Synoptic Code Symbols with Range of Values 

BBXX Ship Weather Report Indicator BBXX 

D....D Radio call sign Call Sign 

YY Day of the month 01-31 

GG Time of observation 00-23 

iw Wind indicator 3, 4 

LaLaLa Latitude 000-900 

Qc Quadrant 1, 3, 5, 7 

LoLoLoLo Longitude 0000-1800 

iR Precipitation data indicator 4 

ix Weather data indicator 1, 3 

h Cloud base height 0-9, / 

VV Visibility 90-99 

N Cloud cover 0-9, / 

dd Wind direction 00-36, 99 

ff Wind speed 00-99 

fff High Speed Wind Knots (099- ) 

sn Sign of temperature 0, 1 

TTT Dry bulb temperature Celsius Degrees 

TdTdTd Dew point temperature Celsius Degrees 

PPPP Sea level pressure Actual Hp or Mb 

(omit 1 in thousandths) 

a 3-hour pressure tendency 0-8 

ppp 3-hour pressure change Hp or Mb 

ww Present weather 00-99 

W1 Past weather (primary) 0-9 

W2 Past weather (secondary) 0-9 

Nh Lowest cloud cover 0-9, / 

CL Low cloud type 0-9, / 

CM Middle cloud type 0-9, / 

CH High cloud type 0-9, / 

Ds Ship’s course 0-9 

Vs Ship’s average speed 0-9 

Ss Sign/type sea surface temp. 0-7 

TWTWTW Sea surface temp. Celsius Degrees 

PWPW Sea period Seconds 

HWHW Sea height Half Meters 

dW1dW1 Primary swell direction 01-36, 99 

dW2dW2 Secondary swell direction 01-36, 99, // 

PW1PW1 Primary swell period Seconds 

HW1HW1 Primary swell height Half Meters 

PW2PW2 Secondary swell period Seconds 

HW2HW2 Secondary swell height Half Meters 

Is Ice accretion cause on ship 1-5 

EsEs Ice accretion thickness on ship Centimeters 

Rs Ice accretion rate on ship 0-4 

Sw Sign/type wet bulb temp. 0-7 

TbTbTb Wet bulb temp. Celsius Degrees 

ci Sea ice concentration 0-9, / 

Si Sea ice development 0-9, / 

bi Ice of land origin 0-9, / 

Di Ice edge bearing 0-9, / 

zi Ice trend 0-9, / 
National Weather Service
 

Observing Handbook No. 1
 

Marine Surface Weather Observations 

May 2010 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

National Weather Service 

National Data Buoy Center 

Building 1007 

Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-6000 
Preface 

In writing this new edition of NWS Observing Handbook No. 1 it has been 

our intent to include as much useful information as possible in the available 

space. The compact size and design, and “field guide” format, should allow for 

easy handling and quick reference. We hope this simplifies your work as 

weather observers, and makes it easier to locate the information you need. 

Weather has an almost magical hold on the mariner. Every change in the 

weather at sea is noted with a sense of trepidation. Reporting weather not only 

contributes to your safety, but adds to your basic knowledge of seamanship. It 

is part of keeping a good lookout. 

For every 100 observations on land, there is only about 1 observation at sea. 

Without your participation in the Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) program, 

there would be vast marine areas without data, making weather forecasting 

nearly impossible for these areas. The importance of ship reports cannot be 

overstated. We thank ships officers for their fine work, dedication, and 

commitment. 

Please follow the weather reporting schedule for ships as best you can (0000, 

0600, 1200, 1800 UTC from all areas; every 3-hours from the Great Lakes, 

from within 200 miles of the United States and Canadian coastlines, and from 

within 300 miles of named tropical storms or hurricanes). For assistance, 

contact a Port Meteorological Officer (PMO), who will come aboard your 

vessel and provide all the information you need to observe, code, and transmit 

weather (see page 1-2 through 1-5). 

NWSOH No. 1 iii May 2010 
Table of Contents 

iii Preface 

vii Introduction 

1-1	 Chapter 1: Program Description 

2-1 Chapter 2: Ship’s Synoptic Code and

Observing Methods 

3-1	 Chapter 3: Transmitting the Observation 

4-1 Chapter 4: The Weatherwise Mariner 

5-1 Glossary 

A-1 Appendix A: Observing Forms and Supplies 

B-1 Appendix B: 	Conversion Factors and

Equivalents 

C-1 Appendix C: Interpretation of 

Weather Map Symbols 

NWSOH No. 1 v	 May 2010 
Introduction 

For beginners and established observers alike, this new edition of the National Weather 

Service Observing Handbook No. 1 (NWSOH1) explains how to observe, how to code, 

and how to transmit weather observations from moving ships at sea. 

IMPORTANCE OF OBSERVATIONS FROM SHIPS 

Accomplishments in the atmospheric sciences have their roots in observations. They 

are a critical first step in the end-to-end forecast process. This process consists of the 

taking and coding of observations, the transmission and receipt of data, the processing 

and analysis of data (including numerical and computer modeling), followed by the 

preparation and issuance of forecasts and warnings. 

More specifically, observations are used by meteorologists to evaluate your local 

weather conditions, and to locate and determine the strength of weather systems such 

as fronts, air masses, high and low pressure systems, tropical storms, and hurricanes. 

Your observations are especially important in the preparation of the surface weather 

chart. Isobars (lines of equal barometric pressure), which are crucial for defining and 

delineating all weather systems, could not be drawn over marine areas without ship 

reports. 

Ships observations are not only important for weather forecasts at sea, but also for 

forecasts over land areas, because marine weather systems often move inland. Notable 

examples include (1) North Pacific Ocean weather systems, which frequently move 

eastward to effect the weather over much of North America, especially during the 

winter season, (2) tropical storms and hurricanes, which develop over the oceans, and 

can cause great devastation over highly populated coastal areas, (3) weather systems 

over the North Atlantic Ocean, which have a great impact on the weather of Europe. 

Accurate marine data is also used to prepare long range forecasts of climate, 

temperature, and precipitation, in the monitoring of climatic change, ocean currents, 

and eddies, and to study the interaction of air and sea. This is important for 

agriculture, industrial planning, ship routing, fishing, and many other activities. Pilot 

charts and climatological atlases of the oceans are largely based on observations from 

ships. Your weather observations will also help you interpret the forecast and changes 

in weather that occur at your position or along your route. 

ELEMENTS TO BE OBSERVED 

Ships taking meteorological observations should be familiar with the methods for 

observing or measuring the following elements: 

(1) Cloud height, amount, and type; 

NWSOH No. 1 vii May 2010 
Introduction 

(2) Visibility; 

(3) Wind speed and direction; 

(4) Air and wet-bulb temperatures, and dew point; 

(5) Atmospheric pressure, tendency and its characteristic; 

(6) Weather - present and past; 

(7) Course and speed of ship; 

(8) Sea surface temperature; 

(9) Sea waves and swell - period, direction, and height; 

(10) Ice conditions, including icing on board ship; 

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED 

Suitable instruments for use on ships are the following: 

(1) Precision aneroid barometer or digital electronic barometer; 

(2) Dry and wet-bulb psychrometer (sling, or housed in an outdoor shelter); 

(3) Barograph; 

(4) Sea temperature thermometer, either a continuously immersed sensor 

(intake or hull mounted) or sea water bucket; 

An anemometer to measure wind force may be used as an alternative to visual wind 

estimates using the Beaufort scale. 

OBSERVING ORDER 

In general, instrumental observations requiring the use of a light should be made after 

non-instrumental ones, so that eye function in the dark is not impaired. Efforts should 

be made to observe elements other than pressure within the ten minutes preceding the 

reporting hour. Ideally, atmospheric pressure should be read at exactly the standard 

time. 

HISTORICAL NOTE 

Since the invention of meteorological instruments did not begin until the 


seventeenth century, instrumental records of the weather elements cover little more
 

than 200 years anywhere, while for many parts of the world, the period of observation
 

is a good deal less than 100 years. The best records are available from well-populated
 

land areas.
 

Notable inventions include the air thermometer (Galileo, 1592), alcohol 


and mercury thermometer (Fahrenheit, 1714), the mercury barometer 


(Torricelli, 1643), the aneroid barometer (Vidie, 1843), and the anemometer (Hooke,
 

1667). 


During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, mariners began keeping weather and
 

oceanographic records and logs. Knowledge of prevailing winds and ocean currents
 

came about as a result of these records. The Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS)
 

NWSOH No. 1 viii May 2010 
Introduction 

Program as we know it today is rooted in the work of Mathew Fontaine Maury, head 

of the U.S. Navy Hydrographic Office, who organized a meeting in Brussels in 1853, 

attended by delegates of ten major maritime nations. The purpose of the meeting was 

to discuss the establishment of a uniform system for the collection of marine 

meteorology and oceanography data, and the use of these data for the benefit of 

shipping in return. 

The VOS program was recognized in 1948 in the International Convention For The 

Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS): 

The contracting governments undertake to encourage the collection of meteorological data by ships at sea 

and to arrange for their examination, dissemination and exchange in the manner most suitable for the 

purpose of aiding navigation. Administrations shall encourage the use of instruments of a high degree 

of accuracy, and shall facilitate the checking of such instruments upon request. 

HAVE YOUR INSTRUMENTS ADJUSTED AND 

REPORT ACCURATE DATA 

Always ensure that your equipment is accurate and properly adjusted. A PMO should 

adjust your barometer and barograph once every 3 – 6 months, and also check your 

psychrometer during every ship visit. Sea-water thermometers (whether hull-mounted 

or located in the condenser intake) should be calibrated annually, and checked every 

time your vessel is in the yard for service. If your vessel has an anemometer, it should 

be calibrated once every 6 months (U.S. PMOs do not perform this service). Make sure 

the anemometer is located where the ships superstructure will not interfere with the air 

motion. 

When observing and recording data, always proceed in a very careful and meticulous 

manner. An inaccurate observation can mislead the forecaster and result in an 

incorrect forecast. On the other hand, a reliable observation can hold the key to an 

obscure or complex meteorological condition. When recording dry and wet bulb 

temperatures, always take your psychrometer to the windward side of the ship. This 

allows contact with air fresh from the sea which has not passed over the deck prior to 

your measurement. 

Accuracy is not only important for forecasting — it is also very important for 

climatological purposes and for investigators who may use your observations at a later 

time. A few inaccurate observations can bias results and cause erroneous conclusions. 

A researcher has little to go by when deciding about the accuracy of a particular 

observation, and must depend on the competence of the observer aboard ship. 

TRANSMIT REPORTS WITHOUT DELAY (REAL-TIME) 

Always transmit your observations without delay as soon as possible after you’ve 

observed the data. Ship reports are used to indicate current, up-to-date conditions at 

your vessel (so called real-time conditions). Make your observation as close to the 

NWSOH No. 1 ix May 2010 
Introduction 

reporting hour as you can. Any transmission problems or difficulties with radio stations 

should be reported back to your PMO, and written in the appropriate space on the 

back of WS Form B-81 (Ships Weather Observations), if used. 

Report arrival times tend to be later at night and for Southern Hemisphere reports. 

Timely submission of these reports is most important. 

Data is most readily available from the main shipping routes in both hemispheres. 

There is a chronic shortage of data from coastal waters out 200 miles (for this reason, 

3-hourly reports are requested from U.S. and Canadian waters out 200 miles from 

shore). There is also a widespread shortage of data from the Southern Hemisphere 

and from the arctic ocean. More data is also needed from the tropics and easterly 

trade wind belt (5-35? N), especially during the N. Hemisphere hurricane season 

(May - November). From the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans, more data is 

needed at 0600 and 1200 UTC (these are late night and early morning times). If you 

are operating from a data-sparse area, please report weather regularly. 

NWSOH No. 1 x May 2010 
Chapter 1 — Program Description 

THE VOLUNTARY OBSERVING SHIP PROGRAM 

The Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) program is organized for the purpose of 

obtaining weather and oceanographic observations from moving ships. An 

international program under World Meteorological Organization (WMO) auspices, the 

VOS has over 5000 vessels participating from 23 nations. It is part of the WMO 

Global Observing System of the World Weather Watch. 

The United States National Weather Service (NWS) VOS program is the largest in the 

world with over 600 vessels participating. It closely follows WMO guidelines for VOS 

programs. The U.S. program is supported by 11 full-time Port Meteorological Officers 

(PMOs) in New York, Baltimore, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Port Everglades, New Orleans, 

Houston, Los Angeles, Seattle, Charleston and Duluth), and 4 part-time PMOs (in 

Honolulu, Anchorage, Oakland, Kodiak, and Valdez). The national program office 

located at Stennis Space Center, MS manages the program and oversees PMO 

activities. Observing forms, handbooks, supplies, and operating instructions are 

prepared at the program office. The national office also maintains a VOS Program 

Computerized Data Management System to record PMO ship visits, vessel mailing 

addresses, vessel equipment inventories, and information about vessel reports. All U.S. 

PMOs have direct access to this database. 

Both U.S. and foreign flag vessels participate in the U.S. VOS program. Any 

vessel willing to take and transmit observations in marine areas can join the program. 

The WMO establishes the ships synoptic code, and procedures and standards for the 

collection and dissemination of observations worldwide. The WMO also maintains 

information about countries and vessels participating in the program (available in 

WMO Publication No. 47, International List Of Selected, Supplementary, And 

Auxiliary Ships). 

WMO SHIPS’ SYNOPTIC CODE, FM 13-X 

Coded messages are used for the international exchange of meteorological 

information. This is because code makes it practical to understand and process data, 

manually or by computer, for real-time use or later compilation into climatological 

records. The code also allows data to be transferred internationally at high speed, on 

special data circuits known as the Global Telecommunications System (GTS). 

The WMO code form Code FM 13-X is the ships’ synoptic code, used by 

weather reporting ships. The code form is composed of a set of symbolic letters 

NWSOH No. 1 1-1 May 2010 
Program Description 

(actually groups of letters) representing meteorological elements. Examples of symbolic 

letter groups include Nddff snTTT etc. To report weather, the symbolic letters are 

transcribed into figures indicating the value or state of the elements described. Code 

tables are often used to specify the appropriate values of the different symbolic letters. 

See Chapter 2. 

Universal code has been called the twentieth century’s greatest improvement in the 

collection of meteorological data. Prior to code standardization, lack of consistency 

and difficulty deciphering observations posed enormous problems for the 

meteorologist. 

Code forms and specifications are determined by international agreement at WMO 

committee meetings, usually held in Geneva. Codes are changed occasionally to meet 

operational needs — the last major change was in January 1982. Some minor changes 

were made in November, 1994. 

STANDARD WEATHER REPORTING SCHEDULE FOR SHIPS 

The worldwide weather reporting schedule for Voluntary Observing Ships is 4 times 

daily — at 0000, 0600, 1200, and 1800 UTC. These are the “main synoptic” times, 

when weather forecasts are prepared and, therefore, when data is needed most. Two of 

these times, 0000 and 1200 UTC, are most important — when the numerical weather 

prediction models are initialized with data and also when soundings are released from 

upper air stations all over the world. Reporting weather once every 3 hours when 

within 300 miles of a named tropical storm or hurricane is also standard practice 

worldwide. Storm (wind speed 48 knots or higher) or special reports for conditions not 

forecast, much worse than forecast, or for sudden weather changes) should be sent 

whenever conditions warrant. 

3-HOURLY WEATHER REPORTING SCHEDULE 

Vessels operating on the Great Lakes, and within 200 miles of the U.S. or Canadian 

coastlines (including the coasts of Alaska, Hawaii, and Gulf coast states), are asked to 

transmit their observations once every three hours — at 0000, 0300, 0600, 0900, 1200, 

1500, 1800, and 2100 UTC. This special schedule is maintained because of a data 

shortage from near-shore areas. All weather reports are voluntary — try to follow the 

recommended reporting schedule as best you can. Always give top priority to reports at 

the main synoptic hours (6- hour intervals). When shipboard routine permits, follow 

the 3 -hour schedule from coastal waters. 

PORT METEOROLOGICAL OFFICERS (PMOS) 

Port Meteorological Officers (PMOs) spend most of their time visiting ships in support 

of the VOS program. This is to encourage vessels to report weather; to instruct 

observers about procedures and the use of code; to provide observing supplies, 

NWSOH No. 1 1-2 May 2010 
Program Description 

handbooks, and instructions; to adjust equipment; and, in some cases, to install, on 

loan, meteorological instrumentation. A top priority of the PMO is recruiting new 

vessels into the VOS program. When the PMO comes aboard your vessel, remember 

to ask questions about observing, coding, and reporting weather. If you’re in the VOS 

program, keep the PMO informed about changes to your contact information (mailing 

address e-mail address etc). Discuss weather forecasts, warnings, and facsimile products 

with the PMO — especially any specific problems you’ve had. The PMO will contact 

the appropriate party for investigation and corrective action. If you have any 

suggestions to improve the VOS program, make them known to the PMO. 

More information about the Voluntary Observing Ship Program and Port Meteorological Officers is available on the Worldwide Web at http://www.vos.noaa.gov. 

NWSOH No. 1 1-3 May 2010 
 

 

Program Description 

LOCATIONS OF U.S. PMOS 

HEADQUARTERS 

Voluntary Observing Ship Program 

National Data Buoy Center 

Building Bldg. 3203 

Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-6000 

E-mail: vos@noaa.gov 

ATLANTIC PORTS 

PMO Miami, FL 

National Weather Service, NOAA 

2550 Eisenhower Blvd, Suite 312 

P.O. Box 165504 

Port Everglades, FL 33316 

E-mail: pmomia@noaa.gov 

PMO Jacksonville, FL 

National Weather Service, NOAA 

13701 Fang Road 

Jacksonville, FL 32218-7933 

E-mail: pmojax@noaa.gov 

PMO Charleston, SC 

NOAA Coastal Services Center 

2234 South Hobson Avenue 

Charleston, SC 29405-2413 

E-mail: pmochs@noaa.gov 

PMO Norfolk, VA 

National Weather Service, NOAA 

4034-B Geo. Wash. Mem. Hwy. 

Yorktown, VA 23692-2724 

E-mail: pmonor@noaa.gov 

PMO New York 

National Weather Service, NOAA 

110 Main Street, Suite 201 

South Amboy, NJ 08879-1367 

E-mail: pmonyc@noaa.gov 

PMO Baltimore, MD 


National Weather Service, NOAA 


Maritime Center I, Suite 287 


2200 Broening Highway
 

Baltimore, MD 21224-6623 


E-mail: pmobal@noaa.gov 


Great Lakes Ports PMO 


Great Lakes National Weather Service,
 

NOAA 

5027 Miller Trunk Highway 

Duluth, MN 55811-1442 

E-mail: pmoglakes@noaa.gov 

GULF OF MEXICO PORTS 

PMO New Orleans, LA 

NOAA Fisheries 

PO Drawer 1207 

Pascagoula, MS 39568-1207 

E-mail: pmomsy@noaa.gov 

PMO Houston, TX 

National Weather Service, NOAA 

Houston Area Weather Office 

1620 Gill Road 

Dickinson, TX 77539-3409 

E-mail: pmohou@noaa.gov 

Pacific Ports PMO 

Long Beach, CA 

National Weather Service, NOAA 

501 West Ocean Blvd., Room 4480 

Long Beach, CA 90802-4213 

E-mail: pmolax@noaa.gov 

PMO, Oakland, CA 

National Weather Service, NOAA 

1301 Clay Street, Suite 1190N 

Oakland, CA 94612-5217 

E-mail: pmooak@noaa.gov 

NWSOH No. 1 1-4 May 2010 
 

Program Description 

PMO Seattle, WA PMO Anchorage, AK 

National Weather Service, NOAA National Weather Service Alaska Region 

7600 Sand Point Way, N.E. 222 West 7th Avenue #23 

BIN C15700 Anchorage, AK 99513-7575 

Seattle, WA 98115-6349 E-mail: pmoanc@noaa.gov 

E-mail: pmosea@noaa.gov 

PMO Honolulu, HI 

PMO Kodiak, AK National Weather Service Pacific Region HQ 

National Weather Service, NOAA Grosvenor Center, Mauka Tower 

600 Sandy Hook Street, Suite 1 737 Bishop Street, Suite 2200 

Kodiak, AK 99615-6814 Honolulu, HI 96813-3201 

E-mail: pmokdk@noaa.gov E-mail: pmohon@noaa.gov 

PMO Valdez, AK 

National Weather Service, NOAA 

Box 427 

Valdez, AK 99686-0427 

E-mail: pmovdz@noaa.gov 

EQUIPMENT LOAN 

For dedicated vessels, the NWS may supply barometers, barographs, or 

psychrometers as a loan for use in taking weather observations. The equipment is 

expensive and hard to replace. A loan agreement form between the PMO and the 

ship will have to be filled out. If you have such equipment, and are no longer 

participating in the VOS program, please contact a Port Meteorological Officer. An 

equipment pick-up, drop-off, or delivery will be scheduled. Equipment supplies are 

very limited. Please help ensure that equipment is accounted for and available for new 

VOS program recruits. 

