What does "G" signify when used in the wind section of a METAR?

In the context of a METAR report, "G" is an abbreviation that stands for "gusts." This means that when you see "G" followed by a number in the wind section, it indicates the wind gust speed in knots that exceeds the sustained wind speed reported earlier in the same segment. For instance, if the wind is reported as 10 knots with gusts of 18 knots, it would be indicated as "10G18." This information is crucial for pilots and meteorologists as it provides insights into the variability and potential turbulence of wind conditions, which can affect flight safety and operations. Understanding this helps in interpreting how strong and potentially disruptive wind conditions can be at the time of observation. Other options such as ground level wind, gradient wind, or general wind do not accurately represent what "G" stands for in this specific context within METAR reports.