"Col" wrote in message
...

"Philip Eden" philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom wrote in message
...
0730z NE F3 25km 5Ac150 7Ci250 01.5/00.2 1009.2
RMK Very disappointing ... it only rained gently for
a few hours on Saturday evening here.

Starting today I'm switching to the coded method of reporting
cloud heights ... eg 150 = 15000ft, 250 = 25000ft. It takes up
less room.

Just as a minor point of interest, why is the visibility reported
in metric units but the cloud height in imperial?

It's bizarre, isn't it? It's how the various meteorological codes were
set up in the 1950s, and it hasn't changed. I vaguely remember the
units were chosen on advice from the aviation sector ... I'm sure
someone here will "remember".

Philip Eden