WHAT TO MAIL IN 

All of your observations (completed on Ships Weather Observations WS Form 

B-81 or on SEAS archive disks), and, if you have a barograph, your barograms, should 

be mailed to your PMO when you reach port, using the postage paid envelopes. Make 

sure the month and year and your vessel’s call letters are clearly shown on each page of 

the B-81 or disk envelope. After reviewing the reports, the PMO sends them to the 

National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), where they are archived and used in the 

compilation of climatological and historical records. These records are available to the 

general public. 

NWSOH No. 1 1-5 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 2 — Ships Synoptic Code and 

Observing Methods 

THE SHIPS SYNOPTIC CODE FM13-X 

Code FM-13-X-SHIP, the ships synoptic code, is comprised of 23 groups of symbolic 

letters representing meteorological and oceanographic elements, report identification 

and ship location data: 

BBXX D.....D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo iRixhVV Nddff 

00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi (or plain language) 

THREE MAIN SECTIONS OF THE SHIPS’ SYNOPTIC CODE 

The code has three main sections — 0, 1, and 2. Section 0, consisting of the first 5 

code groups, contains the identification data (ship report identifier, ship’s call sign, date, 

time, location), and units of wind speed used. 

Ships Synoptic Code Section 0 

BBXX D.....D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

Section 0 is a mandatory section. Location, time, and date groups in section 0 must be 

included in the report. Any errors or missing data here will likely result in the report 

being discarded. 

Section 1 consists of code groups 6-14 and contains most of the meteorological data of 

the report (precipitation and weather data indicators, cloud base height, visibility, cloud 

cover, wind direction and speed, air and dew point temperatures, sea level pressure, 

tendency, and amount of change, present and past weather, and cloud type). 

Ships Synoptic Code Section 1 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

The first two groups of section 1 are also considered mandatory. Ranking of groups 

does not mean the other groups are less important. All 23 groups of the weather 

message are important and should normally be included in your report to completely 

describe conditions at your vessel. If you send a report with just the first seven groups, 

it will be accepted, but its usefulness to the meteorologist will be limited. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-1 May 2010 
5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ci

SibiDizi (or plain language) 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Section 2 consists of code groups 15-23 and contains ships movement data (ships 

course and speed), oceanographic data (sea surface temperature, sea period and height, 

primary and secondary swell direction, period, and height), and ice data (for any ice 

accreting on ship or on the sea surface), and the wet-bulb temperature group. 

Ships Synoptic Code Section 2 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

For all synoptic code sections, always include the maximum number of data groups 

consistent with observed conditions. Any elements not reported are 

normally coded with a slash (/). If an entire group of elements is not reported, skip the 

group completely (do not report a group as /////). 

When translating your observations into code, follow all specifications, coding 

instructions, and code tables very carefully. This will ensure that your coded message 

contains an accurate description of conditions observed at your vessel. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-2 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

BBXX, Ship Report Indicator 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: The symbolic letters BBXX identify a ship report from a sea station. 

How to Code: As BBXX, always included as the first group of the weather message. 

Remarks: All ship’s weather reports begin with the BBXX indicator. It immediately 

identifies the report as a ships weather report, distinguishing it from other radio 

messages. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-3 May 2010 
 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

D . . . . D, Ship’s Radio Call Sign 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Ships call sign consisting of three or more alphanumeric characters.
 

How to Code: Use your vessel’s actual radio call sign.
 

Remarks: Credit for delivery of your weather report will not be made unless a call
 

sign is provided.
 

NWSOH No. 1 2-4 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

YY, Day of the Month 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Day of the month (UTC) on which the actual observation falls. 


Units: Days.
 

Method of Measurement: Determined according to Universal Time Coordinated
 

(UTC), not by local date or time.
 

How to Code: Always with two digits. 01 for the first day of the month, 02 for the 

second day, etc. 

Remarks: At 0000 UTC, record the day just beginning, not the day which has just 

ended. Forgetting to change the day at 0000 UTC is a common observer error. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-5 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

GG, Actual Time of Observation to the 

Nearest Whole Hour 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: The actual time of observation (UTC) rounded to the nearest whole 

hour UTC. 

Units: Hours. 

Method of Measurement: Determined according to Universal Time Coordinated 

(UTC), not by local date or time. 

How to Code: Always coded with two digits rounded to the nearest hour. 0550 UTC 

as 06, 1440 UTC as 15, 2350 UTC as 00 (not 24), etc. The range of values is 00 - 23 

Remarks: The actual time of observation is the time at which the barometer is read. 

Round off this time to the nearest hour. Take your barometer reading last, after all the 

other elements have been observed and coded. 

Note: Observations should be submitted no more than 29 minutes prior to, or 29 

minutes after the synoptic hour. 

12Z Observation Transmitted at 1129Z: Counted as 11Z observation. 

12Z Observation Transmitted between 1130Z and 1229Z: Counted as 12Z Observation. 

12Z Observation Transmitted at 1230Z: Counted as 13Z Observation. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-6 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

iw, Wind Speed Indicator 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Indicator for source and units of wind speed. Source is how the 

measurement was made (either estimated or measured). 

Units: Knots. 

Method of Measurement: Wind speed is either estimated or measured with an 

anemometer. 

How to Code: U.S. VOS Program vessels report wind speed in knots. Use 3 when 

estimating wind speed in knots, or 4 when measuring wind speed with an anemometer 

in knots. 

Some vessels in foreign VOS programs report wind speed in meters per second. These 

vessels should use 0 when estimating wind speed in meters per second, or 1 when 

measuring wind speed with an anemometer in meters per second. 

Code flgs. 

0 Wind speed estimated in meters per second 

1 Wind speed obtained from anemometer in meters per second 

3 Wind speed estimated in knots 

4 Wind speed obtained from anemometer in knots 

Remarks: U.S. VOS program ships are requested to report wind speed in knots. 

Wind speed estimates are usually based on the state of the sea using the Beaufort scale. 

When the sea surface cannot be seen, such as on very dark nights, wind speed 

estimates can be based on how the wind effects shipboard objects, or on the feel of the 

wind (see ff , Code Section 1). 

NWSOH No. 1 2-7 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

LaLaLa, Latitude in Tenths of a Degree 

99, Data on Position Follow 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Ship’s latitude, in degrees and tenths of a degree, measured in terms of
 

degrees north or south of the equator.
 

Units: Degrees and tenths of a degree.
 

Method of Measurement: Determine latitude using standard shipboard methods.
 

Tenths is obtained by dividing the number of minutes by 6, and 


disregarding the remainder. Ignore seconds.
 

How to Code: Always coded with three digits, the first two digits are actual degrees,
 

the last digit for tenths of a degree. Code 46 ̊ 41’ as 466 (46 ̊ is coded as is, 41’ divided
 

by 6 is 6 5/6, 5/6 is disregarded); 33 ̊ 04’ as 330 (33 ̊ is coded as is, 04’ divided by 6 is
 

4/6 which is disregarded and coded as 0 in this case); 23 ̊ 00’ as 230; 


Conversion of Minutes to Tenths of a Degree 

Minutes Degree 

00’-05’ .0 

06’-11’ .1 

12’-17’ .2 

18’-23’ .3 

24’-29’ .4 

30’-35’ .5 

36’-41’ .6 

42’-47’ .7 

48’-54’ .8 

54’-59’ .9 

Remarks: Latitude can vary from 0 ̊ (coded 000) to 90 ̊ (coded 900). Quadrant of 

the globe (Qc) is used to specify whether the latitude is north or south. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-8 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Qc, Quadrant of the Globe 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Quadrant of the globe. Varies according to your position with respect to 

the equator (0 ̊ latitude) and the Greenwich Meridian (0 ̊ longitude). 

Units: 

Method of Measurement: Use standard shipboard methods to determine latitude 

and longitude. Then determine quadrant as defined below. 

How to Code: If you are north of the equator (north latitude), Qc is coded as 1 

when east of the Greenwich Meridian (east longitude), or as 7 when west of the 

Greenwich meridian; If you are south of the equator (south latitude), Qc is coded as 3 

when east of the Greenwich meridian, or as 5 when west of the Greenwich meridian. 

The figure for Qc shows whether the latitude is north or south, and the longitude east or 

west. Select the appropriate figure from this table. 

West Longitude East Longitude 

North Latitude 7 1 

South Latitude 5 3 

For positions on the equator, and on the Greenwich or 180th meridian, either of the two 

appropriate figures may be used. 

Remarks: Since Qc is needed to fully describe both latitude and longitude, it is very 

important to code it correctly. Be very careful to code Qc properly near quadrant 

boundaries, especially when your vessel crosses from one quadrant to another. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-9 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

LoLoLoLo, Longitude 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Longitude in degrees and tenths of a degree. Measured in degrees east or
 

west of the Greenwich Meridian. Values reverse at the international dateline.
 

Units: Degrees and tenths of a degree.
 

Method of Measurement: Use standard shipboard methods. Tenths are obtained
 

by dividing the number of minutes by 6, and disregarding the 


remainder. Ignore seconds.
 

How to Code: Always coded with four digits, with the leading (hundreds) 


figure coded as 0 or 1. The first three digits are actual degrees, the last digit for tenths
 

of a degree. Code 142 ̊ 55’ as 1429 (142 ̊ is coded as is, 55’ divided by
 

6 is 9, the remainder is ignored); code 60 ̊ 31’ as 0605 (60 ̊ is coded as 060, 


31 divided by 6 is 5, the remainder is ignored); code 9 ̊ 40” as 0096 (9° is coded as 009,
 

40” is coded as 6); code 0 ̊ 16’ as 0002 (0° is coded as 000, 16” is coded as 2). 


Conversion of Minutes to Tenths of a Degree 

Minutes Degree 

00’-05’ .0 

06’-11’ .1 

12’-17’ .2 

18’-23’ .3 

24’-29’ .4 

30’-35’ .5 

36’-41’ .6 

42’-47’ .7 

48’-54’ .8 

54’-59’ .9 

Remarks: Longitude can vary from 0 ̊ (coded 0000 on the Greenwich Meridian) to
 

180 ̊ (coded 1800 on the dateline). Quadrant of the globe (Qc) 


is used to specify whether the longitude is east or west.
 

NWSOH No. 1 2-10 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

iR, Precipitation Data Indicator 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Indicator For Inclusion or Omission of Precipitation Data.
 

Units:
 

Method of Measurement:
 

How to Code: Always coded as 4 for U.S. VOS program ships. This indicates that
 

the precipitation group is omitted.
 

Remarks: Precipitation measurements from moving ships are of questionable value.
 

U.S. VOS program ships do not report precipitation amount. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-11 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

iX, Weather Data Indicator 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: ix is the indicator for present and past weather data group 7wwW1W2. 

Tells whether the group is included or omitted from the weather message. 

Units: 

Method of Measurement: 

How to Code: Code as 1 when group 7wwW1W2 is included in the weather message. 

Code as 3 if group 7wwW1W2 is to be omitted (if present or past weather has not been 

observed). 

When weather group 7wwW1W2 is: Code iX as: 

included 1 

omitted (no observation, or data not available) 3 

Remarks: ix is usually coded as 1, because present and past weather are important 

information, and are normally included in the weather message. When there is no 

significant weather to report, you should report the kind of no significant weather 

there is, such as cloud development not observable (ww = 00), or cloud cover 1/2 or 

less throughout period (W1 = 0). ix is coded as 3 only when present and past weather 

have not been observed at all (in this case group 7wwW1W2 is omitted (skipped over) 

from the weather message. Incidentally, never transmit a slashed out group as /////; 

when no data is available for an entire group, it is excluded from the weather message. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-12 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

h, Cloud Height 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Height above sea surface of the base of the lowest cloud seen. 

Units: Feet or meters. 

Method of Measurement: Visual estimate. First determine the type of the lowest 

cloud seen, and then refer to it’s normal height range. As a rule of thumb, for a given 

cloud type, heights are higher in the tropics and during the summer months. 

Approximate Cloud Heights 

Range Polar Regions Temperate Regions Tropical Regions 

High 3,000 to 7,600 meters 

(10,000 to 25,000 feet) 

5,000 to 13,700 meters 

(16,5000 to 45,000 feet) 

6,100 to 18,300 meters 

(20,000 to 60,000 feet) 

Middle 2,000 to 4,000 meters 

(6,500 to 13,000 feet) 

2,000 to 7,000 meters 

(6,500 to 23,000 feet) 

2,000 to 7,600 meters 

(6,500 to 25,000 feet) 

Low Surface to 2,000 meters 

(Surface to 6,500 feet) 

Surface to 2,000 meters 

(Surface to 6,500 feet) 

Surface to 2,000 meters 

(Surface to 6,500 feet) 

How to Code: Code as 0 - 7 for Cumulus, Stratus, Stratocumulus, Cumulonimbus,
 

or Nimbostratus clouds (these clouds have bases up to 6500 feet). 


Code as 8 or 9 for Altostratus, Altocumulus, and Nimbostratus (these clouds have bases
 

above 6500 feet). Code as 9 for Cirrus, Cirrostratus, and Cirrocumulus (these clouds
 

have bases above 8200 feet). Also code as 9 when no clouds are present. Code as /
 

when the sky is obscured by fog or snow, or when reporting at night and cloud base
 

height cannot be determined. Code in accordance with the table on the following
 

page.
 

NWSOH No. 1 2-13 May 2010 
 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Code for Cloud Height, h 

Code flgs. Height in meters Height in feet 

0 0 to 50 160 or less 

1 50 to 100 160 to 330 

2 100 to 200 330 to 660 

3 200 to 300 660 to 1000 

4 300 to 600 1000 to 2000 

5 600 to 1000 2000 to 3300 

6 1000 to 1500 3300 to 5000 

7 1500 to 2000 5000 to 6600 

8 2000 to 2500 6600 to 8200 

9 2500 or more, or no clouds 8300 or more, no clouds 

/ Height of base of cloud not known,such as when obscured by fog or snow 

Use higher code figure for heights at dividing line. 

Remarks: Nimbostratus usually has its base under 6500 feet, but may be higher. 

Discuss your height estimate with the PMO when he comes aboard ship. Weather 

stations on land use reflected pulses of light to measure cloud base height. You can 

sometimes check your estimate against a known height, such as when a cloud base 

intercepts a mountainous coast. 

For cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds only, the probable height of the base 

of these clouds can be determined from the difference between the dry bulb 

temperature and the dew point temperature (in Celsius degrees). Multiply the 

difference by 123 to obtain height in meters, or by 405 to obtain height in 

feet. Example: Dry bulb = 20°C, dew point = 10°C, the height of cumulus is 

(20 – 10) × 123 = 1230 meters. This rule is not valid for other cloud types, and does 

not apply for ragged or fracto cumulus. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-14 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

VV, Visibility 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Visibility is the greatest distance an object can be seen and identified. 

Units: feet, nautical miles, meters. 

Method of Measurement: Usually a visual estimate. Report prevailing 

visibility — the maximum visibility common to one half or more of the horizon circle. 

When visibility is uniform in all directions, prevailing visibility and visibility are the same. 

When visibility is not uniform in all directions, determine prevailing visibility by dividing 

the horizon circle into sectors of visibility. Estimate the highest visibility common to one 

half or more of the horizon circle. See the following illustrations. On long ships, when 

the visibility is low as in dense fog, use objects of known distances onboard. Ships 

radar can also be used to determine distances to objects or other ships. The horizon is 

a useful visibility marker. When the horizon appears sharp and clear, your height 

aboard ship can be used to indicate the distance to the horizon (see the distance to the 

horizon at sea table on the next page). 

How to Code: First determine prevailing visibility. Then code in accordance with 

the table on the following page. 

Remarks: On ships longer than 656 feet (200 meters), code figures 90 and 91 can be 

determined using the known distances to shipboard objects. On ships longer than 164 

feet (50 meters), code figure 90 can be determined using shipboard objects. For the 

higher code figures, the observer judges visibility based on the appearance of nearby 

ships, the horizon, or the atmosphere in general. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-15 May 2010 
 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Code for Visibility, VV 

Code Visibility Visibility Code 

flgs. in m/km in yd./naut. mi. figs. 

90 less than 50 m less than 55 yd. 90 

91 50 but less than 200 m 55 but less than 220 yd. 91 

92 200 but less than 500 m 220 but less than 550 yd. 92 

93 500 but less than 1000 m 550 but less than 1

⁄2 n. mi. 93 

94 1 but less than 2 km 1

⁄2 but less than 1 n. mi. 94 

95 2 but less than 4 km 1 but less than 2 n. mi. 95 

96 4 but less than 10 km 2 but less than 5 n. mi. 96 

97 10 but less than 20 km 5 but less than 11 n. mi. 97 

98 20 but less than 50 km 11 but less than 27 n. mi. 98 

99 50 km or more 27 n. mi. or more 99 

The visibility ranges corresponding to various weather types are as follows: 

90 90 

91 } Heavy snow, heavy drizzle 91 { Fog, thick haze 92 92 

93 Moderate snow, moderate drizzle 93 

94 94 Heavy rain 95 } Mist, haze { 95

96 Moderate rain 96 Light snow, light drizzle 97 97 

98 } Light rain } 98

99 99 

Distance to the Horizon at Sea 

Height of eye above the Sea Surface Horizon Distance 

Meters Feet Kilometers Nautical Miles 

5 1.52 4.8 2.6 

10 3.05 6.9 3.7 

15 4.57 8.3 4.5 

20 6.10 9.6 5.2 

25 7.62 10.9 5.9 

30 9.14 11.9 6.4 

35 10.67 12.8 6.9 

40 12.19 13.7 7.4 

45 13.72 14.5 7.8 

50 15.24 15.4 8.3 

55 16.76 16.1 8.7 

60 18.29 16.4 9.1 

65 19.81 17.4 9.4 

70 21.34 18.2 9.8 

75 22.86 18.7 10.1 

80 24.38 19.5 10.5 

85 25.91 20.0 10.8 

90 27.43 20.6 11.1 

95 28.96 21.1 11.4 

100 30.48 21.7 11.7 

105 32.00 22.2 12.0 

110 33.53 22.8 12.3 

115 35.05 23.1 12.5 

120 36.58 23.7 12.8 

Distance to the horizon when viewed from various heights. When out of sight of land 

and other ships, the horizon is an important visibility marker . 

NWSOH No. 1 2-16 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Determining Prevailing Visibility 

(Prevailing visibility indicated by asteriks and shading) 

Prevailing visibility is the maximum visibility common to one half (180°) or more of the 

horizon circle. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-17 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

N, Total Cloud Cover 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: The total fraction of the sky covered by clouds of all types. 

Units: Eighths of the sky. 

Method of Measurement: Visually estimate how many eighths of the sky are 

covered by cloud, regardless of type. It is sometimes easier to estimate how much of 

the sky without clouds can be seen, i.e. if two eighths of the sky is clear, then 6 eighths 

is covered by cloud. 

How to Code: See table below. 

Code for Total Cloud Cover, N 

Code flgs. Fraction of sky covered 

0 Cloudless 

1 1 eighth or less, but not zero 

2 2 eighths 

3 3 eighths 

4 4 eighths 

5 5 eighths 

6 6 eighths 

7 7 eighths or more but not totally covered 

8 8 eighths, sky completely covered by clouds 

9 Sky obscured by fog, snow, or other meteorological 

phenomena 

/ Cloud cover indescernible for reasons other than 

Code fig. 9, or observation is not made 

Remarks: A mackeral sky (Altocumulus, stratocumulus, or cirrocumulus covering the 

whole sky) should be coded as N = 7, since breaks are always present in these cloud 

forms. When observing clouds through fog, base your estimate for N on the amount of 

clouds that can be seen through the fog. When a completely clear sky is observed 

through fog or haze, report N as 0. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-18 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

dd, Wind Direction 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: True direction, in tens of degrees, from which wind is blowing. This is a 

mean direction averaged over a period of ten minutes. 

Units: Degrees, referred to true north (0 ̊T). 

Method of Measurement: Determine true wind direction from either (1) the 

orientation of sea (wind) waves, or streaks of foam on the sea surface, or (2) the 

apparent wind direction observed aboard ship. 

Method (1) is easiest, because it provides true wind direction independent of the ships 

movement. Sight along the lines of the sea wave crests. Since true wind direction is the 

same as the direction from which the sea waves are coming, dd is perpendicular (90 ̊) 

to the advancing waves crests. Also, use lines of foam on the sea surface (which may 

appear for Force 7 or greater wind speeds). Wind blown foam streaks are parallel to the 

direction of the true wind. 

Method (2) determines true wind direction from the apparent wind (the wind 

experienced on board when the ship is underway). Apparent wind results from two 

motions — the actual motion of the air (true wind), and the motion of the ship. 

Apparent wind direction is best determined by facing directly into the wind on the 

windward side of the ship. Other good apparent wind indicators are funnel smoke, the 

orientation of shipboard flags or pennants, or a wind vane. Once apparent wind 

direction is obtained, you must remove the motion of the ship to obtain true wind. See 

ff for methods of determining true wind from apparent wind. 

How to Code: Coded on a scale from 00 to 36 (and 99 for variable), expressed in 

tens of degrees. Code true north as 36, east as 09, south as 18, west as 27. See the 

table on the following page. 

