Precipitation question

[Emile]

Hello,
Look in the Precipitation colum.

"-RA" ---> Rain?

[Joe M]

Hi Emile,

Yes, -RA = Light Rain.

There are many abbreviations used for weather in aviation for example, BR is another used to describe visibility. It means Mist (think Baby Rain).

When you look at an aviation weather forecast or conditions at an airport (either a METAR, for current conditions that can be up to an hour old, or a TAF for projected conditions up to 24 hours in advance) they are written with many abbreviations.

Quick and dirty translation help can be found at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/oso/oso1/oso12/document/guide.shtml

[tim arnot]

Yes. A - in front means "light", and a + in front means "heavy". Factors can be combined, so +TSRA would mean heavy thunder storms and rain. ie, a good day to stay on the ground!

[Emile]

Hello and thanks a lot