Originally Posted by
TheWeatherman
It is not as simple as +SN. What are the circumstances of the +SN. Is it wet sticky snow, or cold dry snow that won't stick to the aircraft and pass a pre take-off contamination check? Just like I am not going to second guess a crew deicing in flurries when not a single flake is sticking to the aircraft while everybody else is taking off without any issues. Sometimes METARs are not true representations of the weather, especially in these days of automated observations.
Not worth the risk to me, but you do you!
I can tell you the FAA wants you to use the METAR for HOT calculations though, and that’s from our POI. The tower should issue SPECI or you can request one. Regardless the company will not second guess you, as long as you can support your decision.