Code for Wind Direction, dd 

NWSOH No. 1 2-19 May 2010 
00

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Code figure Code flgure 

00 Calm 

01 5°-14° 21 205°-214° 

02 15°-24° 22 215°-224° 

03 25°-34° 23 225°-234° 

04 35°-44° 24 235°-244° 

05 45°-54° 25 245°-254° 

06 55°-64° 26 255°-264° 

07 65°-74° 27 265°-274° 

08 75°-84° 28 275°-284° 

09 85°-94° 29 285°-294° 

10 95°-104° 30 295°-304° 

11 105°-114° 31 305°-314° 

12 115°-124° 32 315°-324° 

13 125°-134° 33 325°-334° 

14 135°-144° 34 335°-344° 

15 145°-154° 35 345°-354° 

16 155°-164° 36 355°- 4° 

17 165°-174° 99 Variable, or all 

18 175°-184° directions. 

19 185°-194° 

20 195°-204° 

Remarks: Report the mean wind direction over the ten minute period immediately 

preceding observation time. If this time period includes an abrupt change in wind 

direction, only average data obtained after the change. If using apparent or relative 

wind direction, remember to determine true wind before reporting. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-20 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Shipboard True Wind Plotting Board 

1. Set ship’s true course under pointer
 

(120°).
 

2. Mark a small dot down from the center
 

at a distance equal to the ship’s
 

speed (12 knots). Label this dot
 T “T.”
 

T 

W 

T
 

W
 

NOTE: Apparent wind direction must be related to a true direction. This is done by 

adding the apparent wind direction relative to the ship’ s bow to the ship’s true course 

(for apparent wind direction use 0° for wind coming directly from the bow , increasing 

clockwise to 359° 1° off the port bow). If the sum is greater than 360, subtract 360 from 

it. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-21 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

ff, Wind Speed 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: True wind speed, measured or estimated as indicated by iw, of 98 knots or 

less. 

Units: Knots (U.S. VOS program ships). 

Method of Measurement: Use either (1) the appearance of the sea surface (the 

sea state) and the Beaufort scale, (2) an anemometer, or (3) the effects of the wind on 

people or objects aboard ship. Method (1) relies on the action of the wind to create sea 

waves, and results in a true wind estimate, so there is no need to factor out the motion 

of the ship. Refer to the sea state photographs and descriptions as a guide. These 

assume steady state conditions which implies the wind direction and speed have been 

relatively steady over many hours. 

If using method (2), make sure your anemometer is properly calibrated, and located so 

the ships superstructure will not interfere with air motion. An anemometer provides an 

apparent wind measurement. Apparent wind is the wind you experience aboard a 

moving ship, and is a combination of the actual air motion across the water (true wind 

you report as ff), and the ship’s motion. The only time there is no apparent wind aboard 

ship is when the vessel is moving in the same direction and with the same speed as the 

true wind. To remove the ship’s motion and determine true wind, you must use either a 

true wind plotting board, or the graphical method, both illustrated on the following 

pages. 

Method (3) also provides an apparent wind, so like method (2), requires removal of the 

ship’s motion to determine true wind. Use method (3) when the sea surface cannot be 

seen (such as on very dark nights), and when an anemometer is not available. Refer to the 

table for apparent wind speed indicators. 

How to Code: Code in actual knots. See the table on the next page. For wind of 99 

knots or greater, code as 99 and report wind speed using group 00fff. 

Remarks: When estimating wind speed using the state of the sea and Beaufort scale, 

continues on page 2-24 

NWSOH No. 1 2-22 May 2010 
 

 

- 00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Code for Wind Speed, ff 

Probable ht. of 

Code Figs. 

(Knots) 

Mean BeauSpeed fort Description Sea criterion when 

sea fully developed 

waves in m (ft) 

Average Maximum 

00 00 0 Calm Sea like a mirror ....................... - -

01 - 03 02 1 Light Air Ripples with the appearance of 

scales are formed, but without foam crests .......................... 0.1 (

1

⁄4) 0.1 (

1

⁄4) 

04 - 06 05 2 Light breeze Small wavelets, still short but 

more pronounced, crests have 

a glassy appearance and do not 

break ......................................... 0.2 (

1

⁄2) 0.3 (1) 

07 - 10 09 3 Gentle breeze Large wavelets, crests begin to 

break; foam of glassy 

appearance; perhaps scattered 

white horses .............................. 0.6 (2) 1 (3) 

11 - 16 13 4 Modt. breeze Small waves, becoming longer; 

fairly frequent white horses ....... 1 (31

⁄2) 1.5 (5) 

17 - 21 19 5 Fresh breeze Moderate waves, taking a more 

pronounced long form; many 

white horses are formed 

(chance of some spray) ............ 2 (6) 2.5 (81

⁄2) 

22 - 27 24 6 Strong breeze Large waves begin to form; 

white foam crests are more 

extensive everywhere 

(probably some spray) .............. 3 (91

⁄2) 4 (12) 

28 - 33 30 7 Near gale Sea heaps up and white foam 

from breaking waves begins to 

be blown in streaks along the 

direction of the wind .................. 4 (131

⁄2) 5.5 (19) 

34 - 40 37 8 Gale Moderately high waves of 

greater length; edges of crests 

begin to break into the spindrift; 

the foam is blown in wellmarked streaks along the 

direction of the wind .................. 5.5 (18) 7.5 (25) 

41 - 47 44 9 Strong gale High waves; dense streaks of 

foam along the direction of the 

wind; crests of waves begin to 

topple, tumble and roll over; 

spray may affect visibility .......... 7 (23) 10 (32) 

48 - 55 52 10 Storm Very high waves with long 

overhanging crests; the 

resulting 

foam, in great patches, is blown 

in dense white streaks along 

the direction of the wind; on the 

whole, the surface of the sea 

takes a white appearance; 

tumbling of the sea becomes 

heavy and shock-like; visibility 

affected ........................................ 

9 (29) 12.5 (41) 

56 - 63 60 11 Violent Storm Exceptionally high waves (small 

and medium-sized ships might 

be for a time lost to view behind 

the waves); the sea is 

completely covered with long 

white patches of foam lying 

along the direction of the wind; 

everywhere the edges of the 

wave crests are blown into froth; 

visibility affected 

11.5 (37) 16 (52) 

64 and over – 12 Hurricane The air is filled with foam and 

spray; sea completely white with 

driving spray; visibility very 

seriously affected ........................ 

14 (45) -

Note: For wind of 99 knots or greater , use 99 for ff, and report wind speed in group 00f ff; e.g. for a wind from 

100° true at 125 knots, dd = 10, f f = 99, and fff = 125. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-23 May 2010 
 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Effect of Apparent Wind on Ships 

Apparent 

Speed (Knots) Indication 

Less than 1 Calm, smoke rises vertically. 

1 - 3 Smoke drifts from funnel. 

4 - 6 Wind felt on face. Smoke rises at about 80°. 

7 - 10 Wind extends light flag and pennants. Smoke rises at about 70°. 

11 - 16 Wind raises dust and loose paper on deck. Smoke rises at 

about 50 ̊. No noticeable sound in the rigging. Slack halyards 

curve and sway. Heavy flag flaps limply. 

17 - 21 Wind felt strongly on face. Smoke rises at 30 ̊. Slack halyards 

whip while bending continuously to leeward. Taut halyards 

maintain slightly bent position. Low whistle in the rigging. Heavy 

flag doesn’t fully extend but flaps over entire length. 

22 - 27 Wind stings face in temperature below 2 ̊C. Slight ef fort in 

maintaining balance against the wind. Smoke rises at 15 ̊. Both 

slack and taut halyards whip slightly in bent position. Low 

moaning, rather than whistle, in the rigging. Heavy flag extends 

and flaps more vigorously. 

28 - 33 Necessary to lean slightly into the wind to maintain balance. 

Smoke rises at 5 ̊ to 10 ̊. Higher pitched moaning and whistling 

heard from rigging. Halyards still whip slightly. Heavy flag 

extends fully and flaps only at the end. Oilskins and loose 

clothing inflate and pull against the body. 

34 - 40 Head pushed back by the force of the wind if allowed to relax. 

Oilskins and loose clothing inflate and pull strongly. Halyards 

rigidly bent. Loud whistle from rigging. Heavy flag straight out 

and whipping. 

continued from 2-22 

remember that heavy rain and floating ice have a dampening effect on the sea surface, 

so under these conditions, wind speed may be greater than the sea state indicates. 

There will always be a lag period between the wind speed increasing or decreasing and 

the sea wave height rising or falling, especially 

during a sudden change in wind speed. Wind blowing against a tide or strong current 

causes a greater than normal sea wave height, while wind blowing with the tide or 

current causes a smaller than normal sea wave height. When any 

of these conditions exist, an adjustment may be needed to your wind speed 

estimate. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-24 May 2010 
Wind is blowing

from this direction

toward the ship 

120° Ship’s Course T 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Graphic Method for Determining the True Wind 

NORTH 

0° 

Direction from which true wind is blowing 

90° course T of the ship R 

261° 

22 Knots

230° 

15 Kn

12

ots 

Knots 

W 

T Direction from which 

the apparent wind is 

blowing related to the 

270° 

180° 

Ship’s Course	 120° (True) 

Ship’s speed	 12 knots 

Apparent wind direction 

relative to the bow 110° R 

Apparent wind direction 

relative to ship’s course 120° + 110° = 230° 

Apparent wind speed 15 knots 

1.	 Select a center position. Place a dot and label it “T”. 

2.	 With a vertical line through point T designated as the 0° line, draw a line for the 

ship’s course at 120°. 

3.	 Select a scale and draw an arc across the course line at 12 scale units (12 knots) 

representing the ship’s speed as shown in Figure 2.3. Mark the intersection with 

a dot and label it “R”. The ship’s course and speed are represented by the vector 

TR. 

4.	 From point R, draw a line for the apparent wind direction (from 230°) and, using 

the same scale, the apparent wind speed (15 knots); label this point “W”. The 

vector RW is the relative wind. 

5.	 Complete the triangle by drawing the line TW for the true wind as shown in the 

figure above. The direction is from the same direction as the label reads, TW for 

True Wind, from the “T”. True wind is from 261° (true), 22 knots, which is coded 

N2622. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-25	 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

BEAUFORT SCALE 

Beaufort Descriptive 

Number Term Knots Specification 

0 Calm 0 Sea like a mirror. 

Beaufort Descriptive 

Number Term Knots Specification 

1 Light Air 1-3 Ripples with the appearance of scales are formed, without foam 

crests. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-26 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Beaufort Descriptive 

Number Term Knots Specification 

2 Light breeze 4-6 Small wavelets, still short, but more pronounced; crests have a 

glassy appearance but do not break. 

Beaufort Descriptive 

Number Term Knots Specification 

3 Gentle 7-10 Large wavelets; crests begin to break; foam of glassy 

appearance; perhaps scattered white horses (white caps). 

NWSOH No. 1 2-27 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Beaufort Descriptive 

Number Term Knots Specification 

4 Moderate 11-16 Small waves, becoming longer; fairly frequent white horses. 

Beaufort Descriptive 

Number Term Knots Specification 

5 Fresh 17-21 Moderate waves, taking a more pronounced long form; many 

white horses are formed (chance of some spray). 

NWSOH No. 1 2-28 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Beaufort Descriptive 

Number Term Knots Specification 

6 Strong 22-27 Large waves begin to form; the white foam crests are more 

extensive everywhere (probably some spray). 

Beaufort Descriptive 

Number Term Knots Specification 

7 Near gale 28-33 Sea heaps up and white foam from breaking waves begins to 

be blown in streaks along the direction of the wind. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-29 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Beaufort Descriptive 

Number Term Knots Specification 

8 Gale 34-40 Moderately high waves of greater length; edges of crests begin 

to break into the spindrift; the foam is blown in well-marked 

streaks along the direction of the wind. 

Beaufort 

Number 

9 

Descriptive 

Term 

Strong gale 

Knots 

41-47 

Specification 

High waves; dense streaks of foam along the direction of the 

wind; crests of waves begin to topple, tumble, and roll over; 

spray may affect visibility. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-30 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Beaufort Descriptive 

Number Term Knots Specification 

10 Storm 48-55 Very high waves with long overhanging crests; the resulting 

foam, in great patches, is blown in dense white streaks along 

the direction of the wind; on the whole, the sea surface takes a 

white appearance; the tumbling of the sea becomes heavy and 

shock-like; visibility affected. 

Beaufort 

Number 

Descriptive 

Term Knots Specification 

11 Violent 56-63 Exceptionally high waves (small and medium-sized ships might 

be lost to view for a time behind the waves); the sea is 

completely covered with long white patches of foam lying along 

the direction of the wind; everywhere the edges of the wave 

crests are blown into froth; visibility affected. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-31 May 2010 
WHEN USING THE BEAUFORT SCALE, THE VELOCITY EQUIVALENT IS

AT A STANDARD HEIGHT OF 10 METERS ABOVE THE WATER SURFACE.

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Beaufort Descriptive 

Number Term Knots Specification 

12 Hurricane 64 and The air is filled with foam and spray; sea completely 

over white with driving spray; visibility very seriously affected. 

In enclosed waters, or when near land, with an off-shore wind, wave heights will be 

smaller and the waves steeper. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-32 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

fff, High Speed Wind 

00, High Speed Wind Group Indicator 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: High Wind Speed, measured or estimated as indicated by iw, of 99 knots 

or more. 

Units: Knots (For U.S. VOS program ships). 

Method of Measurement: Use the Beaufort scale, or determine apparent wind 

either with an anemometer or by noting effects of the wind on shipboard objects. 

Same as for ff, page 2-21. 

How to Code: In actual knots. 99 knots is coded as 099, 110 knots is coded as 110. 

Whenever fff is used to report a very high speed wind, ff in group Nddff is coded as 

99. 

Remarks: For wind of 98 knots or less, ff is used to report wind speed and group 

00fff is omitted from the weather message. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-33 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

sn, Sign of Air Temperature 

1, Air Temperature Data Indicator 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: sn is the arithmetic sign of the air temperature.
 

Units: Celsius degrees.
 

Method of Measurement: Thermometer or psychrometer.
 

How to Code:
 

Code for Sign of Air Temperature, sn 

Code flgs. 

0 Temperature is positive or zero 

1 Temperature is negative 

Remarks: See remarks under TTT. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-34 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

TTT, Air Temperature (Dry-bulb) 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Air temperature, in whole degrees and tenths of a degree Celsius, its sign 

being given by Sn. It is a measure of the heat content of the air. 

Units: Celsius degrees. 

Method of Measurement: Thermometer or psychrometer. When reading the 

thermometer, the eye must be at the same level as the end of the mercury column. 

Take the reading from the windward side of the ship in a stream of air fresh from the 

sea, which has not been in contact with, or passed over the ship. The thermometer 

should be shielded from radiation, precipitation, and spray. 

How to Code: In actual Celsius degrees (to tenths of a degree). 

Examples: 12.1°C: TTT=121 and Sn=0 

4.2°C: TTT=042 and Sn=0 

0.8°C: TTT=008 and Sn=0 

–0.8°C: TTT=008 and Sn=1 

–6.2°C: TTT=062 and Sn=1 

Remarks: If a fixed location louvered screen psychrometer is used, one must be 

installed on each side of the ship, so the observation can always be made from the 

windward side. If using a sling psychrometer stored inside, allow 

sufficient time for the thermometer to adjust to the outside temperature. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-35 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

sn, Sign of Dew Point Temperature 

2, Dew Point Temperature Indicator 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: sn is the sign of the dew point temperature.
 

Units: Celsius degrees.
 

Method of Measurement: Psychrometer.
 

How to Code:
 

Code for Sign of Dew Point Temperature, sn 

Code flgs. 

0 Temperature is positive or zero 

1 Temperature is negative 

Remarks: See remarks under TTT. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-36 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

TdTdTd, Dew Point Temperature 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Dew Point Temperature, in degrees and tenths of a degree Celsius, its sign 

being given by sn. This is the temperature at which condensation will occur, causing dew 

or frost to form. It corresponds to a relative humidity of 100%. 

Units: Celsius degrees. 

Method of Measurement: Computed from the wet and dry bulb temperatures. 

Using the psychrometer, determine the dry and wet bulb temperatures. There are 

several ways of computing dewpoint based on these values. The AMVER/SEAS and 

TurboWin software will automatically compute dewpoint by entering dry and wet bulb 

values.. If you do not use either of these applications to encode your ships weather 

observations, a table for computing dewpoint is available from any PMO. 

How to Code: In actual degrees Celsius, to the nearest tenth. 

Examples: 9.6°C: TdTdTd=096 and sn=0 

–9.2°C: TdTdTd=092 and sn=1 

–15.4°C: TdTdTd=154 and sn=1 

Remarks: The wet bulb thermometer must be read as soon as possible after 

ventilation or whirling has stopped. 

To operate the sling psychrometer: Moisten the wet bulb muslin sleeve 

thoroughly, on all sides, with distilled water, or the purest water available (ordinary 

water contains dissolved substances which deposit on the wicking as it evaporates, 

causing the wet bulb to read high). Change the wicking weekly, or more often if it 

becomes dirty or contaminated by salt spray. 

From the windward side of the ship, whirl the psychrometer at a rate of about 4 

revolutions per second for about 1 minute. Read the thermometers immediately, then 

whirl for another 10 seconds, and read again. If the readings are unchanged, record 

these as your official temperatures. If the readings are different at the second reading, 

continue the whirling and reading until two successive sets of readings are the same. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-37 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

For temperatures below 0°C, the dew point calculation table assumes the muslin wicking 

is covered with a thin coating of ice. After moistening the muslin with ice cold water, you 

should initiate the freezing of the water by touching the muslin with a piece of ice, snow, 

or other cold object. This may need to be done up to a half hour before observation 

time, to allow enough time for the ice coating to form. Do not allow the coating of ice on 

the wet bulb to become too thick—this will result in an incorrect reading. If ice is 

building up, immerse the wet bulb in a small container of warm water to reduce the ice. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-38 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

PPPP, Sea Level Pressure 

4, Sea Level Pressure Data Indicator 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: PPPP is the atmospheric pressure at mean sea level, in tenths of a 

hectopascal (millibar), omitting the thousands digit. It represents the weight or force 

exerted by the air above a given point. 

Units: Hectopascals ((hp) which are numerically the same as millibars). 

Method of Measurement: Usually measured with a precision aneroid barometer, 

although a mercury barometer can also be used. Gently tap the face of the aneroid 

barometer just before measurement. To obtain an accurate reading, your eye should be 

level with the barometer face. The mercury in the tube of the mercury barometer will 

oscillate up and down. Average the high and low points of the oscillation before 

recording. 

How to Code: Report the reading in actual hectopascals, omitting the decimal point. 

When the sea level pressure is 1000 hp or greater, the leading 1 is omitted. 

Examples: 992.4 hp: PPPP = 9924 

1000.0 hp: PPPP = 0000 

1002.8 hp: PPPP = 0028 

1032.1 hp: PPPP = 0321 

Remarks: Great precision is required for the pressure measurement, and a PMO 

should calibrate your barometer once every three months. The PMO will attach a 

correction tab with a correction to sea level to be made before reporting. The 

barometer should be installed in a position where it is least likely to be affected by 

vibration, concussion, or movement of the ship (generally as close to the center of 

flotation as possible. The barograph should be installed with the pen arm installed 

athwart ship (parallel to beam), to minimize the risk of its swinging off the chart. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-39 May 2010 
 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Correcting Station Pressure to Sea Level Pressure (hp) 

Height of Barometer Outside Air Temperature (°C) 

m ft. –20 –10 0 10 20 30 

1.5 5 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 

3.0 10 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3 

4.6 15 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5 

6.1 20 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.7 

7.8 25 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.9 

9.1 30 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.0 

10.7 35 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.2 

12.2 40 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.4 

13.7 45 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.6 

15.2 50 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.7 

16.8 55 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.0 1.9 

18.3 60 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.1 

19.8 65 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.3 

21.3 70 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.4 

22.9 75 3.1 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.5 

24.4 80 3.3 3.2 3.1 3.0 2.9 2.8 

25.9 85 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.2 3.1 3.0 

27.4 90 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.2 3.1 

29.0 95 4.0 3.8 3.7 3.5 3.4 3.3 

30.5 100 4.2 4.0 3.9 3.7 3.6 3.5 

32.0 105 4.4 4.2 4.1 3.9 3.8 3.7 

33.5 110 4.6 4.4 4.2 4.1 4.0 3.8 

35.1 115 4.8 4.6 4.4 4.3 4.1 4.0 

36.6 120 5.0 4.8 4.6 4.5 4.3 4.2 

38.2 125 5.2 5.0 4.8 4.7 4.5 4.3 

Station pressure is the actual pressure at the level of the barometer.
 

This table should only be used if your barometer has not been adjusted to read sea
 

level pressure, or if a PMO has not attached a correction sticker. This is normally the
 

case for vessels of British Commonwealth countries only.
 

Barometers aboard NWS VOS program ships are adjusted to read sea level pressure.
 

Any correction to be applied will be indicated on the correction sticker and this table
 

should be ignored.
 

For Great Lakes vessels: Barometers are adjusted to read sea level pressure using the
 

elevation of Lake Erie in the correction factor. From other Great Lakes, to obtain sea
 

level pressure you must know the difference in elevation between Lake Erie and the
 

lake you are on, and add or subtract a correction.
 

