On 2013-08-20 14:43:16 +0000, Metman2012 said:

On 09/08/2013 15:28, Norman wrote:
I have just learned from the Met Office that use of the SYNOP code will cease
in November this year and land surface observations will be distributed in BUFR
format only from then.

Other Category 1 messages (SYNOP MOBIL, PILOT, PILOT MOBIL, TEMP, TEMP MOBIL,
TEMP DROP, CLIMAT) will migrate to BUFR in Nov 2014.

Just had a reply from the Met O. I'm told the BUFR data can be obtained
from the same source as the SYNOP - but as I don't know where you guys
get SYNOPs from, I can't confirm this. However, by going to
http://www.ecmwf.int/products/data/d/check/ you can convert the BUFR
code to SYNOPs. I also found
http://www.ecmwf.int/products/data/s...load/bufr.html, which
could be a source to run a decoder on a Windows PC (amongst others),
but you will have to read it for more info. I suspect that good ole
Bruce (exmetman) is clever enough to set something up, eh Bruce?

I remember being on duty the day they changed from the old SYNOP code
(the one that had the first group as the total cloud amount and wind
speed/direction, and pressure/dry bulb were together in another group I
think) to the 'new' one. That caused a lot of problems initially,
although it did get rid of the head scratching for human chart plotters
when an observation came in with a group missing.

I have been trying to remember what year that was. I think that it was
early 1980s.