt	—	—	0

TAF MUGM AMD 0323/0423 36010KT 9999 VCTS SCT030CB SCT050 BKN200 QNH2986INS TEMPO 0400/0404 VRB20G30KT 3200 TSRA OVC030CB FM040500 36008KT 9999 SCT030 BKN050 QNH2989INS FM041700 15008KT 9999 FEW030 SCT050 QNH2990INS TX32/0415Z TN23/0404Z AMD 2330 FN00319 Copied!

FOOL

Charts ↗

FOOL (LBV)

Medium

Libreville International

ES, Gabon

Elevation: 9 ft
Runways: 1
Tower: Yes
Services: Yes
Beacon: No
Taxiways: Backtrack

Rwy	Size	Surface
16/34	9843x148	Hard

ES, Gabon

518 mi

~1h 50m

FCBB

Charts ↗

FCBB (BZV)

Medium

Brazzaville

BZ, Congo

Elevation: 316 ft
Runways: 1
Tower: Yes
Services: Yes
Beacon: No
Taxiways: Yes

Rwy	Size	Surface
05/23	10827x148	Hard

BZ, Congo

Light Thunderstorm Rain

FCBB MVFR

Temp

24°C (75°F)

Dewpoint

20°C

Altimeter

29.94"

Wind

0°/2kt

Visibility

5SM

Crosswind

0kt

Clouds

few

Score

135

Weather

thunderstorm

METAR FCBB 040100Z VRB02KT 8000 TS FEW030CB 24/20 Q1014 BECMG 4000 TSRA Copied!

TAF 00:00Z

TAF FCBB

Valid: 040000Z - 050600Z

Period	Type	Wind	Vis	Weather	Score
00:00Z - 06:00Z	—	240°/6kt	—	—	0
00:00Z - 05:00Z		240°/6kt	—		240
05:00Z - 06:00Z		240°/6kt	—		20

TAF FCBB 032300Z 0400/0506 24006KT 8000 FEW020 FEW030CB BECMG 0400/0402 -TSRA BECMG 0405/0407 NSW BKN016 PROB40 0413/0418 FEW020 FEW030CB PROB40 0422/0503 -TSRA FEW030CB Copied!

MUSC

Charts ↗

MUSC (SNU)

Medium

Santa Clara International

Villa Clara, Cuba

Elevation: 97 ft
Runways: 1
Tower: Yes
Services: Yes
Beacon: No
Taxiways: Yes

Rwy	Size	Surface
08/26	9898x148	Hard

Villa Clara, Cuba

547 mi

~1h 53m

KVQQ

Charts ↗

KVQQ (VQQ)

Large

Jacksonville/Cecil

Florida, United States

Elevation: 24 ft
Runways: 6
Tower: Yes
Services: Yes
Beacon: Yes
Taxiways: Yes

Rwy	Size	Surface
09L/27R	4439x200	Asphalt
09R/27L	8003x200	Asphalt
18L/36R	12504x200	Asphalt
18R/36L	8001x200	Asphalt
H1	70x70	Concrete
H2	70x70	Concrete

Florida, United States

Showers Rain, Mist, Vicinity Thunderstorm

KVQQ MVFR

Temp

27°C (81°F)

Dewpoint

23°C

Altimeter

30.11"

Wind

150°/10kt G24

Visibility

4SM

Crosswind

11kt

Clouds

scattered

Score

150

Weather

thunderstorm rain

METAR KVQQ 040050Z 15010G24KT 4SM TSRA SCT003 BKN015 27/23 A3011 Copied!

TAF 00:00Z

TAF KVQQ

Valid: 040000Z - 050000Z

Period	Type	Wind	Vis	Weather	Score
00:00Z - 03:00Z	—	0°/4kt	—		260
03:00Z - 06:00Z		0°/3kt	—		0
06:00Z - 09:00Z		—	—	—	60

TAF KVQQ 032354Z 0400/0424 VRB04KT 6SM SHRA BR VCTS SCT040CB BKN070CB TEMPO 0400/0402 VRB15G30KT 1SM +TSRA BKN035CB OVC070 FM040300 VRB03KT P6SM VCSH FEW040 BKN080 OVC250 FM040600 00000KT P6SM SCT003 BKN015 FM040900 00000KT 4SM BR OVC003 FM041600 15005KT P6SM VCSH FEW030 SCT060 BKN100 FM041900 10005KT 6SM SHRA BR VCTS SCT040CB BKN100 PROB30 0420/0424 3SM TSRA BKN025 OVC050CB Copied!

LEGE

Charts ↗

LEGE (GRO)

Medium

Gerona

Catalonia, Spain

Elevation: 140 ft
Runways: 1
Tower: Yes
Services: Yes
Beacon: No
Taxiways: Yes

Rwy	Size	Surface
01/19	7874x148	Hard

Catalonia, Spain

499 mi

~1h 48m

LIRE

Charts ↗

LIRE

Medium

Pratica Di Mare

Roma, Italy

Elevation: 16 ft
Runways: 1
Tower: Yes
Services: Yes
Beacon: No
Taxiways: Yes

Rwy	Size	Surface
13/31	9764x154	Hard

Roma, Italy

Light Thunderstorm Rain

LIRE MVFR

Temp

17°C (63°F)

Dewpoint

13°C

Altimeter

30.03"

Wind

40°/6kt

Visibility

5SM

Crosswind

5kt

Clouds

few

Score

155

Weather

light thunderstorm rain

SPECI LIRE 190125Z 04006KT 360V090 8000 -TSRA FEW018 FEW020CB 17/13 Q1017 RMK BKN SCT100 VIS MIN 8000 WIND THR13 06008KT WIND THR31 /////KT BLU Copied!

Showing 7 sample routes

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How Thunderstorms Are Scored

Thunderstorms are the highest-scoring weather phenomenon in our system. When a METAR reports a TS code, the route score jumps significantly — and stacking with CB clouds or heavy intensity pushes it even higher.

200

TS — Thunderstorm

+50

+TS — Heavy

100

CB — Cumulonimbus

TCU — Towering Cu

Scores are additive. A heavy thunderstorm with CB clouds can score 350+ points from weather phenomena alone, before factoring in visibility and wind. See how all scoring works.

Want to explore all weather conditions?

Find Thunderstorm Routes

Questions?

Does MSFS 2024 simulate thunderstorms accurately?: MSFS 2024 uses real METAR and TAF data to place convective weather. When a METAR reports TS (thunderstorm) or CB (cumulonimbus) clouds, the sim renders active storm cells with turbulence, rain, and reduced visibility in that area.
How does Shit Weather find thunderstorm routes?: We filter live METAR reports for airports currently reporting TS (thunderstorm) condition codes, then pair them into flyable routes at your chosen distance. Routes are ranked by weather severity score.
What aircraft work best for thunderstorm routes?: Any aircraft works, but airliners with weather radar (like the A320 or 737) give the most realistic experience. Smaller aircraft like the Cessna 172 will feel the turbulence more dramatically.

Pick Your Poison

Explore More

Low Visibility

IFR and LIFR conditions. Fog, mist, and near-zero visibility.

Crosswinds

Gusty approaches and strong crosswind components on landing.

Blizzards

Snow, ice, freezing precipitation, and winter whiteouts.

How Scoring Works