From Lake Huron or Lake Michigan (both 10 feet above Lake Erie), please add .4 hp
 

(see table above) to your pressure reading before reporting. For Lake Superior (30 feet
 

above Lake Erie), add 1.1 hp. For Lake Ontario (325 feet below Lake Erie), subtract 12
 

hp. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-40 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

a, Three Hour Characteristic of Pressure 

Tendency 

5, Three Hour Pressure Tendency Data Indicator 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: (a) is the characteristic of pressure tendency during the three hours 

preceding the time of observation. It describes how pressure has varied, e.g. increasing 

then decreasing, decreasing then increasing, decreasing then steady, etc. 

Units: Hectopascals. 

Method of Measurement: The barograph provides the best indication of the 

pressure tendency characteristic. Study the barograph trace in the three hour period 

preceding the time of observation. The shape of the trace determines which code 

figure to use. 

How to Code: Code according to the table on the next page. 

Remarks: The actual pressure change during the three hours preceding the time of 

observation is recorded by ppp. 

1. Remember that: 

(a)	 If the pressure is higher than three hours ago, there are four choices for a; 0, 1, 

2, and 3. 

(b)	 If the pressure is lower than three hours ago, there are also four choices for a; 

5, 6, 7, and 8. 

(c)	 If the pressure is exactly the same as it was three hours ago, there are three 

choices for a; 0, 4, and 5. 

2. If the trace contains minor irregularities but in general resembles one of the 

pictures in the code Table, disregard the minor irregularities and code the general 

characteristics of the trace. 

Examples: = 8 =3 

3. When the trace can apparently be represented by two characteristics, code the 

NWSOH No. 1 2-41	 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

characteristics which describes the last part of the trace provided this agrees with the 

three-hour pressure change. 

Examples: = 1 = 0 

= 3 (not 5 as the pressure is now 

higher than 3 hours ago). 

4. When the trace may apparently be represented by two characteristics and 

the characteristics of the last part of the trace does not agree with the 3-hour pressure 

change, choose the characteristics which is most descriptive of the whole 3-hour trace 

and which also agrees with the net 3-hour pressure change. 

Examples: 

= 5 (not 1 as the pressure is 

lower than 3 hours ago). 

= 0	 (not 8 as the pressure is 

higher than 3 hours ago). 

= 0	 (not 6 as the pressure is 

higher than 3 hours ago). 

5. When the trace is not steady but the 3-hour pressure change is zero, use code figure 

0 or 5 as appropriate for the last part of the trace (code figure 4 is only used when the 

trace is absolutely steady). 

Examples: = 5 = 0 

NWSOH No. 1 2-42	 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Determining Barometric Tendency Characteristic, a 

NWSOH No. 1 2-43 May 2010
 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

ppp, Amount of Pressure Tendency 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Amount of pressure tendency during the three hours preceding the time 

of observation, expressed in tenths of a hectopascal (millibar). This is the net pressure 

change during the three hour period. 

Units: Hectopascals. 

Method of Measurement: Either use the barograph trace, or read your barometer 

at the beginning and end of the three hour interval. Determine the difference in 

pressure and code according to the instructions below. 

How to Code: In actual hectopascals. 

Examples: 0.0 hp, ppp = 000 

0.4 hp, ppp = 004 

4.7 hp, ppp = 047 

10.2 hp, ppp = 102 

Remarks: If the pressure at time of observation is 1015.3 hp, and the pressure three 

hours earlier was 1012.9 hp, the net pressure change (amount of pressure tendency) 

was 2.4 hp. Code ppp as 024. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-44 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

ww, Present Weather 

7, Present and Past Weather Data Group Indicator 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: ww is the present weather and refers to atmospheric phenomena 

occurring at the time of observation, or which has occurred during the hour preceding 

the time of observation. 

Units: 

Method of Measurement: Visually or audibly determined. Phenomena to report 

include precipitation, obstructions to visibility, thunder, squalls, haze, dust, smoke, and 

cloud development. 

How to Code: Report the most severe weather condition that you observe, reading 

down the list from 99 (most severe) to 00 (least severe). Code in 

accordance with the table on the following pages. The higher coded values 

have priority over the lower coded values. Exception: code figure 17 has precedence 

over code figures 20 to 49. 

Remarks: There are one hundred different types of present weather to report. At sea 

however, phenomena such as duststorms, sandstorms, drifting or blowing snow, and 

dust whirls are rarely observed. Hence, about eighty-five different types of present 

weather are applicable to marine shipboard observations. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-45 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Codes for Present Weather, ww 

The weather code is arranged in priority order . Reading down the list, select the first 

applicable (most severe) weather condition that you observe and enter the code number for 

ww. 

59-99 PRECIPITATION AT SHIP AT TIME OF OBSERVATION 

95-99 THUNDERSTORM AT TIME OF OBSERVATION 

99 Heavy thunderstorm with hail* 

98 Thunderstorm with duststorm or sandstorm 

97 Heavy thunderstorm with rain and/or snow, but no hail* 

96 Slight or moderate thunderstorm with hail* 

95 Slight or moderate thunderstorm with rain and/or snow, but no hail* 

* Includes hail, ice pellets or snow pellets 

94-91 THUNDERSTORM DURING THE PAST HOUR BUT NOT AT 

THE TIME OF OBSERVATION 

Note: Use code 29 if there is no precip. at time of observation. 

94 Moderate or heavy snow, or rain and Thunderstorm 

snow mixed, or hail* in past hour 

93 Slight snow, or rain and snow mixed, or hail* 

92 Moderate or heavy rain 

91 Slight rain 

* Includes hail, ice pellets or snow pellets 

85-90 SOLID PRECIPITATION IN SHOWERS 

Slight Moderate or heavy 

89 Shower of hail*, no thunder 90 

87 Shower of snow pellets or ice pellets† 88 

85 Shower of snow 86 

†With or without rain, or rain and snow mixed 

*Includes hail, ice pellets or snow pellets 

80-84 RAIN SHOWERS 

84 Shower of rain and snow mixed, moderate or heavy 

83 Shower of rain and snow mixed, slight 

82 Violent rain shower 

81 Moderate or heavy rain shower 

80 Slight rain shower 

NWSOH No. 1 2-46 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

70-79 SOLID PRECIPITATION NOT FALLING AS SHOWERS 

79 Ice pellets 

78 Isolated star-like snow crystals (with or without fog) 

77 Snow grains (with or without fog) 

76 Diamond dust (with or without fog) 

Intermittent Continuous 

74 Heavy snow in flakes 75 

72 Moderate snow in flakes 73 

70 Slight snow in flakes 71 

60-69 RAIN (NOT FALLING AS SHOWERS) 

Slight Moderate or heavy 

68 Rain or drizzle with snow 69 

66 Freezing rain 67 

Intermittent Continuous 

64 Heavy rain 65 

62 Moderate rain 63 

60 Slight rain 61 

50-59 DRIZZLE 

Slight Moderate or heavy 

58 Drizzle and rain mixed 59 

56 Freezing drizzle 57 

Intermittent Continuous 

54 Heavy drizzle 55 

52 Moderate drizzle 53 

50 Slight drizzle 51 

00-49 NO PRECIPITATION AT SHIP AT TIME OF OBSERVATION 

NWSOH No. 1 2-47 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

40-49 FOG AT THE TIME OF OBSERVATION 

(Visibility in fog is less than 1⁄2 naut. mi.) 

Sky visible Sky invisible 

48 Fog, depositing rime 49 

46 Fog, has begun or thickened in past hour 47 

44 Fog, no change in past hour 45 

42 Fog, has become thinner in past hour 43 

41 Fog in patches* 

40 Fog at a distance but not at ship in past hour* 

*Visibility may be greater than 1

⁄2 naut. mi. 

30-39 (Not likely to be used in ship reports) 

Slight or moderate Heavy 

38 Blowing snow, high (above eye level) 39 

36 Drifting snow, low (below eye level 37 

32 Duststorm or sandstorm, increasing 35 

31 Duststorm or sandstorm, unchanging 34 

30 Duststorm or sandstorm, decreasing 33 

20-29 PHENOMENA IN PAST HOUR BUT NOT AT TIME OF OBS. 

29 Thunderstorm, with or without precipitation 

28 Fog (in past hour but not at time of obs.) 

27 Shower(s) of hail*, or of hail* and rain mixed 

26 Shower(s) of snow, or of rain and snow mixed 

25 Shower(s) of rain 

24 Freezing drizzle or freezing rain 

23 Rain and snow mixed, or ice pellets 

22 Snow 

21 Rain (not freezing) 

20 Drizzle (not freezing) or snow grains 

*Includes hail, ice pellets or snow pellets. 

18-19 SQUALLS, FUNNEL CLOUDS 

19 Funnel cloud(s) seen in past hour or at time of observation 

18 Squalls (no. precip.) in past hour or at time of observation 

17 Thunder at time of observation, no precipitation at ship* 

*Code figure 17 has precedence over code figures 20-49. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-48 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

13-16 PHENOMENA WITHIN SIGHT BUT NOT AT SHIP 

16 Precip. within 3 naut. mi. — reaching surface 

15 Precip. beyond 3 naut. mi. — reaching surface 

14 Precipitation in sight, not reaching surface 

13 Lightning visible, no thunder heard 

10-12 MIST AND SHALLOW FOG 

12 Shallow fog - more or less continuous 

11 Shallow fog in patches 

10 Mist (Visibility 1

⁄2 Nautical mi. or more) 

04-09 HAZE, DUST, SAND OR SMOKE 

09 Duststorm or sandstorm within sight 

08 Dust whirls in past hour (NOT FOR MARINE USE) 

07 Blowing spray at the ship 

06 Widespread dust suspended in the air 

05 Dry haze 

04 Visibility reduced by smoke 

00-03 CHANGE OF SKY DURING PAST HOUR 

Code figs. 

03 Clouds generally forming or developing 

02 State of the sky on the whole unchanged 

01 Clouds dissolving or becoming less developed 

00 Cloud development not observable 

Definitions for Present Weather 

Scheduled Time of Observation is the time at which the observation should be 

completed and ready for transmission. These times are the four main synoptic hours of 

0000, 0600, 1200, and 1800 UTC, or the intermediate synoptic hours of 0300, 0900, 

1500, and 2100 UTC. 

At the Time of Observation means at the scheduled time of observation, or in the case 

of code figures 20 through 29, during the 60 minutes prior to the scheduled time. If it is 

necessary to make an observation an hour earlier than the scheduled time (say at 1 100 

instead of 1200), then “at the time of observation” means 1 100. 

NOTE: For the purpose of reporting a thunderstorm, “at the time of observation” includes 

the 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time of observation. 

During the Past Hour means during the period starting 60 minutes before the scheduled 

time of observation. 

NOTE: For purposes of reporting a thunderstorm, code figure 29, the “past hour” is from 

1 hour and 15 minutes ago to 15 minutes ago. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-49 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Within Sight or At A Distance means that although precipitation, etc., is not occurring 

at the ship, it can be seen from the ship or platform. 

Precipitation 

Rain. Precipitation of liquid water particles, either in the form of drops larger than 0.5 mm 

(0.02 inch) or smaller drops which, in contrast to drizzle, are widely separated. 

Freezing Rain. Rain which freezes upon impact with the ground or a ship. 

Drizzle. Fairly uniform precipitation composed exclusively of fine drops (diameter less 

than 0.5 mm or 0.02 inch) very close together. Drizzle appears to float while following air 

currents, although unlike fog droplets, it falls to the ground. Drizzle drops are too small to 

appreciably disturb still water puddles. 

Freezing Drizzle. Drizzle which freezes upon impact with the ground or a ship. 

Snow. Precipitation of ice crystals, mostly branched in the form of six-pointed stars. At 

temperatures higher than about - 5 ̊C (23 ̊F), the crystals are generally clustered to form 

snowflakes. 

Snow Pellets. Precipitation of white, opaque grains of ice. The grains are round or 

sometimes conical. Diameters range from about 2 to 5 mm (0.08 to 0.2 inch). Snow pellets 

are brittle and easily crushed; when they fall on hard surfaces, they bounce and often break 

up. 

Snow Grains. Precipitation of very small, white, opaque grains of ice similar in structure 

to snow crystals. When the grains hit a hard surface, they do not bounce or shatter. They 

usually fall in small quantities, mostly from stratus, and never as showers. 

Ice Pellets. Precipitation of transparent or translucent pellets of ice, which are round or 

irregular, rarely conical, and which have a diameter of 5 mm (0.2 inch), or less. The 

pellets usually rebound when striking hard surfaces and make a sound on impact. There 

are two main types: 

a. Hard grains of ice consisting of frozen raindrops, or largely melted and refrozen 

snowflakes (formerly sleet). This type falls as continuous or intermittent precipitation. 

b. Pellets of snow encased in a thin layer of ice which has formed from the freezing, 

either of droplets intercepted by the pellets, or of water resulting from the partial 

melting of the pellets. This type falls as showers. 

Hail. Precipitation of small balls or other pieces of ice (hail stones) falling separately or 

frozen together in irregular lumps. Hailstones consist of alternate opaque and clear layers 

of ice in most cases. Hail is normally associated with thunderstorms and surface 

temperatures above freezing. 

Ice Prisms (Ice Crystals). A fall of unbranched snow crystals in the form of needles, columns, 

or plates. They are often so tiny that they seem to be suspended in the air. They may fall from 

a cloud or from clear air . The crystals are visible mainly when they glitter in the sunshine or 

other bright light (diamond dust); they may then produce a luminous pillar or other optical 

phenomena. This hydrometeor (rarely more than the lightest precipitation), which is frequent 

in polar regions, occurs only at very low temperatures in stable air masses. 

Character of Precipitation. 

Continuous. Intensity changes gradually, if at all. 

Intermittent. Intensity changes gradually, if at all, but precipitation stops and starts at 

least once within the hour preceding the observation. 

Shower. Precipitation changes intensity or starts and stops abruptly. Showers fall from 

cumuliform clouds. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-50 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Estimating the Intensity of Rain 

Light. Scattered drops that do not completely wet an exposed surface, regardless of 

duration, to a condition where individual drops are easily seen; slight spray is 

observed over the decks; puddles form slowly; sound on roofs ranges from slow 

pattering to gentle swishing; steady small streams may flow in scuppers and deck 

drains. 

Moderate. Individual drops are not clearly identifiable; spray is observable just above 

deck and other hard surfaces; puddles form rapidly; sound on roofs ranges from 

swishing to gentle roar. 

Heavy. Rain seemingly falls in sheets; individual drops are not identifiable; heavy 

spray to height of several inches is observed over hard surfaces; visibility is greatly 

reduced; sound on roofs resembles roll of drums or distant roar . 

Intensity of Drizzle or Snow with Visibility 

Light. Visibility 1 Km (1/2 n. mile) or more. 

Moderate. Visibility less than 1 Km (1/2 n. mile) but not less than 1/2 Km 

(1/4 n. mile). 

Heavy. Visibility less than 1/2 Km (1/4 n. mile). 

Estimating the Intensity of Hail and Ice Pellets 

Light. Few stones or pellets falling with little, if any , accumulation. 

Moderate. Slow accumulation. 

Heavy. Rapid accumulation. 

Drifting Snow and Blowing Snow. Snow particles raised from the ground by a 

strong, turbulent wind. Observed when ship is in or near ice, not over open sea. 

a. Drifting Snow. Snow particles raised by the wind to small heights above the 

ground. Visibility is not reduced below 12 Km (6.5 n. miles) at eye level, although 

obstructions below this level may be veiled or hidden by the particles moving 

nearly horizontal to the ground. 

b. Blowing Snow. Snow particles raised and stirred violently by the wind to 

moderate or great heights. Visibility is poor, 12 Km (6.5 n. miles) or less, and the 

sky may become obscured when the particles are raised to great heights. 

Thunderstorms 

Thunderstorm (Code 99-95). A local storm produced by a cumulonimbus cloud. It is 

always accompanied by lightning and thunder , usually with strong gusts of wind, heavy 

rain, and sometimes with hail. 

Lightning. A flash of light from a sudden electrical discharge which takes place from or 

inside a cloud, from high structures on the ground, or from mountains. 

Intensity of Thunderstorm. The intensity of a thunderstorm is based on the following 

characteristics observed within the previous 15 minutes: 

a. Thunderstorm, wind gusts less than 50 knots, and hail, if any , less than 20 mm 

(3/4 inch) in diameter. 

b. Severe thunderstorm, wind gusts of 50 knots or greater, or hail 20 mm (3/4 inch) 

or greater in diameter. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-51 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Beginning of Thunderstorm. A thunderstorm is considered to begin at a station when: 

a. Thunder is heard, or 

b. Overhead lightning or hail is observed, but the local noise level might prevent 

hearing thunder. 

Ending of Thunderstorm. A thunderstorm is considered to have ended 15 minutes after 

the last occurrence of thunder. 

Fog and Shallow Fog. A visible aggregate of minute water particles (droplets) which are 

based at the earth’s surface. The difference between a cloud and fog is that a cloud has 

a base above the surface. 

a. Fog (code 40-49) reduces horizontal visibility (to less than 1/2 n. mile) and verticle 

visibility, and may extend over a sizable area. Fog is reported when the depth of 

the phenomena is greater than approximately 10 meters (33 feet) at sea. 

b. Shallow fog has little vertical extent, normally less than 10 meters (33 feet), and 

reduces visibility horizontally , but to a lesser extent vertically . The stars may 

often be seen by night and the sun by day . This is a local phenomena usually 

formed by radiational cooling of the air. It is often patchy, forming first over cooler 

surface water areas. 

c. When fog is present and the occurrence does not clearly fit the definition of 

shallow fog, the phenomenon will be reported as fog. If visibility is greater than 

1/2 n. mile, it is mist, code 10. 

Ice Fog. A suspension of numerous minute ice crystals in the air , based at the earth’ s 

surface, which reduces horizontal visibility . Unlike fog, ice fog does not produce rime or 

glaze on cold exposed objects. Temperatures are usually at or below approximately 

–30 ̊C (–22 ̊F) when ice fog forms. However, a mixture of liquid and ice fog occasionally 

forms at temperatures below freezing. This condition may persist for a few hours as the 

fog changes to ice fog and dissipates due to a drying of the air, even though temperatures 

continue to fall. Optical ef fects similar to those associated with ice prisms are observed 

in ice fog (diamond dust, etc.). 

Temperature-dew point differences may approach 4 ̊C (8 ̊F) or more. 

Spray and Blowing Spray. 

a. Spray. Water droplets torn by the wind from the crests of waves and carried up 

a short distance into the air. 

b. Blowing Spray. Spray raised in such quantities as to reduce the visibility at eye 

level (6 feet on shore, 10 meters (33 feet) at sea) to 12 Km (6.5 n. miles) or less. 

Dew. A deposit of water drops on objects at or near the surface produced by 

condensation of water vapor from the surrounding clear air . 

White Dew. A deposit of white, frozen dew drops. White dew forms as liquid dew , then 

freezes. 

Hoar Frost. A deposit of ice having a crystalline appearance, generally assuming the 

form of scales, needles, or fans. It is formed when water vapor is deposited on surfaces 

whose temperatures are at or below freezing, as compared to white dew, which is formed 

before freezing occurs. 

Rime. A deposit of ice, produced by fog at temperatures below freezing. It is composed 

of grains separated by air, sometimes adorned with crystalline branches. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-52 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Glaze (Clear Ice). A coating of ice, generally clear and smooth, but with some air pockets. 

It is formed on exposed objects at temperatures below or slightly above the freezing 

temperature by the freezing of super-cooled drizzle, rain drops, or spray. Glaze is denser, 

harder, and more transparent than either rime or hoar frost. 

Tornado. A violent, rotating column of air , forming a pendant, usually from a 

cumulonimbus cloud over land and touching the ground. It nearly always starts as a 

funnel cloud and is accompanied by a loud roaring noise. 

Funnel Cloud. A violent, rotating column of air which does not touch the ground, usually 

a pendant from a cumulonimbus cloud. 

Waterspout. If a funnel cloud forms over the water and touches the water surface, it is 

called a waterspout. 

Lithometeors. A lithometeor is a meteor consisting of a visible concentration of mostly 

solid, dry particles. The particles are more or less suspended in the air or lifted from the 

ground by wind. The more common lithometeors are defined below. 

Haze. A suspension in the air of extremely small, dry particles invisible to the naked eye 

and sufficiently numerous to give the air an opalescent appearance. This phenomenon 

resembles a uniform veil that subdues all colors. Dark objects viewed through this veil 

tend to have a bluish tinge while bright objects, such as the sun or distant lights, tend to 

have a dirty yellow or reddish hue. 

When haze is present and the sun is well above the horizon, its light may have a peculiar 

silvery tinge. Haze particles may be composed of a variety of substances; e.g., dust, salt, 

residue from distant fires or volcanoes, pollen, etc., which generally are well dif fused 

through the atmosphere. 

Dust. Fine particles suspended in the air by a duststorm or sandstorm that may have 

occurred at some distance from the ship. Dust gives a tan or gray tinge to distant objects. 

The sun’s disk is pale and colorless, or has a yellow tinge. 

Smoke. A suspension in the air of small particles produced by combustion. This 

phenomenon may be present either near the earth’ s surface or in the free atmosphere. 

