Symbolic Form of Part B
Part B (Table 1-9) consists of several sections of
data. It starts with an Identification Data section
(section 1), followed by section 5, data for each
significant level selected with respect to temperature or
humidity changes; section 6, data for significant levels
selected with respect to changes in the wind direction or
speed; section 7, sounding system data and observation
time; section 8, observed cloud data; and ends with
sections 9 and 10, regional and nationally coded data
groups. Ship observations also report the sea surface
temperature data in section 7.
Significant Temperature/Humidity Levels
Section 5 (Table 1-9) contains data for each level
selected as significant for either temperature or
humidity. Data for each significant level is contained in
two five-digit groups, nnPPP and TTTDD, which are
repeated for each significant level selected. The first
group contains a level identifier, nn, and the pressure,
PPP, of the level in hundreds, tens, and units of
hectopascals. The level identifier is a two-digit number.
The surface (and only the surface) is always 00. All
remaining significant levels are identified, from lower
to higher, as 11, 22, 33, . . ., 99, 11, 22, and so forth. If a
level previously reported in Part A also fits the criteria
for a significant level, it is reported again in this section
as a significant level. The second group, TTTDD, is the
temperature and dew-point depression, exactly as
reported for the mandatory levels. Winds are not
reported for these levels.
If temperature or humidity is missing, the top and
bottom boundaries of the missing data layer are
significant levels. At least one additional level must be
selected within the layer of missing data. to indicate the
missing data. The missing data is encoded with slants.
For example, "55745 01522 66680 061// 77650 08310"
identifies three significant levels. The base of a missing
humidity layer, level 55, is at 745 hPa, with a
temperature - 1.5°C and dew-point depression of 2.2°C.
The top of the layer, level 77, is at 650 hPa, with a
temperature of -8.3°C and dew-point depression of
1.0°C. The fact that the humidity data is missing in this
layer is revealed by significant level 66 at 680 hPa, with
a temperature of -6.1°C and "//" encoded in place of the
dew-point depression.
Table 1-9.—Part "B" TEMP Coded Upper-Air Report (Surface to 100-hPa Level Significant Reporting Levels)
SEC
SYMBOLIC FORMAT
CONTENTS
1
MiMiMjMj YYGGa4 IIiii
o r
Identification Data
Example:
(Land station)
(1) TTBB 64120 72306
MiMiMjMj D....D YYGGa4 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo MMMULaULo (hOhOhOhOim)
Identification Data
Examples:
(2) IIBB 64120 99352 70787 11658 01002
(Mobile-land station)
(3) UUBB NSHP 64120 99311 70721 11612
(Ship)
(4) XXBB 14123 99311 70721 11612
(Aircraft)
5
nnnnPnPnPnTnTnTanDnDn
Significant temperature and humidity levels
Example:
00030 05050 11930 06040 22847 004333770 02920 44650
10100 55600 1474066435 29769 77358 38170 etc.
6
21212 nnnnPnPnPndndnfnfnfn
Significant wind levels
Example:
21212 00030 1301511990 17022 22985 17035 33972 17015
44925 18005 55860 19015 66700 2002577550 22040 88320
23050 99300 2307011260 23112 22220 23090 33101 24060
7
31313 srrarasasa 8GGgg 9snTwTwTw
System status, time of launch, and Sea-water
Example:
temperature
31313 46105 81135 90156
8
41414 NhCLhCMCH
Cloud data
Example:
41414
43322
9
code groups following indicator groups 51515, 52525, through 59595
Regional codes
1
0
code groups following indicator groups 61616, 62626, through 69696
National codes
1-27
