maintenance check indicator

light intensity

heavy intensity

indicator that visual range data follows; separator between temperature and dew point data.

altocumulus castellanus

aircraft mishap

altocumulus standing lenticular cloud

airport location point

automated station without precipitation discriminator

automated station with precipitation discriminator

apparent

approximately

airport traffic control tower

automated report

began

patches

broken

blowing

mist

center (with reference to runway designation)

cloud-air lightning

cumulonimbus cloud

cumulonimbus mammatus cloud

cloud-cloud lightning

cirrocumulus standing lenticular cloud

cloud-ground lightning

cloud-height indicator

sky condition at secondary location not available

ceiling

clear

continuous

correction to a previously disseminated report

Department of Commerce

Department of Defense

Department of Transportation

low drifting

duststorm

distant

widespread dust

drizzle

east, ended

Federal Aviation Administration

funnel cloud

few clouds

fog

filed but impracticable to transmit

first observation after a break in coverage at manual station

frontal passage

frequent

feet

smoke

freezing

freezing rain sensor not available

gust

hail

small hail and/or snow pellets

haze

ice crystals, in-cloud lightning

International Civil Aviation Organization

knots

left (with reference to runway designation)

last observation before a break in coverage at a manual station

Local Standard Time

lightning

lower

minus, less than

aviation routine weather report

shallow

moved/moving/movement

mountains

north

not applicable

National Climatic Data Center

northeast

National Ocean Service

no SPECI reports are taken at the station

northwest

National Weather Service

occasional

Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology

overcast

overhead

greater than

ice pellets

peak wind

precipitation amount not available

dust/sand whirls (dust devils)

partial

pressure falling rapidly

pressure rising rapidly

precipitation identifier sensor not available

spray

right (with reference to runway designation)

rain

Runway Visual Range

RVR system not available

runway

south

sand

stratocumulus standing lenticular cloud

scattered

southeast

surface

snow grains

shower(s)

sky clear

sea-level pressure

sea-level pressure not available

statute miles

snow

snow increasing rapidly

an unscheduled report taken when certain criteria have been met

squalls

sandstorm

southwest

towering cumulus

thunderstorm

thunderstorm information not available

tower

unknown precipitation

Coordinated Universal Time

variable

volcanic ash

in the vicinity

visibility

visibility at secondary location not available

variable

vertical visibility

west

Working Group for Surface Observations

World Meteorological Organization

wind

wind shift

zulu, i.e., Coordinated Universal Time