When viewed through smoke, the disk of the sun at sunrise and sunset appears very red. 

The disk may have an orange tinge when the sun is above the horizon. Evenly distributed 

smoke from distant sources generally has a light grayish or bluish appearance. A 

transition to haze may occur when smoke particles have traveled great distances; for 

example, 25 to 100 miles or more, and when the larger particles have settled and the 

remaining particles have become widely scattered through the atmosphere. 

Blowing Dust. Dust raised by the wind to moderate heights above the ground and 

restricting horizontal visibility to less than 12 Km (6.5 n. miles). 

a. Duststorm. Same as blowing dust, except visibility is reduced to less than 1 Km 

(1/2 nautical mile) but not less than 1/2 Km (1/4 n. mile). 

b. Severe Duststorm. Same as blowing dust, except visibility is reduced to less 

than 1/2 Km (1/4 n. mile). 

Blowing Sand. Sand raised by the wind to moderate heights above the ground, reducing 

horizontal visibility to less than 12 Km (6.5 n. miles). 

a. Sandstorm. Same as blowing sand, except horizontal visibility is reduced to less 

than 1 Km (1/2 n. mile) but not less than 1/2 Km (1/4 n. mile). 

b. Severe Sandstorm. Same as blowing sand, except horizontal visibility is 

reduced to less than 1/2 Km (1/4 n. mile). 

NWSOH No. 1 2-53 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

W1W2, Past Weather 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: The types of weather since the previous main synoptic hour (0000, 0600, 

1200, 1800 UTC), usually different from that being reported by ww. Thus, for an 

observation made at 1200 UTC, the past weather period began six hours ago at 0600 

UTC. For an observation made at an intermediate time, say 2100 UTC, the past 

weather period began three hours ago at 1800 UTC. 

Units: 

Method of Measurement: Visually or audibly determined. 

How to Code: If two or more different types of reportable weather have occurred, 

use W1 for the highest code figure, and W2 for the second highest code figure. If the 

past weather has been continuous and unchanging since the last main synoptic hour, 

W1 and W2 are coded the same. W1 is always greater than or equal to W2. 

Code for Past Weather, W1W2 

Code Figures 

9 Thunderstorm(s) with or without precipitation 

8 Shower(s) 

7 Snow, or rain and snow mixed 

6 Rain 

5 Drizzle 

4 Fog, ice fog, or thick haze (visibility was less than 1

⁄2 nautical mile) 

3 Sandstorm, duststorm, or blowing snow 

2 Cloud cover more than 1

⁄2 throughout period 

1 Cloud cover more than 1

⁄2 for part of period, and 1⁄2 or less for 

another part of period 

0 Cloud cover 1

⁄2 or less throughout period 

NWSOH No. 1 2-54 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Remarks: Some examples: 

(1) It has been raining during the entire period since the last main synoptic hour. Code 

W1W2 as 66. 

(2) During the past six hours thunder was heard (code figure 9), and up until about one 

hour ago there were showers (code figure 8). Code W1W2 as 98. 

(3) It has been cloudy since the previous main synoptic hour (code figure 2). It rained 

for about an hour (code figure 6). There was some fog (code figure 4) and there were 

some showers (code figure 8). CodeW1W2 as 86. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-55 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Nh, Amount of CL or CM Cloud Present 

8, Cloud Data Indicator 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Nh is the amount of all the CL cloud present or, if no CL cloud is
 

present, the amount of all the CM cloud present.
 

Units: Fraction of the sky in eighths.
 

Method of Measurement: Visual observation.
 

How to Code:
 

Code for Amount of CL or CM Cloud Present, Nh 

Code Figures 

0 No CL or CM clouds present 

1 1 eighth or less, but not zero 

2 2 eighths 

3 3 eighths 

4 4 eighths 

5 5 eighths 

6 6 eighths 

7 7 eighths or more but not totally covered 

8 8 eighths; sky totally covered 

9 Sky obscured by fog, snow, or other meteorological phenomena 

/ Cloud cover indiscernible for reasons other than code figure 9, 

or observation not made 

Remarks: If the cloud can be seen through the fog, estimate cloud amount as well as 

circumstances permit. If the sun, moon, or stars can be seen through the fog and there 

is no evidence of cloud above the fog, use code figure 0 for Nh. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-56 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

CL, Low Cloud Type 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Clouds of type Stratocumulus, Stratus, Cumulus and Cumulonimbus. 

Stratocumulus (Sc) –	 Gray or whitish patch, sheet, or layer of cloud which almost 

always has dark parts, composed of tesselations, rounded 

masses, rolls, etc., which are nonfibrous, and which may or 

may not be merged; most of the regularly arranged small 

elements have an apparent width of more than 5 degrees. 

Stratus (St) – 	 Generally grey cloud layer with a fairly uniform base, 

which may give drizzle, ice prisms, or snow grains. When the 

sun is visible through the cloud, its outline is clearly 

discernible. Stratus generally does not produce halo 

phenomena. 

Cumulus (Cu) –	 Detached clouds, generally dense and with sharp outlines, 

developing vertically in the form of rising mounds, domes, or 

towers, of which the bulging upper part often resembles a 

cauliflower. The sunlit parts are mostly 

brilliant white; their base is relatively dark and nearly 

horizontal. 

Cumulonimbus (Cb) – Heavy, dense cloud, with considerable vertical extent, in the 

form of a mountain, or huge towers. At least part of its 

upper portion is usually smooth, fibrous, or striated, and 

nearly always flattened; this part often spreads out in the 

shape of an anvil or vast plume. 

Units: 

Method of Measurement: Visual observation. Use the NWS cloud poster, cloud
 

brochure, or other suitable cloud atlas which relate cloud photographs 


to cloud definitions, descriptions, and specifications. It is best to keep a close,
 

continuous watch on the development of clouds. 


NWSOH No. 1 2-57	 May 2010 
 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

How to Code: 

Code for Low Cloud Type, CL 

Code Figures 

9 Cb with a clearly fibrous top, often anvil-shaped; with or without 

other Cb, or Cu, Sc, St or ragged Cu or St of bad weather. 

3 Cb the tops of which, at least partially, lack sharp outlines, but are 

clearly not fibrous or anvil-shaped; Cu, Sc or St may also be 

present. 

4 Sc formed by the spreading out of Cu; Cu may also be present. 

8 Cu and Sc not formed by the spreading out of Cu; the bases of 

the Cu and Sc at different levels. 

2	 Cu of moderate or strong vertical extent, generally with protuberances in the form of domes or towers, with or without other Cu or 

Sc, all having their bases at same level. 

Codes 1, 5, 6 and 7 are of equal priority . Choose the cloud type that is predominant. 

1	 Cu with little vertical extent and seemingly flattened, and/or ragged 

Cu other than of bad weather. 

5 Sc not formed by the spreading out of Cu. 

6 St in a more or less continuous layer, and/or in ragged shreds; but 

no ragged St of bad weather. 

7 Ragged St and/or ragged Cu, both of bad weather, usually below 

As or Ns. 

0 No Sc, St, Cu or Cb clouds present. 

/ Sc, St, Cu and Cb invisible owing to darkness, fog, blowing dust or 

sand, or other similar phenomena. 

Remarks: If more than one type of CL is present, the order of priority for reporting 

(from highest to lowest priority) is CL = 9, 3, 4, 8, 2. These are 

followed in priority by CL = 1, 5, 6, 7, all of equal priority (if two or more of 

this second category are present, report the type which covers the greatest 

part of the sky). 

NWSOH No. 1 2-58	 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

CL = 1 

Cumulus with little 

vertical extent. 

CL = 2 

Cumulus with 

moderate or greater 

vertical extent. 

CL = 3 

Cumulonimbus, tops 

not fibrous, outline 

not completely sharp, 

no anvil. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-59 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

CL = 4 

Stratocumulus from 

the spreading 

cumulus. 

CL = 5 

Stratocumulus not 

formed from 

spreading cumulus. 

CL = 6 

Stratus in a sheet or 

layer. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-60 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

CL = 7 

Stratus fractus and/or 

cumulus fractus of 

bad weather. 

CL = 8 

Cumulus and 

stratocumulus (not 

spreading cumulus), 

bases at different 

levels. 

CL = 9 

Cumulonimbus with 

fibrous top, often with 

an anvil. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-61 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

CM, Middle Cloud Type 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Clouds of type Altocumulus, Altostratus and Nimbostratus. 

Altocumulus (Ac) –	 White or gray patch, sheet, or layer of cloud, generally with 

shading, composed of laminae, rounded masses, rolls, etc, 

which are sometimes partly fibrous or diffuse, and which may 

or may not be merged; most of the regularly arranged small 

elements usually have an apparent width between one and five 

degrees. 

Altostratus (As) –	 Grayish or bluish sheet or layer of striated, fibrous, or uniform 

appearance, totally or partly covering the sky, and having parts 

thin enough to reveal the sun at least vaguely, as through 

ground glass. Does not show halo phenomena. 

Nimbostratus (Ns) –Heavy cloud layer, often dark, the appearance of which is 

rendered diffuse by falling rain or snow, which in most cases 

reaches the ground. It is thick enough to blot out the sun or 

moon. 

Units: 

Method of Measurement: Visual observation. 

How to Code: Code in accordance with the table on the following page. 

Remarks: If more than one code figure for CM is applicable at the same time, the 

priority order is CM = 9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,/. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-62	 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Code for Middle Cloud Type, CM 

Code Figures 

9 Ac of a chaotic sky, generally at several levels. 

8 Ac with sproutings like small towers or battlements, or Ac having 

the appearance cumulus-shaped tufts. 

7 Either: (a) Ac in two or more layers, opaque in places, not increasing. 

(b) Opaque layer of Ac, not increasing. (c) Ac together with As or Ns. 

6 Ac resulting from the spreading out of Cu (or Cb). 

5 Ac, semi-transparent; in bands or Ac in one or more layers, progressively invading the sky; these Ac clouds generally thicken as a whole. 

4 Patches (often almond or fish-shaped) of Ac, mostly semi-transparent; clouds occur at one or more levels and continually change 

in appearance. 

3 Ac, mostly semi-transparent; cloud elements change only slowly 

and are all at a single level.. 

2 Either As, most of which is sufficiently dense to hide the sun or 

moon; or Nimbostratus. 

1 Ac, mostly semi-transparent, through which the sun or moon may 

be weakly visible, as through ground glass. 

0 No Ac, As or Ns clouds present 

/ Ac, As, and Ns invisible owing to darkness, or because of an over 

cast layer of CL cloud. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-63 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

CM = 1 

Altostratus, semitransparent, sun or 

moon dimly visible. 

CM = 2 

Altostratus, dense 

enough to hide sun 

or moon, or 

nimbostratus. 

CM = 3 

Altocumulus, semitransparent, cloud 

elements change 

slowly, one level. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-64 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

CM = 4 

Altocumulus patches 

semi-transparent, 

multilevel, cloud 

elements changing. 

Also altocumulus 

lenticular. 

CM = 5 

Altocumulus, one or 

more bands or layers, 

expanding, thickening. 

CM = 6 

Altocumulus from the 

spreading of cumulus 

or cumulonimbus. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-65 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

CM = 7 

Altocumulus, one or 

more layers, mainly 

opaque, not 

expanding, or 

altocumulus with 

altostratus or 

nimbostratus. 

CM = 8 

Altocumulus with 

tower like sproutings. 

CM = 9 

Altocumulus of a 

chaotic sky, usually 

with heavy broken 

cloud sheets at 

different levels. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-66 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

CH, High Cloud Type 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Clouds of type Cirrus, Cirrocumulus, Cirrostratus. 

Cirrus (Ci) –	 Detached clouds in the form of delicate white filaments or 

white or mostly white patches or narrow bands. These clouds 

have a fibrous appearance (hairlike), or a silky sheen, or both. 

Cirrocumulus (Cc) –Thin white patch, sheet, or layer of cloud without shading, 

composed of very small elements in the form of grains, ripples, 

etc., merged or separate, and more or less regularly arranged; 

most of the elements have an apparent width of less than one 

degree. 

Cirrostratus (Cs) –	 Transparent, whitish cloud veil of fibrous (hairlike) or smooth 

appearance, totally or partly covering the sky, and generally 

producing halo phenomena. 

Units: 

Method of Measurement: Visual observation. 

How to Code: Code in accordance with the table on the following page. 

Remarks: If more than one code figure for CH is applicable at the same time, the 

priority order is CH = 9,7,8,6,5,4,3,1,2,/. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-67	 May 2010 
 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Code for High Cloud Type, CH 

Code Figures 

9 Cc alone, or Cc with Ci and/or Cs, but the Cc is predominant. 

7 Veil of Cs covering the whole sky. 

8 Cs not increasing and not covering the whole sky. 

6 Ci (often in converging bands) and Cs, or Cs alone; in either case 

spreading over the sky and generally thickening, the continuous 

veil extends more than 45° above the horizon, but does not cover 

the whole sky. 

5 Same as code 6 above, except that the continuous veil does not 

reach 45° above the horizon. 

4 Ci in the form of hooks and/or filaments, progressively invading the 

sky; they generally become thicker as a whole. 

3 Dense Ci, often anvil-shaped, being the remains of the upper parts 

of a Cb. 

1 Ci in the form of filaments, strands or hooks, not progressively 

invading the sky. 

2 Either: (a) Dense Ci in patches or tangled sheaves, not increasing, 

which sometimes seem to be the remains of the upper part of a Cb. 

(b) Ci with sproutings like small turrets or battlements, or Ci having 

the appearance of cumulus-shaped tufts. 

0 No Ci, Cc or Cs clouds present. 

/ Ci, Cc and Cs invisible owing to darkness, or because of a continuous layer of lower clouds. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-68 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

CH = 1 

Cirrus filaments, 

strands, hooks, not 

expanding. 

CH = 2 

Dense cirrus in 

patches or sheaves, 

not increasing, or 

cirrus like cumuliform 

tufts. 

CH = 3 

Dense cirrus, often 

the anvil remaining 

from cumulonimbus. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-69 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

CH = 4 

Cirrus hooks or 

filaments, increasing, 

becoming denser. 

CH = 5 

Cirrus bands 

and/or cirrostratus, 

increasing, growing 

denser, veil below 45°. 

CH = 6 

Cirrus bands 

and/or cirrostratus, 

increasing, growing 

denser, veil abive 45°. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-70 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

CH = 7 

Cirrostratus covering 

whole sky. 

CH = 8 

Cirrostratus, not 

increasing, not 

covering whole sky. 

CH = 9 

Cirrocumulus alone, 

and/or cirrus and 

cirrostratus. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-71 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Cloud types. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-72 May 2010
 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Ds, Ship’s True Course 

222, Section 2 Indicator 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Ds is the true ship’s course made good during the three hours 

preceeding the time of observation. 

Units: Compass directions. 

Method of Measurement: If the ships course has been constant during the three 

hours preceeding the time of observation, then Ds is the actual course at the time of 

observation. However, if the ship has altered course in the previous three hours, Ds will 

probably differ from the course at the time of observation. See the diagram on the 

next page. 

How to Code: 

Code for Ship’s True Course, Ds 

Code Figures True Direction 

0 Ship hove to 

1 NE 

2 E 

3 SE 

4 S 

5 SW 

6 W 

7 NW 

8 N 

9 Unknown 

/ Not reported 

Remarks: From the code table, select the true direction that is closest to ships course 

made good. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-73 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Determination of ship’s course made good. 

NORTH 

0° 

Position of 

ship at 1800Z 

Course made good (Course 060°) 1500 - 1800 is 

084° 

Position 

of ship 

at 1500Z 

(Course 130°) 

270° 90° 

Ship’s Track 

In this example, the ship has altered course during the past three hours, so course made 

good (084°) differs from the actual course at the time of observation (060°). 084° is 

approximately eastward, so Ds is coded as 2. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-74 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

vs, Ship’s Average Speed 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Ship’s average speed made good during the three hours preceeding the 

time of observation. 

Units: Knots. 

Method of Measurement: Find the distance in nautical miles, between the ships 

position at the time of observation and its position three hours previously. Obtain Vs 

by dividing this distance by three. vs is the same as the ships speed at observation time 

only if the ships course and speed have not changed during the three hour period. 

How to Code: 

Code for Ship’s Average Speed, vs 

Code Figures True Direction 

0 0 knot 

1 1 to 5 knots 

2 6 to 10 knots 

3 11 to 15 knots 

4 16 to 20 knots 

5 21 to 25 knots 

6 26 to 30 knots 

7 31 to 35 knots 

8 36 to 40 knots 

9 Over 40 knots 

/ Not reported 

Remarks: If your vessel has changed course during the three hour period, remember 

to determine the distance made good of the ship during the three hour period, and divide 

this by three. In this case, distance made good is less than the actual distance the ship 

has travelled. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-75 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

ss, Sign and Type of Sea Surface 

Temperature Measurement 

0, Sea Surface Data Indicator 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: ss is the sign of the sea surface temperature (SST), and also indicates how 

the SST was measured. 

Units: Celsius degrees. 

Method of Measurement: Engine room intake thermometer, hull mounted 

contact sensor thermometer, bucket thermometer. 

How to Code: 

Code for Sign and Type of Sea Surface Temperature, ss 

Code Figures 

0 positive or zero intake measurement 

1 negative intake measurement 

2 positive or zero bucket measurement 

3 negative bucket measurement 

4 positive or zero hull contact sensor 

5 negative hull contact sensor 

6 positive or zero neither intake, bucket or hull 

7 negative neither intake, bucket or hull 

Remarks: Select the appropriate code figure according to the sign of the sea surface 

temperature and method of measurement. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-76 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

TWTWTW, Sea Surface Temperature 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Sea surface water temperature, in tenths of a degree Celsius, its sign 

being given by ss. The temperature to be observed is that of the sea surface 

representative of conditions in the near-surface mixing layer underlying the ocean skin. 

Units: Celsius degrees. 

Method of Measurement: Engine room intake thermometer, hull mounted 

contact sensor thermometer, bucket thermometer. 

How to Code: In actual degrees Celsius as shown below. 

Examples: 8.4°C: TwTwTw = 084 ss = 0 (intake thermometer) 

0.4°C: TwTwTw = 004 ss = 0 (intake thermometer) 

–0.7°C: TwTwTw = 007 ss = 1 (intake thermometer) 

–1.5°C: TwTwTw = 015 ss = 1 (intake thermometer) 

Remarks: It is important to have your sea water thermometer checked and 

calibrated regularly. The engine room intake thermometer should be checked every 

time your vessel goes into the yard for service, and replaced whenever necessary. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-77 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

PWPW, Period of Wind Waves 

2, Wind Wave Data Indicator 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: PwPw is the period of wind waves in seconds. Wave period is the time 

between the passage of two successive wave crests (or successive troughs) past a fixed 

point. 

Units: Seconds. 

Method of Measurement: Count seconds, preferably with a watch or stopwatch. 

Note a small object (such as a piece of wood thrown overboard), a piece of seaweed, 

patch of foam, or a bird floating on the water. Start counting when the object reaches 

the crest of the first well formed wave. As the crest passes, the object will pass into the 

trough, then to the next crest, etc. Divide the total elapsed time by the number of 

crests passing under the object to obtain the period. 

How to Code: Coded directly in seconds. Thus, if the sea wave period is 8 

seconds, PwPw is coded as 08. 

Remarks: For measuring mean period of a wave system, only consider the higher 

waves in the center of each group of well formed waves. Any flat, or badly formed 

waves are omitted from the record. 

Characteristics of a Simple Wave 

NWSOH No. 1 2-78 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

HWHW, Height of Wind Waves 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: The vertical distance between trough and crest for wind waves in units of 

0.5 meter. 

Units: Half meters. 

Method of Measurement: Visual estimate. It is best for the observer to locate on 

the side of the ship from which the waves are coming. On very dark nights or in dense 

fog, estimate the wave height based on the last clear sighting, and whether wind speed 

or ships motion have changed. 

How to Code: The code is in units of half meters e.g. code figure 08 is 8 half meters 

= 4 meters = 13 feet: 

Code for Height of Waves, HWHW 

Code Height Code Height Code Height 

figs. in ft. figs. in ft. figs. in ft. 

(

1

⁄2 m) (

1

⁄2 m) (

1

⁄2 m) 

00 Less than 1 10 16 or 17 20 32 to 33 

01 1 or 2 11 18 21 34 or 35 

02 3 or 4 12 19 or 20 22 36 

03 5 13 21 or 22 23 37 or 38 

04 6 or 7 14 23 24 39 or 40 

05 8 or 9 15 24 or 25 25 41 

06 10 16 26 or 27 26 42 or 43 

07 11 or 12 17 28 27 44 or 45 

08 13 18 29 or 30 // Not 

09 14 or 15 19 31 determined 

To obtain the code figures for heights over 45 feet, multiply the height in feet by 0.6 and 

round off the result to the nearest whole number. 

Remarks: As with wave period, consider only the larger well-formed waves near the 

center of the wave group. Estimate the average height of these larger waves, and 

disregard the lesser waves. There is a tendency to underestimate wave height if you are 

fifty feet or more above the sea surface. Your visual estimate may be more accurate 

from a lower deck. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-79 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

dW1dW1, Direction of Primary Swell Waves 

3, Direction of Swell Waves Data Indicator 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: True direction, in tens of degrees, from which primary swell waves are 

coming. Use swell wave height to distinguish primary from secondary swell — the 

primary or predominant swell system is the one having the higher swell waves. Swell 

are waves that have travelled into your area of observation after being generated by 

wind in other areas. 

Units: Degrees. 

Method of Measurement: Visual estimate. Sight along the swell wave crests of the 

primary swell. The direction the swell waves are coming from will be 90° to the 

crestline. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-80 May 2010 
00

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

How to Code: Use the same code table as for dd, wind direction 

Code for Direction of Primary Swell, dW1dW1 

Code figure Code flgure 

01 5°-14° 21 205°-214° 

02 15°-24° 22 215°-224° 

03 25°-34° 23 225°-234° 

04 35°-44° 24 235°-244° 

05 45°-54° 25 245°-254° 

06 55°-64° 26 255°-264° 

07 65°-74° 27 265°-274° 

08 75°-84° 28 275°-284° 

09 85°-94° 29 285°-294° 

10 95°-104° 30 295°-304° 

11 105°-114° 31 305°-314° 

12 115°-124° 32 315°-324° 

13 125°-134° 33 325°-334° 

14 135°-144° 34 335°-344° 

15 145°-154° 35 345°-354° 

16 155°-164° 36 355°- 4° 

17 165°-174° 99 Variable, or all 

18 175°-184° directions. 

19 185°-194° 

20 195°-204° 

Remarks: If there is no swell, or if the swell cannot be distinguished, omit the swell 

groups (3dW1dW1dW2dW2, 4PW1PW1HW1HW1, 5PW2PW2HW2HW2) from the weather 

message. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-81 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Diagram showing development of wind waves in a storm area and evolution of 

wind waves into swell as the waves travel out of the wave-generating area. 

Limits of storm 

Average 

wind 

direction 

Fetch 

Sea 

Swell 

Direction 

of 

waveadvance 

Wave-generating 

area 

To distinguish wind waves from swell, remember that wind waves are generated by 

the wind blowing at the time of observation, or in the recent past, in your local area. 

Swell waves have travelled into your area of observation, after having been 

generated by winds in other areas (sometimes thousands of miles away). As wind 

waves move out from under the wind that produces them and become swell, their 

character changes. The crests become lower and more rounded, and they move in 

trains of similar period and height. Swell is more symmetrical and uniform than sea, 

and will have a longer period. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-82 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

00

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

dW2dW2, Direction of Secondary Swell Waves 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: True direction, in tens of degrees, from which secondary swell waves are 

coming. The secondary swell system has lower waves than the primary swell and 

usually comes from a different direction. 

Units: Degrees. 

Method of Measurement: Visual estimate. Sight along the secondary swell wave 

crests. The wave direction will be 90° to the crestline. 

How to Code: Use the same code table as for dd, wind direction 

Code for Direction of Secondary Swell, dW2dW2 

Code figure Code flgure 

01 5°-14° 21 205°-214° 

02 15°-24° 22 215°-224° 

03 25°-34° 23 225°-234° 

04 35°-44° 24 235°-244° 

05 45°-54° 25 245°-254° 

06 55°-64° 26 255°-264° 

07 65°-74° 27 265°-274° 

08 75°-84° 28 275°-284° 

09 85°-94° 29 285°-294° 

10 95°-104° 30 295°-304° 

11 105°-114° 31 305°-314° 

12 115°-124° 32 315°-324° 

13 125°-134° 33 325°-334° 

14 135°-144° 34 335°-344° 

15 145°-154° 35 345°-354° 

16 155°-164° 36 355°- 4° 

17 165°-174° 99 Variable, or all 

18 175°-184° directions. 

19 185°-194° 

20 195°-204° 

Remarks: If only one swell system is observed, use slants (//) for the secondary 

swell. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-83 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

PW1PW1, Primary Swell Wave Period 

4, Data Indicator for Period and Height of 

Primary Swell Waves 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Period of primary swell waves, in seconds. Period is the time it takes two 

successive swell wave crests to pass a fixed point. 

Units: Seconds. 

Method of Measurement: Same as for wind wave period. Count the seconds, 

preferably with a watch or stopwatch. Note a small object, a peice of seaweed, patch of 

foam, even a bird floating on the water. Start counting when the object reaches the 

crest of the first well-formed swell wave. Note the time the object reaches the next 

crest, and the crest after that. Record the average period for several of the larger, well 

formed swell waves. 

How to Code: Coded directly in seconds. Thus, if the period of the primary swell 

waves is 12 seconds, Pw1Pw1 is coded as 12. If the period is 7 seconds, Pw1Pw1 is coded 

as 07. 

Remarks: When the swell wavelength is close to the width of the ship, period can be 

estimated by counting the seconds it takes the ship to “ride the swell”, i.e., go from 

crest to trough and back to crest. This method is especially useful if the swell is coming 

from abeam the ship (port to starboard or the reverse). 

NWSOH No. 1 2-84 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

HW1HW1, Height of Primary Swell Waves 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Height of primary swell waves, in units of 0.5 meter. Swell wave height is 

the vertical distance between trough and crest. The primary swell 

system has higher waves than the secondary swell. 

Units: Half meters. 

Method of Measurement: Visual estimate. It is best for the observer to locate on the 

side of the ship from which the waves are coming. It may help to move up or down in the 

ship (by changing levels or deck) to obtain the best possible view. On very dark nights, or in 

dense fog, estimate the height of the swell waves based on the last clear sighting, and 

whether swell waves have since changed based on the wind speed or ship’s motion. On 

bright moonlit nights, swell waves can often be observed. 

How to Code: The code is in units of half meters. Thus, code figure 10 is 10 half 

meters = 5 meters = 16-17 feet. 

Code for Height of Primary Swell Waves, HW1HW1 

Code Height Code Height Code Height 

figs. in ft. figs. in ft. figs. in ft. 

(

1

⁄2 m) (

1

⁄2 m) (

1

⁄2 m) 

00 Less than 1 10 16 or 17 20 32 to 33 

01 1 or 2 11 18 21 34 or 35 

02 3 or 4 12 19 or 20 22 36 

03 5 13 21 or 22 23 37 or 38 

04 6 or 7 14 23 24 39 or 40 

05 8 or 9 15 24 or 25 25 41 

06 10 16 26 or 27 26 42 or 43 

07 11 or 12 17 28 27 44 or 45 

08 13 18 29 or 30 // Not 

09 14 or 15 19 31 determined 

To obtain the code figures for heights over 45 feet, multiply the height in feet by 0.6 and 

round off the result to the nearest whole number. 

Remarks: When determining swell wave characteristics, always select the larger, well 

formed swell waves of the wave system being observed. These are referred to as the 

“significant” swell waves. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-85 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

PW2PW2, Period of Secondary Swell Waves 

5, Data Indicator for Period and Height of Secondary 

Swell Waves 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Period of secondary swell waves, in seconds. 

Units: Seconds. 

Method of Measurement: Same as for wind wave period. Count the seconds, 

preferably with a watch or stopwatch. Note a small object, a peice of seaweed, patch of 

foam, even a bird floating on the water. Start counting when the object reaches the 

crest of the first well-formed swell wave. Note the time the object reaches the next 

crest, and the crest after that. Record the average period for several of the larger, well 

formed swell waves. 

How to Code: Coded directly in seconds. Thus, if the period of the primary swell 

waves is 12 seconds, Pw2Pw2 is coded as 12. If the period is 7 seconds, Pw2Pw2 is coded 

as 07. 

Remarks: When the swell wavelength is close to the width of the ship, period can be 

estimated by counting the seconds it takes the ship to “ride the swell”, i.e., go from 

crest to trough and back to crest. This method is especially useful 

if the swell is coming from abeam the ship (port to starboard or the reverse). 

NWSOH No. 1 2-86 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

HW2HW2, Height of Secondary Swell Waves 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Height of secondary swell waves, in units of 0.5 meter. The secondary 

swell system has lower waves than the primary swell. 

Units: Half meters. 

Method of Measurement: Visual estimate. It is best for the observer to locate on the 

side of the ship from which the swell waves are coming. It may help to move up or down 

in the ship (by changing levels or deck) to obtain the best possible view. On very dark 

nights, or in dense fog, estimate the height of the swell waves based on the last clear 

sighting, and whether swell waves have since changed based on the wind speed or ship’s 

motion. On bright moonlit nights, swell waves can often be observed. 

How to Code: The code is in units of half meters. Thus, code figure 10 is 10 half 

meters = 5 meters = 16-17 feet. 

Code for Height of Secondary Swell Waves, HW2HW2 

Code Height Code Height Code Height 

figs. in ft. figs. in ft. figs. in ft. 

(

1

⁄2 m) (

1

⁄2 m) (

1

⁄2 m) 

00 Less than 1 10 16 or 17 20 32 to 33 

01 1 or 2 11 18 21 34 or 35 

02 3 or 4 12 19 or 20 22 36 

03 5 13 21 or 22 23 37 or 38 

04 6 or 7 14 23 24 39 or 40 

05 8 or 9 15 24 or 25 25 41 

06 10 16 26 or 27 26 42 or 43 

07 11 or 12 17 28 27 44 or 45 

08 13 18 29 or 30 // Not 

09 14 or 15 19 31 determined 

To obtain the code figures for heights over 45 feet, multiply the height in feet by 0.6 and 

round off the result to the nearest whole number. 

Remarks: When determining swell wave characteristics, always select the larger, well 

formed swell waves. These are referred to as the “significant” swell waves. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-87 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Is, Cause of Ice Accretion on Ship 

6, Data Indicator for Ice Accretion 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Is is the cause of ice accretion on ship. Ice accretion refers to a deposition 

of a coating of ice on the ships superstructure or exposed surfaces, from freezing 

precipitation, ocean spray, supercooled fog, or cloud droplets. 

Units:
 

Method of Measurement: Visual.
 

How to Code:
 

Code for Ice Accretion, Is 

Code Figures 

1 Icing from ocean spray 

2 Icing from fog 

3 Icing from spray and fog 

4 Icing from rain 

5 Icing from spray and rain 

Remarks: An accumulation of freezing rain, drizzle, sea spray, or fog (rime ice) can 

be hazardous, especially to smaller vessels. Ice can cause radio or radar failures, due to 

the icing of aerials. Ice can also cause difficulty in unloading cargo in port if 

containers and their lashings are frozen to the deck. By reporting this information, you 

alert the forecasters to this condition, enabling them to broadcast reliable warnings 

when a danger is foreseen. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-88 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

EsEs, Thickness of Ice Accretion on Ships 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Thickness of ice accretion on ships, in centimeters. Record the 

maximum thickness observed. 

Units: Centimeters.
 

Method of Measurement: Visual estimate or measured with tape measure or
 

ruler. 


How to Code: The code is direct reading in centimeters.
 

Code for Thickness of Ice Accretion, EsEs 

Code Code Code 

figs. figs. figs. 

(cm) Inches (cm) Inches (cm) Inches 

00 Less than 1

⁄4 08 3 or 31⁄4 16 61⁄4 

01 1

⁄4 or 1⁄2 09 31⁄2 17 61⁄2 or 63⁄4 

02 3

⁄4 10 33⁄4 or 4 18 7 or 71⁄4 

03 1 to 11

⁄4 11 41⁄4 or 41⁄2 19 71⁄2 

04 11

⁄2 or 13⁄4 12 43⁄4 20 73⁄4 or 8 

05 2 13 5 or 51

⁄4 21 81⁄4 

06 21

⁄4 or 21⁄2 14 51⁄2 22 81⁄2 or 83⁄4 

07 23

⁄4 15 53⁄4 or 6 23 9 or 91⁄4 

Remarks: Report the actual thickness of the ice in centimeters. If the thickness is 30 

cm, code EsEs as 30. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-89 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Rs, Rate of Ice Accretion on Ships 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Rate of ice accretion on ships.
 

Units:
 

Method of Measurement: Visual estimate.
 

How to Code:
 

Code for Rate of Ice Accretion, Rs 

Code Figures 

0 Ice not building up 

1 Ice building up slowly 

2 Ice building up rapidly 

3 Ice melting or breaking up slowly 

4 Ice melting or breaking up rapidly 

Remarks: 

NWSOH No. 1 2-90 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

sw, Sign and Method of Determining Wet 

Bulb Temperature 

8, Data Indicator for Wet Bulb Temperature 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Arithmetic sign and how the wet bulb temperature was determined.
 

Units: Celsius degrees.
 

Method of Measurement: Psychrometer, either a hand-held sling or an outdoor
 

unit housed in a shelter.
 

How to Code: 

Code for Sign and Type of Wet Bulb Temperature, Sw 

Code Figures 

0 Positive or zero measured 

1 Negative measured 

2 Iced bulb measured 

3-4 Not used 

5 Positive or zero computed 

6 Negative computed 

7 Iced bulb computed 

Remarks: Psychrometers must be exposed in a stream of air, fresh from the sea, 

which has not been in contact with, or passed over the ship, and should be adequetely 

shielded from radiation, precipitation, and spray. Take your measurement from the 

windward side of the ship. If using psychrometers housed in an outdoor shelter, one 

should be installed on each side of the ship. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-91 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

TbTbTb, Wet Bulb Temperature 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Wet Bulb temperature, in degrees Celsius and tenths. 

Units: Celsius degrees. 

Method of Measurement: Psychrometer. The thermometers must be read as soon 

as possible after ventilation or whirling has stopped. Moisten the wet bulb muslin sleeve 

thoroughly, on all sides, with distilled water, or the purest water available (ordinary 

water contains dissolved substances which deposit on the wicking as it evaporates, 

causing the wet bulb to read to high). Change the wicking weekly, or more often if it 

becomes dirty or contaminated by salt spray. 

If using a sling, from the windward side of the ship, whirl the sling psychrometer at a 

rate of about 4 revolutions per second for about 1 minute. Read the thermometers 

immediately, then whirl for another 10 seconds, and read again. If the readings are 

unchanged, record these as your official temperatures. If the readings are different at 

the second reading, continue the whirling and reading until two successive sets of 

readings are the same. If using psychrometers in outdoor shelters, install one on each 

side of the vessel, and read from the windward side. 

For temperatures below 0°C, the muslin wicking should be covered with a thin coating 

of ice. After moistening the muslin with ice cold water, you should initiate the freezing 

of the water by touching the muslin with a piece of ice, snow, or other cold object. 

This may need to be done up to a half hour before observation time, to allow enough 

time for the ice coating to form. Do not allow the coating of ice on the wet bulb to 

become too thick — this will result in an incorrect reading. If ice is building up, 

immerse the wet bulb in a small container of warm water to reduce the ice. 

How to Code: The code is direct reading in Celsius degrees. 

Examples: 11.6°C measured: TbTbTb = 116 and sw = 0 

3.2°C measured: TbTbTb = 032 and sw = 0 

–4.8°C computed: TbTbTb = 048 and sw = 6 

NWSOH No. 1 2-92 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Remarks: If possible, shield the psychrometer from precipitation and spray, and from 

the direct rays of the sun by whirling in the shade. When reading a thermometer, make 

sure your eye is level with the end of the mercury column. 

The wet bulb thermometer works on the principle that water evaporating from the 

muslin wicking absorbs (removes) heat from the thermometer bulb and mercury. 

Whirling therefore lowers the temperature of the wet bulb thermometer. The 

difference between the readings of the dry and wet bulb thermometers is called the 

depression of the wet bulb. 

When the air is very dry, containing little moisture, evaporation will be rapid, and the 

depression of the wet bulb will be quite large. If the air is very moist, evaporation from 

the muslin will be slight, and the depression of the wet bulb will be small. At sea, the 

depression is seldom more than 6°C. 

MUSLIN 

WICKING 

A sling psychrometer. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-93 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

ci, Concentration or Arrangement of Sea Ice 

ICE, Indicator for Sea Ice Concentration 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE c iSibiDizi 

Definition: Concentration or arrangement of sea ice
 

Units:
 

Method of Measurement: Visual determination.
 

How to Code: Code in accordance with the table on the following page.
 

Remarks: Choose the coding which describes the condition which is of the most
 

navigational significance.
 

Lead: Any fracture or pass-way through sea ice which is navigable by surface vessels. 

Pack ice: Term used in a wide sense to include any area of sea ice, other than fast 

ice, no matter what form it takes or how it is disposed. 

Sea ice: Any formed ice found at sea which has originated from freezing of sea water . 

Pack Ice Coverage 

Code Figures 

Open Water <1/10 (1/8) 

Very Open 1/10 - 3/10 (1/8 < 3/8) 

Open 4/10 - 6/10 (3/8 < 6/8) 

Close 7/10 - 8/10 (6/8 < 7/8) 

Very Close 9/10 - 10/10 (7/8 < 8/8) 

Compact 10/10 (8/8) and no open water visible 

Consolidated 10/10 (8/8) and floes are frozen together 

NWSOH No. 1 2-94 May 2010 
Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Code for Concentration or Arrangement of Sea Ice, ci 

Code Figures 

0 No sea ice in sight 

1 Ship in open lead more than 1 

nautical mile wide, or ship in fast 

ice with boundary beyond limit of 

visibility 

2 Sea ice present in concentrations 

less than 3

⁄10 (

3

⁄8); open water or 

very open pack ice 

3 4

⁄10 to 6⁄10 (

3

⁄8 to less than 6⁄8); open 

pack ice 

4 7

⁄10 to 8⁄10 (

6

⁄8 to less than 7⁄8); close 

pack ice 

5 9

⁄10 or more, but not 10⁄10 (

7

⁄8 to less 

than 8

⁄8); very close pack ice 

6 Strips and patches of pack ice 

with open water between 

7 Strips and patches of close or 

very close pack ice with areas of 

lesser concentration between 

8 Fast ice with open water, very 

open or open pack ice to seaward 

of the ice boundary 

9 Fast ice with close or very close 

pack ice to seaward of the ice 

boundary 

/ Unable to report, because of 

darkness, lack of visibility, or 

because ship is more than 

1

⁄2 nautical mile away from the 

ice edge. 

Sea ice 

concentratio 

n is uniform 

in the 

observation 

area 

Sea ice 

concentratio 

n is not 

uniform in 

the observation area 

Ship in ice 

or within 1/2 

nautical 

mile of the 

ice edge 

NWSOH No. 1 2-95 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Si, Sea Ice Stage of Development 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Stage of Development of Sea ice
 

Units:
 

Method of Measurement: Visual determination
 

How to Code:
 

Code for Stage of Development of Sea Ice, Si 

Code Figures 

0 New ice only (frazil ice, grease ice, slush ice, shuga) 

1 Nilas or ice rind, less than 10 cm thick 

2 Young ice (grey ice, grey-white ice), 10-30 cm thick 

3 Predominantly new and/or young ice with some first year ice 

4 Predominantly thin first-year ice with some new and/or young ice 

5 All thin first-year ice (30-70 cm thick) 

6 Predominantly medium first-year ice (70-120 cm thick) and thick 

first-year ice (more than 120 cm thick) with some thinner (younger) 

first-year ice 

7 All medium and thick first-year ice 

8 Predominantly medium and thick first-year ice with some old ice 

(usually more than 2 meters thick) 

9 Predominantly old ice 

/ Unable to report, because of darkness, lack of visibility , or because 

only ice of land origin is visible, or because ship is more than 

1

⁄2 nautical mile away from ice edge 

Remarks: The code figures represent a series of increasing navigational difficulties 

for any concentration of sea ice. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-96 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

bi, Ice of Land Origin 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: Ice of land origin
 

Units:
 

Method of Measurement: Visual determination.
 

How to Code:
 

Code for Ice of Land Origin, bi 

Code Figures 

0 No ice of land origin 

1 1-5 icebergs, no growlers or bergy bits 

2 6-10 icebergs, no growlers or bergy bits 

3 11-20 icebergs, no growlers or bergy bits 

4 Up to and including 10 growlers and bergy bits - no icebergs 

5 More than 10 growlers and bergy bits - no icebergs 

6 1-5 icebergs with growlers and bergy bits 

7 6-10 icebergs with growlers and bergy bits 

8 11-20 icebergs with growlers and bergy bits 

9 More than 20 icebergs with growlers and bergy bits - a major hazard 

to navigation 

/ Unable to report, because of darkness, lack of visibility , or because 

only sea ice is visible 

Remarks: If only ice of land origin is present, the ice group is coded as 0/bi/0; e.g. 

0/2/0 would mean 6-10 icebergs in sight, but no sea ice. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-97 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Di, Bearing of Principal Ice Edge 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDizi 

Definition: True bearing of principal sea ice edge.
 

Units:
 

Method of Measurement: Visual determination
 

How to Code: 


Code for True Bearing of Principal Ice Edge, Di 

Code Figures 

0 Ship in shore or flaw lead 

1 Principal ice edge towards NE 

2 Principal ice edge towards E 

3 Principal ice edge towards SE 

4 Principal ice edge towards S 

5 Principal ice edge towards SW 

6 Principal ice edge towards W 

7 Principal ice edge towards NW 

8 Principal ice edge towards N 

9 Not determined (ship in ice) 

/ Unable to report, because of darkness, lack of visibility , or because 

only ice of land origin is visible 

Remarks: The bearing of the principal ice edge reported should be to the closest 

part of that edge. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-98 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

zi, Present Sea Ice Situation and 

Three Hour Trend 

SECTION 0 — IDENTIFICATION DATA 

BBXX D . . . . D YYGGiw 99LaLaLa QcLoLoLoLo 

SECTION 1 — METEOROLOGICAL DATA 

iRixhVV Nddff 00fff 1snTTT 2snTdTdTd 

4PPPP 5appp 7wwW1W2 8NhCLCMCH 

SECTION 2 — OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA 

222Dsvs 0ssTwTwTw 2PwPwHwHw 3dw1dw1dw2dw2 4Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1 

5Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2 6IsEsEsRs 8swTbTbTb ICE ciSibiDiz i 

Definition: Present sea ice situation and trend of conditions over preceeding three 

hours 

Units:
 

Method of Measurement: Visual determination. 


How to Code:
 

Code for Present Ice Situation and Three Hour Trend, zi 

Code Figures 

0 Ship in open water with floating ice in sight 

1 Ship in easily penetrable ice; conditions improving 

2 Ship in easily penetrable ice; conditions not changing 

3 Ship in easily penetrable ice; conditions worsening 

4 

5 

6 

Ship in ice difficult to penetrate; conditions improving 

Ship in ice difficult to penetrate; conditions not changing 

Ice forming and floes freezing together Ship in 

Ship 

in ice 

7 

8 

9 

/ 

Ice under slight pressure 

Ice under moderate or severe pressure 

Ship beset 

Unable to report, because of darkness, 

ice difficult to 

penetrate and 

conditions 

worsening 

lack of visibility 

Remarks: Code figures 6-9 represents worsening ice conditions difficult for the ship 

to penetrate. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-99 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Ice Term Definitions 

Anchor-ice: Submerged ice attached or anchored to the bottom, irrespective of the 

nature of its formation. 

Bergy Bit: A large piece of floating glacier ice, generally showing less than 5 m above 

sea level but more than 1 m and normally about 100-300 m 2 in area. 

Beset: Situation of a vessel surrounded by ice and unable to move. 

Brash ice: Accumulations of floating ice made up of fragments not more than 2 m 

across, the wreckage of other forms of ice. 

Calving: The breaking away of a mass of ice from an ice wall, ice front, or iceberg. 

Close pack ice: Pack ice in which the concentration is 7/10 to 8/10 (6/8 to less than 

7/8), composed of floes mostly in contact. 

Compacted ice edge: Close, clear-cut ice edge compacted by wind or current; usually 

on the windward side of an area of pack ice. 

Compact pack ice: Pack ice in which the concentration is 10/10 (8/8) and no water is 

visible. 

Concentration: The ratio expressed in tenths or oktas describing the mean areal 

density of ice in a given area. 

Consolidated pack ice: Pack ice in which the concentration is 10/10 (8/8) and the 

floes are frozen together. 

Dark nilas: Nilas which is under 5 cm in thickness and is very dark in color . 

Diffuse ice edge: Poorly defined ice edge limiting an area of dispersed ice; usually on 

the leeward side of an area of pack ice. 

Fast ice: Sea ice which forms and remains fast along the coast, where it is attached to 

the shore, to an ice wall, to an ice front, between shoals or grounded icebergs. Vertical 

fluctuation may be observed during changes of sea level. Fast ice may be formed in situ 

from sea water or by freezing of pack ice of any age to the shore, and it may extend a 

few meters or several hundred kilometers from the coast. Fast ice may be more than 

one year old and may then be prefixed with the appropriate age category (old, secondyear, or multi-year). If it is thicker than about 2 m above sea level it is called ice shelf. 

Finger rafting: Type of rafting whereby interlocking thrusts are formed, each floe 

thrusting ‘fingers’ alternately over and under the other. Common in nilas and grey ice. 

First-year ice: Sea ice of not more than one winter ’s growth, developing from young 

ice: thickness 30 cm- 2 m. May be subdivided into thin first-year ice/white ice, 

medium first-year ice, and thick first-year ice. 

Flaw Lead: A passage-way between pack ice and fast ice which is navigable by 

surface vessels. 

Floating ice: Any form of ice found floating in water. The principal kinds of floating ice 

are lake ice, river ice, and sea ice, which forms by the freezing of water at the surface, 

and glacier ice (ice of land origin) formed on land or in an ice shelf. The concept 

includes ice that is stranded or grounded. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-100 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Floe: Any relatively flat piece of sea ice 20 m or more across. Floes are sub-divided 

according to horizontal extent as follows: 

Giant: Over 5.4 n. mile across 

Vast: 1.1-5.4 n. mile across 

Big: 500-2000 m across 

Medium: 100-500 m across 

Small: 20-100 m across 

Floeberg: A massive piece of sea ice composed of a hummock, or a group of 

hummocks, frozen together and separated from any ice surroundings. It may float up to 

5 m above sea level. 

Fracture: Any break or rupture through very close pack ice, compact pack ice, 

consolidated pack ice, fast ice, or a single floe resulting from deformation processes. 

Fractures may contain brash ice and/or be covered with nilas and/or young ice. 

Length may vary from a few meters to many nautical miles. 

Frazil ice: Fine spicules or plates of ice, suspended in water . 

Glacier: A mass of snow and ice continuously moving from higher to lower ground or , if 

afloat, continuously spreading. The principal forms of glaciers are: inland ice sheets, ice 

shelves, ice streams, ice caps, ice piedmonts, cirque glaciers and various types of 

mountain (valley) glaciers. 

Glacier berg: An irregularly shaped iceberg. 

Glacier ice: Ice in, or originating from, a glacier, whether on land or floating on the sea 

as icebergs, bergy bits, or growlers. 

Grease ice: A later stage of freezing than frazil ice when the crystals have coagulated 

to form a soupy layer on the surface. Grease ice reflects little light, giving the sea a matt 

appearance. 

Grey ice: Young ice 10-15 cm thick. Less elastic than nilas and breaks on swell. 

Usually rafts under pressure. 

Grey-white ice: Young ice 15-30 cm thick. Under pressure likely to ridge than to raft. 

Growler: Smaller piece of ice than a bergy bit or floeberg, often transparent but 

appearing green or almost black in color, extending less than 1 m above the sea surface 

and normally occupying an area of about 20m 2

. 

Hummock: A hillock of broken ice which has been forced upwards by pressure. May be 

fresh or weathered. The submerged volume of broken ice under the hummock, forced 

downwards, is termed a bummock. 

Iceberg: A massive piece of ice greatly varying in shape, more than 5 m above sea 

level, which has broken away from a glacier, and which may be afloat or aground. 

Icebergs may be described as tabular, domed-shaped, sloping, pinnacled, weathered or 

glacier bergs. 

Ice boundary: The demarcation at any given time between fast ice and pack ice or 

between areas of pack ice of different concentrations (cf. ice edge). 

Ice edge: The demarcation at any given time between the open sea and sea ice of any 

kind, whether fast or drifting. It may be termed compacted or diffused (cf. ice boundary). 

Ice front: The vertical cliff forming the seaward face of an ice shelf or other floating 

glacier varying in height from 2 to 50 m or more above sea level (cf. ice wall). 

NWSOH No. 1 2-101 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Ice of land origin: Ice formed on land or in an ice shelf, found floating in water. The 

concept includes ice that is stranded or grounded. 

Ice patch: An area of pack ice less than 5.4 n. mile across. 

Ice rind: A brittle shiny crust of ice formed on a quiet surface by direct freezing or from 

grease ice, usually in water or low salinity. Thickness to about 5 cm. Easily broken by 

wind or swell, commonly breaking in rectangular pieces. 

Ice shelf: A floating ice sheet of considerable thickness showing 2-50 m or more above 

sea level, attached to the coast. Usually of great horizontal extent and with a level or 

gently undulating surface. Nourished by annual snow accumulation and often also by the 

seaward extension of land glaciers. Limited areas may be ground. The seaward edge is 

termed an ice front. 

Ice stream: Part of an inland ice sheet in which the ice flows more rapidly and not 

necessarily in the same direction as the surrounding ice. The margins are sometimes 

clearly marked by a change in direction of the surface slope but may be indistinct. 

Ice under pressure: Ice in which deformation processes are actively occurring and 

hence a potential impediment or danger to shipping. 

Ice wall: An ice cliff forming the seaward margin of a glacier which is not afloat. An ice 

wall is aground, the rock basement being at or below sea level (cf. ice front). 

Lake ice: Ice formed on a lake, regardless of observed location. 

Lead: Any fracture or pass-way through sea ice which is navigable by surface vessels. 

Light nilas: Nilas which is more than 5 cm in thickness and rather lighter in color than 

dark nilas. 

Medium first-year ice: First-year ice 70-120 cm thick. 

Multi-year ice: Old ice up to 3 m or more thick which has survived at least two 

summer’s melt. Hummocks even smoother than in second-year ice, and the ice is 

almost salt-free. Color, where bare, is usually blue. Melt pattern consists of large interconnecting irregular puddles and a well-developed drainage system. 

New ice: A general term for recently formed ice which includes frazil ice, grease ice, 

slush, and shuga. These types of ice are composed of ice crystals which are only 

weakly frozen together (if at all) and have a definite form only while they are afloat. 

Nilas: A thin elastic crust of ice, easily bending on waves and swell and under pressure, 

thrusting in a pattern of interlocking ‘fingers’ (fingers rafting). Has a matt surface and is 

up to 10 cm in thickness. May be subdivided into dark nilas and light nilas. 

Old ice: Sea ice which has survived at least one summer ’s melt. Most topographic 

features are smoother than first-year ice. May be subdivided into second-year and 

multi-year ice. 

Open pack ice: Pack ice in which the ice concentration is 4/10 to 6/10 (3/8 to less than 

6/8), with many leads and polynyas, and the floes are generally not in contact with one 

another. 

Open water: A large area freely navigable water in which sea ice is present in 

concentrations less than 1/10 (1/8). There may be ice of land origin present, although 

the total concentration of all ice shall not exceed 1/10 (1/8). 

NWSOH No. 1 2-102 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Ships Synoptic Code and Observing Methods 

Pack ice: Term used in a wide sense to include any area of sea ice, other than fast 

ice, no matter what form it takes or how it is disposed. 

Polynya: Any non-linear shaped opening in ice. Polynyas may contain brash ice and/or 

be covered with new ice, nilas or young ice; submariners refer to these as skylights. 

Sometimes the polynya is limited on one side by the coast and is called a shore polynya, 

or by fast ice and is called a flaw polynya. If it recurs in the same position every year , it 

is called a recurring polynya. 

Puddle: An accumulation on ice of melt-water, mainly due to melting snow, but in the 

more advanced stages also to the melting of ice. Initial stage consists of patches of 

melted snow. 

Rafting: Pressure process whereby one piece of ice overrides another . Most common 

in new and young ice. (cf. finger rafting). 

Ridging: The pressure process in which sea ice is forced into ridges, i.e. a line or wall 

of broken ice forced up by pressure. 

River ice: Ice formed on a river, regardless of observed location. 

Sea ice: Any formed ice found at sea which has originated from freezing of sea water . 

Second-year ice: Old ice which has survived only one summer ’s melt. Because it 

thicker and less dense than first-year ice, it stands higher out of the water. In contrast to 

multi-year ice, summer melting produces a regular pattern of numerous small puddles. 

Bare patches and puddles are usually greenish-blue. 

Shuga: An accumulation of spongy white ice lumps, a few centimeters across; they are 

formed from grease ice or slush and sometimes from anchor-ice rising to the surface. 

Slush: Snow which is saturated and mixed with water on land or ice surfaces, or as a 

viscous floating mass in water after a heavy snowfall. 

Strip: Long narrow area of pack ice about 0.5 n. mile or less in width, usually 

composed of small fragments detached from the main mass of ice, and run together 

under the influence of wind, swell, or current. 

Tabular berg: A flat-topped iceberg. Most tabular bergs form by calving from an ice 

shelf and snow horizontal banding. 

Thick first-year ice: First-year ice over 120 cm thick. 

Thin first-year ice/white ice: First-year ice 30-70 cm thick. 

Very close pack ice: Pack ice in which the concentration is 9/10 to less than 10/10 

(7/8 to less than 8/8). 

Very open pack ice: Pack ice in which the concentration is 1/10 to 3/10 (1/8 to less 

than 3/8) and water preponderates over ice. 

Young ice: Ice in the transition stage between nilas and first-year ice, 10-30 cm in 

thickness. May be subdivided into grey ice and grey-white ice. 

NWSOH No. 1 2-103 May 2010 
Chapter 3 — Transmitting the Observation 

IMPORTANCE OF TIMELY TRANSMISSION 

Your weather observations are used by meteorologists preparing weather forecasts for 

coastal, offshore, and high seas areas. They are essential to the production of weather 

charts and analyses for marine areas. It is very important that observations be 

transmitted quickly. It is best to transmit reports within moments after the observation 

has been taken — on or within a very short time after the reporting hour. This 

generally ensures that the report will arrive in time for use by the marine forecaster. If 

ship operations prevent transmission at or near the reporting hour, send the report as 

soon as you can, but no later than 3 hours after the time of observation. 

STATIONS ACCEPTING VOS WEATHER OBSERVATIONS 

Weather observations sent by ships participating in the VOS program are sent at no 

cost to the ship except as noted. 

The stations listed accept weather observations which enter an automated system at 

National Weather Service headquarters. This system is not intended for other types of 

messages. To communicate with NWS personnel, see phone numbers and e-mail 

addresses at the beginning of this manual. 

NWSOH No. 1 3-1 May 2010 
Transmitting the Observation 

INMARSAT 

INMARSAT “B” 

Follow the instructions with your INMARSAT terminal for sending a telex message. 

Use Special Access Code 41 (except when using the AMVER/SEAS software in 

compressed binary format with INMARSAT “C” units), and do not request a 

confirmation when sending. No cost is involved with this transmission. 

Below is a typical procedure for using an INMARSAT “B” terminal. 

1. 	Select appropriate Land Earth Station Identity (LES-ID). 

*See table below. 

2.	 Select routine priority. 

3. 	Select duplex telex channel. 

4. 	Initiate the call. Wait for the GA+ signal. 

5. 	Select the dial code for meteorological reports, 41+. 

6. 	Upon receipt of our answerback, NWS OBS MHTS, transmit the weather 

message starting with BBXX and the ship’ s call sign. The message must 

be ended with 5 periods. Do not send any preamble. 

GA+ 

41+ 

NWS OBS MHTS 

BBXX WLXX 29003 99131 70808 41998 60909 10250 2021/ 

4011/52003 71611 85264 22234 00261 20201 31100 40803..... 

The 5 periods indicate the end of the message, and must be included after 

each report. Do not request a confirmation. 

INMARSAT “C” 

All major INMARSAT “C” terminals have the ability to transmit the encoded weather 

observation (BBXX) with the Special Access Code 41. No cost is involved with this 

transmission. Do not request a confirmation when sending. The detailed instructions 

necessary to setup and address the Code 41 message and transmission instruction 

according to the different manufactures are listed on our Website at 

http://www.vos.noaa.gov in the VOS Ship Resource Page. 

* Land-Earth Station Identity (LES-ID) of U.S. Inmarsat Stations Accepting 

Ships Weather (BBXX) and Oceanographic (JJYY) Reports 

Operator Service Station ID 

AOR-W AOR-E IOR POR 

VIZADA 

VIZADA 

VIZADA 

B 

C 

C (AMVER/SEAS) 

004 

004 

004 

004 

104 

104 

004 

304 

304 

004 

204 

204 

NWSOH No. 1 3-2	 May 2010 
Transmitting the Observation 

Some common mistakes include (1) failure to end the message with 5 periods when 

using INMARSAT “B”, (2) failure to include BBXX in the message preamble, (3) 

incorrectly coding the Date, Time, Latitude, Longitude, or quadrant of the globe, (4) 

requesting a confirmation (which increases cost to NWS). 

Using AMVER/SEAS Software 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U. 

S. Coast Guard (USCG) have created software to assist Volunteer Observing 

Ships (VOS) in submitting weather reports to worldwide weather networks, and to 

participate in the Automated Mutual (assistance) Vessel Rescue (AMVER) 

system. The VOS program (SEAS) allows commercial ships around the world to return 

marine weather observations to the National Weather Service (at no charge to the 

vessel). The AMVER system allows ships to report their intended track so in the event 

of an emergency all available resources can be focused on aiding ship(s) in distress. 

The U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA pay all transmission costs, provided 

messages are sent to the INMARSAT C address specified in this user’s guide. 

Weather observations should be reported at 0000, 0600, 1200, and 1800 UTC. 

Ships are also encouraged to submit reports at 0300, 0900, 1500 and 2100 UTC. 

Each weather observation is also processed as a position report then sent to the 

Coast Guard AMVER Center. 

A typical voyage utilizing the AMVER/SEAS~MET program would require the 

submission of an AMVER Sail Plan before departure, submission of Weather 

Observations four times per day and the submission of an Arrival Report. The U. S. 

Coast Guard updates their database with the position information from these reports, 

which allows them to identify vessels in the vicinity of a ship(s) in distress. 

Ships that follow the same routes repeatedly have an additional benefit since Sail Plans 

can be stored in the computer system, recalled later to change the date and time of 

departure, rather than creating a new plan each time. 

Note: To obtain the AMVER/SEAS~Met software program contact a U.S. 

PMO listed at the beginning of this handbook. Visit our Website at 

http://www.vos.noaa.gov and click on AMVER/SEAS software on the left 

side of the page for more information. 

Common errors when using the AMVER/SEAS~Met software 

•	 Sending the compressed binary message via the Special Access Code 41. 

•	 Sending a plain text message via the AMVER/SEAS address. 

•	 Only VIZADA can accept the AMVER/SEAS messages in binary format. 

•	 Do not attempt to view the file with the Text Editor. (This will added unwanted 

characters to the message and corrupt the file) 

•	 Do not send from the Text Editor. 

•	 Send with the CONFIRMATION request turned OFF. 

NWSOH No. 1 3-3	 May 2010 
 

Transmitting the Observation 

Instructions for sending weather observations using Standard C and 

Code 41 (no charge to ship): 

JRC (JAPANESE RADIO COMPANY) 

STANDARD “C” 

********************************** IMPORTANT ********************************** 

1. It is necessary to setup an address for the AMVER/SEAS message in the Standard C software. 

The SETUP procedure provided below is a one-time process to be completed on initial 

installation. 

2. The TRANSMISSION instructions provided below are to be followed each time a message is 

transmitted. 

3. These instructions may vary slightly, depending on the software version and hardware. 

************************************************************************************* 

SETUP AND TRANSMISSION PROCEDURES 

1. At the MAIN MENU select TRANSMIT. Select SPECIAL ACCESS NETWORK and Press 

<ENTER>. 

o	 The SPECIAL ACCESS NETWORK window appears. Press <ENTER>. Type in the 

word SEAS and Press <ENTER>. 

o	 Ensure FILE NAME: A:\MET.BIN (Or Other Appropriate File) By using A:\ you are 

telling the program to read the file on the diskette and not the text in editor . 

o	 Arrow down to LAND EARTH STATION and Press <ENTER>. Type in your 

LES/CES CODE corresponding to your ships location and press <ENTER> 

o AOR (W) Southbury 004 

o AOR (E) Southbury 104 

o POR Santa Paula 204 

o IOR Eik (Oslo) 304 

******************** No other stations can relay the messages *********************** 

o	 Ensure POSITION: OFF 

o	 Arrow down to CHARACTER CODE <ENTER>. Use the Arrow key to Highlight 

DATA. (Ensure this is completed, because you are transmitting a Binary 

message) 

o	 Arrow down to DELIVERY CONFIRMATION and Press <ENTER>. Use the Arrow 

Key to highlight OFF and Press <ENTER>. 

2. Press F1 (This will SEND THE MESSAGE). 

NOTE: The following are the FILE NAME for each particular message. 

—Meteorological Observation MET.BIN 

—Sail Plan SP.BIN 

—Arrival Report FR.BIN 

—Deviation Report DR.BIN 

—Administrative Report ADMIN.BIN 

NWSOH No. 1 3-4	 May 2010 
Transmitting the Observation 

CODE 41 

********************************** IMPORTANT ********************************** 

1. It is necessary to set up an address for the Code 41 message in the Standard C software. The 

SETUP procedure provided below is a one-time process to be completed on initial installation. 

2. The TRANSMISSION instructions provided below are to be followed each time a message is 

transmitted. 

3. These instructions may vary slightly, depending on the software version and hardware. 

************************************************************************************* 

SETUP PROCEDURES 

1. At the MAIN MENU highlight EDIT and Press <ENTER>. A small window will appear in the 

middle of the Main Menu Screen. Select EDIT ASCII FILE and Press <ENTER>. 

2. A small window appears which is called EDIT ASCII FILE. At the cursor enter a file name: 

“WEATHER OBS” and Press <ENTER>. 

3. The next screen will allow you to EDIT a message. Type in your Meteorological Observation in 

the proper format. (BBXX). Press F9 (This SAVES the information). Press ESC (Go back to Main 

Menu). 

TRANSMISSION PROCEDURES 

1. At the MAIN MENU select TRANSMIT. Select SPECIAL ACCESS NETWORK. and Press 

<ENTER>. 

o	 The SPECIAL ACCESS NETWORK window appears. Press <ENTER>. Type in the 

number “41” and Press <ENTER>. 

o	 Arrow down to LAND EARTH STATION and Press <ENTER>. Type in your 

LES/CES ID and Press <ENTER>. (Your LES/CES ID will be determined by your 

location in relation to the FOOT PRINT of the satellite.) 

o	 Arrow down to DELIVERY CONFIRMATION and Press <ENTER>. Use the Arrow 

Key to highlight OFF and Press <ENTER>. 

2. Press F1 (This will SEND THE MESSAGE). 

o	 When completing the Next Observation go to EDIT the ASCII FILE and EDIT the 

previous Observation BBXX and SAVE the FILE and SEND the message through 

the SPECIAL ACCESS NETWORK. 

THRANE AND THRANE 

STANDARD “C” 

********************************** IMPORTANT ********************************** 

1. It is necessary to setup an address for the AMVER/SEAS message in the Standard C software. 

The SETUP procedure provided below is a one-time process to be completed on initial 

installation. 

2. The TRANSMISSION instructions provided below are to be followed each time a message is 

transmitted. 

3. These instructions may vary slightly, depending on the software version and hardware. 

************************************************************************************* 

NWSOH No. 1 3-5	 May 2010 
 

Transmitting the Observation 

SETUP PROCEDURES
 

1. At the MAIN MENU highlight APPLICATION option and Press . Select ADDRESS BOOK and 

Press <ENTER>. Select NEW in Address Book and Press <ENTER>. 

2. At the EDIT ADDRESS section type in NEW NAME of file. (Example name: AMVER/SEAS and 

Press <ENTER> 

o	 There is a DOT in front of the TELEX [ (.) Telex] located on the right side of the 

screen. Move the DOT to SPECIAL by using the Arrow key. Once the SPECIAL is 

Highlighted, press the SPACE BAR. (This will place the DOT in the SPECIAL 

Address) 

o	 The terminal defaults to 7 Bit for all services, use the space bar to select 8-BIT. 

Press <ENTER> 

o	 At the Bottom of the screen a Box will appear to enter the SPECIAL ACCESS 

CODE. Type in the word SEAS in this field and Press <ENTER>. 

o	 Tab to “OK”. Press <ENTER>. (The Address is now saved) 

o	 Press ESC twice to reach the Main Menu. 

SETUP AND TRANSMISSION PROCEDURES 

1.	 At the MAIN MENU highlight TRANSMIT and Press <ENTER>. Press the space bar to open 

the Address book with the address created during setup. 

2.	 Highlight AMVER/SEAS address file and Press <ENTER> 

3.	 The cursor should be on the Land Station field. Press the space bar to view the station list. 

Highlight the correct CES/LES and Press <ENTER> to accept. 

4. AOR (W) Southbury 004 

5. AOR (E) Southbury 104 

6. POR	 Santa Paula 204 

7.	 IOR Eik (Oslo) 304 

******************** No other stations can relay the messages *********************** 

8.	 Tab the cursor to the “TEXT IN EDITOR” field which will be marked with an “X”. Press the 

space bar to remove the “X” and the word “FILE” will appear. 

9.	 Highlight the FILE option and press the space bar to display a list of files located on the 

diskette. Highlight the appropriate file name and press <ENTER>. 

10. Highlight the REQUEST CONFIRMATION option and press the space bar to remove the “X”. 

Move the cursor to SEND and press <ENTER>. 

NOTE: The following are the FILE NAME for each particular message. 

—Meteorological Observation MET.BIN 

—Sail Plan SP.BIN 

—Arrival Report FR.BIN 

—Deviation Report DR.BIN 

—Administrative Report ADMIN.BIN 

CODE 41 

********************************** IMPORTANT ********************************** 

1. It is necessary to setup an address for the Code 41 message in the Standard C software. The 

SETUP procedure provided below is a one-time process to be completed on initial installation. 

2. The TRANSMISSION instructions provided below are to be followed each time a message is 

transmitted. 

3. These instructions may vary slightly, depending on the software version and hardware. 

************************************************************************************* 

NWSOH No. 1 3-6	 May 2010 
Transmitting the Observation 

SETUP PROCEDURES
 

1. At the MAIN MENU highlight APPLICATION option and Press <ENTER>. Select ADDRESS 

BOOK and Press <ENTER>. Select NEW in Address Book and Press <ENTER>. 

2. At the EDIT ADDRESS section type in NEW NAME of file. (Example name: WEATHER OBS) 

and Press <ENTER>. 

o	 There is a DOT in front of the TELEX [ () Telex] located on the right side of the 

screen. 

o	 Move the DOT to SPECIAL by using the Arrow key. Once the SPECIAL is 

Highlighted Press the SPACE BAR. (This will place the DOT in the SPECIAL 

Address) 

o	 At the Bottom of the screen a Box will appear to enter the SPECIAL ACCESS 

CODE. Enter the number 41 and Press <ENTER. 

o	 Set the BIT to 7, if it is not already done and Press <ENTER>. 

o	 The CURSOR should be at “OK”. Press <ENTER>. (The Address is now saved). 

TRANSMISSION PROCEDURES 

1. At the MAIN MENU highlight FILE and Press <ENTER>. Select NEW ASCII or NEW TELEX 

and Press <ENTER>. Type in your Meteorological Observation in the proper format. 

2. When finished entering the Observation Press ESC and this will return to the Main Menu. At the 

MAIN MENU highlight FILE and Press <ENTER>. Arrow down to SAVE and Press <ENTER>. 

Name the FILE on the MSG such as “WEATHER OBS” and Press <ENTER>. 

3. At the MAIN MENU highlight TRANSMIT and Press <ENTER>. Select SEND and Press 

<ENTER>. (This will transmit the MSG) NOTE: Please turn the CONFIRMATION OFF. 

o	 When completing the Next Observation go to FILE and Press <ENTER>. Highlight 

LOADFILE and select the previous Observation BBXX and EDIT the same file and 

Transmit the file. 

FURUNO 

STANDARD “C” 

********************************** IMPORTANT ********************************** 

1. It is necessary to setup an address for the AMVER/SEAS message in the Standard C software. 

The SETUP procedure provided below is a one-time process to be completed on initial 

installation. 

2. The TRANSMISSION instructions provided below are to be followed each time a message is 

transmitted. 

3. These instructions may vary slightly, depending on the software version and hardware. 

************************************************************************************* 

NOTE: Furuno first started installing the *FELCON 11* model hardware in the middle 90’s for their 

version of the INMARSAT “C” to work with the GMDSS. This model could not generate a Binary 

message to be used with our AMVER/SEAS software. 

The Furuno company has updated their hardware to the *FELCOM 12*. This new hardware will 

allow an AMVER/SEAS Binary message to be transmitted on their INMARSA T “C” 

SETUP PROCEDURE 

1. At the FURUNO Main Menu, Press F8 (SETUP). The SETUP WINDOW menu comes up on 

the screen. 

NWSOH No. 1 3-7	 May 2010 
 

Transmitting the Observation 

2. Select NO.9 (CONFIGURATION) and Press <ENTER>. Select NO.1 (STATION LIST) and 

press <ENTER>. Arrow down to a blank file number at the end of the list and Press 

<ENTER>. 

3. A window appears asking for: Use <ENTER> when line is highlighted to type in information and 

press to accept typed in data. Use arrow keys to get to next line. 

o	 Station Name: Enter—-AMVER/SEAS 

o	 Arrow down to DESTINATION TYPE: Select SPEC 

o	 Arrow down to STATION ID: Enter in the word SEAS. Leave the Prefix and Country 

Code Blank. 

o	 Arrow down to REMARKS: Enter AMVER/SEAS,/B> and press <ENTER>. 

4. Press ESC until you return to the FURUNO MAIN MENU. 

1. Insert the diskette with the BINARY message that was generated with the AMVER/SEAS 

program. 

2. Press F3 (TRANSMIT). Select NO. 1 (TRANSMIT MSG) and Press <ENTER>. The Transmit 

Message window appears. 

o	 Arrow DOWN to MESSAGE FILE and Press <ENTER>. This will allow you to see 

the files stored on the diskette. Select the APPROPRIATE FILE message and 

Press <ENTER>. 

o	 Arrow DOWN to STATION NAME and Press <ENTER>. Select STATION 

AMVER/SEAS and Press <ENTER>. 

o	 Arrow DOWN to CES/LES ID and Press <ENTER>. Select the proper LES/CES 

and Press <ENTER>. AOR (W) Southbury 004, AOR (E) Southbury 104, POR 

Santa Paula 204 and IOR Eik (Oslo) 304. 

o	 Arrow DOWN to OPTION and Press <ENTER>. Arrow down to CONFIRMATION 

and select OFF and Press <ENTER>. Arrow down to CODE and Press 

<ENTER>. Select the word DATA and Press <ENTER>. (Ensure DATA is 

selected, because the AMVER/SEAS message is sent as a BINAR Y message.) 

o	 Press . Arrow DOWN to TRANSMIT and Press <ENTER>. A small SEND START 

window appears and SELECT YES and Press <ENTER>. The message is now 

being sent through the satellite. 

3. To see the Status of the Message being sent Press F6 (LOGS). 

NOTE: The following are the FILE NAME for each particular message. 

—Meteorological Observation MET.BIN 

—Sail Plan SP.BIN 

—Arrival Report FR.BIN 

—Deviation Report DR.BIN 

—Administrative Report ADMIN.BIN 

CODE 41 

********************************** IMPORTANT ********************************** 

1. It is necessary to setup an address for the Code 41 message in the Standard C software. The 

SETUP procedure provided below is a one-time process to be completed on initial installation. 

2. The TRANSMISSION instructions provided below are to be followed each time a message is 

transmitted. 

3. These instructions may vary slightly, depending on the software version and hardware. 

************************************************************************************* 

SETUP PROCEDURES 

1. At the NORMAL STANDBY Position Press F1 (FILE). A small window will appear and Highlight 

No. 1: New (ALT-N) and Press <ENTER>. 

NWSOH No. 1 3-8	 May 2010 
Transmitting the Observation 

o	 A larger window appears. At the cursor type in your Meteorological Observation in 

the proper format. (BBXX) Press F1 (SAVES MESSAGES). 

o	 A small window appears. Arrow down to 5: (SAVE ALT-S) and Press <ENTER>. 

o	 A small window appears in the upper left corner titled SAVE FILE NAME. Enter a 

Name on the file such as “WEATHER OBS” and Press <ENTER> (SAVED 

MESSAGE). 

TRANSMISSION PROCEDURES 

1. Press F3 (SEND/REC): A small window appears in upper left corner. Highlight No.1 (SEND) 

and Press <ENTER>. 

o	 Another window appears to the right of TITLE TO SEND MESSAGE. Highlight 

No. 1 (SEND MESSAGE) and Press <ENTER>. 

2. The SEND MESSAGE window appears. 

o	 Arrow down to DESTINATION TYPE and Highlight “SPEC”. 

o	 Arrow down to STATION ID and Type in “41”. 

o	 Arrow down to CES ID and type in the LES/CES ID. (Your LES/CES ID will be 

determined by location in relation to the FOOT PRINT of the satellite.) 

o	 Arrow down to CONFIRMATION and select OFF and Press <ENTER>. 

3. A small window appears titled SEND START. Highlight YES and Press <ENTER>. 

o	 At the bottom of the screen it will say: MESSAGE IS ENTERED IN SENDING 

BUFFER. 

o	 A window will appear saying: SUCCESSFUL SENDING MESSAGE. 

o	 The lower left corner of the screen will show the STATUS of the message. 

4. When completing the Next Observation go to FILE and to OPEN and Press <ENTER>. 

Highlight the last WEATHER OBS message and Press <ENTER>. EDIT the last message and 

TRANSMIT the message. 

*Note*: If your vessel has a Trimble unit please send an e-mail to U.S. VOS or any PMO 

requesting the procedures and we will provide them for you. 

To keep pace with increasingly widespread use of e-mail in today’ s commercial shipping industry 

the U.S. VOS program has developed a means for ships to transmit weather observations via email. The ship will incur the nominal cost when utilizing this method. The procedures are outlined 

below. 

SENDING SHIP OBSERVATIONS VIA E-MAIL 

1. Take an observation using the AMVER/SEAS 2000 software. 

o	 Place a diskette (1.44mb or 720 kb) in the A: drive of the computer. 

2. After entering the observation data, select QUICKFORM. 

o	 At the top of the QUICKFORM, select TRANSMIT from the left hand screen and 

arrow down to SAVE ASCII. 

3. The SAVE AS dialog box is brought up. At the SAVE IN dialog line, use the down arrow and 

change location to “Floppy Disk, (A:)”. 

o	 Select SAVE on lower right hand side of the dialog box. (This clears the box and 

saves an Ascii text version of the observations to the diskette.) 

4. Select CANCEL to close the “Quickform”. It will ask you: “Do you want to cancel and lose 

all data”. Select YES. (Note: The data is always archived on the hard drive, regardless.) 

5. Using My Computer, open the A: drive. There should be a notepad file on the diskette called 

MET or MET.TXT. Open it by double clicking on the icon. The synoptic observation will appear 

like this: 

BBXX WCY6777 15124 99559 71459 

41496 82324 10075 20048 

40123 57031 76162 86827 

22262 00042 20302 32433 40806 

51003 6//// 80062 ICE ///// 

NWSOH No. 1 3-9	 May 2010 
 

 

Transmitting the Observation 

6.	 HIGHLIGHT the complete message. Using the right mouse button, select COPY. 

(Note: Close the notepad window and select “Yes” to save the changes to the observation.) 

7. Open your e-mail account and start an e-mail message. 

o	 Using the right mouse button PASTE the observation inside the e-mail message. 

(Include the entire weather message including the letters BBXX at the start of the 

message) 

o	 You MUST include an equal sign (=) to the end of the observation. This is to allow 

the computers to know that the transmission has ended. Your final observation 

message should look like this: 

BBXX WCY6777 15124 99559 71459 

41496 82324 10075 20048 

40123 57031 76162 86827 

22262 00042 20302 32433 40806 

51003 6//// 80062 ICE /////= 

DO NOT SEND AS AN ATTACHMENT TO THE E-MAIL. THE 

OBSERVATION MUST BE SENT WITHIN THE BODY OF THE E-MAIL. 

7. SEND THE E-MAIL TO: shipobs@noaa.gov 

GREAT LAKES REGION PROCEDURES 

Email observations using address above 

24/7 NDBC Call Center phone,(800-990-6433) 

Web page entry tool – DMAWDS address connection 

http://erh.noaa.gov/dmawds/vos.html 

* For web access through DMAWDS, contact the Great Lakes Port Meteorological Officer at 

PMOGlakes@noaa.gov, or 815-922-9757. 

ALASKA REGION PROCEDURES 

NWS Alaska Offices to contact to relay marine weather observations for 

transmission 

National Weather Service Annette Island Office 

(907) 886-3241 VHF Channel 16 HF Radio Channel 4125 kHz 

National Weather Service Barrow Office 

(907) 852-3101 VHF Channel 16 HF Radio Channel 4125 kHz 

National Weather Service Bethel Office 

(907) 543-2236 VHF Channel 16 

National Weather Service Cold Bay Office 

(907) 532-2448 VHF Channel 16 HF Radio Channel 4125 kHz 

NWSOH No. 1 3-10	 May 2010 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Transmitting the Observation 

National Weather Service King Salmon Office 

(907) 246-3303 VHF Channel 16 HF Radio Channel 4125 kHz 

National Weather Service Kodiak Office 

(907) 487-2102 VHF Channel 16 HF Radio Channel 4125 kHz 

National Weather Service Kotzebue Office 

(907) 442-3231 VHF Channel 16 

National Weather Service Nome Office 

(907) 443-2321 VHF Channel 16 HF Radio Channel 4125 kHz 

National Weather Service St. Paul Island Office 

(907) 546-2215 VHF Channel 9 

National Weather Service Valdez Office 

(907) 784-3322 VHF Channel 16 Wireless Matrix Satellite Phone Number 9999 

National Weather Service Yakutat Office 

(907) 784-3322 VHF Channel 16 HF Radio Channel 4125 kHz 

Wireless Matrix Satellite Phone Number 9998 

Email observations using address above 

Website to submit marine observation (MAROBS) is: 

http://pajk.arh.noaa.gov/marine/marob.htm 

Kodiak Alaska Weather Radiofacsimile Station NOJ Continuous Broadcast 

Frequencies: 

2054, 4298, 8459, 12412.5 kHz 

NWSOH No. 1 3-11 May 2010 
Chapter 4 — The Weatherwise Mariner 

A man who is not afraid of the sea will soon be drowned, for he’ll be going 

out on a day he shouldn’t. But we do be afraid of the sea, and we do only be 

drowned now and again. 

From The Arran Islands by J. M. Synge 

Nothing affects the mariner as completely as does the weather. Anticipating changes to 

both weather and sea conditions can be of critical importance. To forecast what lies 

ahead you should capitalize on every available lead to future weather. This includes (1) 

understanding your own observations, and how to interprete them, (2) heeding 

professionally prepared weather forecasts and storm warnings, (3) studying marine 

weather and climatological summaries or atlases, and (4) making use of weather charts 

and analyses available via radiofacsimile. 

SHIPBOARD OBSERVATIONS AS A GUIDE TO 

FUTURE WEATHER CONDITIONS 

Your observations are dependable guides in determining future weather conditions. 

The following factors should be considered when making a forecast: 

Pressure and pressure changes 

Pressure changes, or a lack thereof, are very significant weather indicators. The 

approach of a low pressure or frontal system, tropical depression, storm, or hurricane 

is heralded by falling pressure. A steady, persistent drop in pressure normally indicates 

that foul weather is on the way. Be particularly wary of a rapid or sudden pressure fall 

of considerable magnitude. A steady and persistent rise in pressure is indicative of a 

period of settled or stable weather. Steep pressure rises and falls are often accompanied 

by strong wind. The passage of a front is often marked by a fall and subsequent 

steadying of pressure, or a fall followed by a rise in pressure. High pressures 

accompanied by slow pressure changes usually indicate a location within or near the 

center of a large high pressure area. 

Wind 

Wind shifts are very meaningful, and usually foretell a change in the weather. If, during 

stormy conditions, the wind shifts from the east, southeast, or northeast, to the west, 

northwest, or north (in the northern hemisphere), the weather should soon begin to 

clear. During fair weather, if the wind shifts from the west, southwest, or northwest, to 

the east, northeast, or southeast, (in northern hemisphere middle latitudes), a 

deterioration in weather conditions is likely (especially with a falling barometer). In 

general (but not always), fair weather comes with a wind from the southwest, west, or 

northwest, and unsettled weather is usually associated with wind from the east, 

southeast, or northeast (all wind directions are reversed for the southern hemisphere). 

NWSOH No. 1 4-1 May 2010 
Warm air 

The Weatherwise Mariner 

Clouds and the state of the sky 

Clouds are very important indicators of existing weather conditions, and also provide 

early clues to impending changes. Of particular significance is the sequence or 

progression of cloud formations observed over several hours or more. In advance of 

storms (including mid latitude cyclones or low pressure areas, tropical depressions, 

storms, or hurricanes), a typical cloud progression would be (1) high cirrus clouds 

several hundred miles or more in advance of the storm center, (2) if the storm is 

moving closer, cirrus will thicken to become cirrostratus, and then, when the storm is 

only a few hundred miles away, the darker altostratus, (3) If the altostratus develop into 

stratocumulus, or especially nimbostratus, the storm is getting closer, rain will begin to 

fall and wind speed should increase. The duration and intensity of storms can vary 

greatly; by using cloud sequences together with other indicators such as pressure and 

wind direction, you will obtain a good idea of what conditions to expect. 

Vertical section of clouds ahead of a low. If a warm front is present, 

it will lie along the dashed lines. 

35,000 ft 

altostratus 

nimbostratus 10,000 ft 

stratus or stratocumulus rain stratus 

200-400 miles 

Cumiliform clouds should also be closely watched. Cumulus with sharp or hard edged 

cauliflower-like tops are still growing and rising vertically. Cumulus with indistinct or 

fluffy tops have probably stopped rising and should not pose any threat. Sometimes 

cumulus is seen to develop strongly to start with, then flatten out into a layer. This 

indicates the cloud has advanced into a temperature inversion asociated with a high 

pressure area. 

If cumulus is observed to extend vertically and grow into cumulonimbus, a 

thunderstorm with possible lightning and strong, gusty winds may be near. When a 

thunderstorm enters your area, pressure may rise. This results from the downdraft of 

air just ahead of heavy precipitation. The downdraft may also cause the air 

temperature to drop. 

Fair weather cumulus with little vertical extent are good weather clouds. They indicate 

some instablilty close to the surface, but stable, dry conditions at higher levels. High icy 

cirrus clouds are also indicative of fair weather (if precipitation or storms are near, 

these clouds would not be visible). 

It has been found that halos around the sun or moon are followed by rain about 65% 

of the time. Halos occur as a result of refraction of light through the ice crystals of 

cirrus 

cirrostratus 

altostratus 

Cold air 

stratocumulus cumulus 

NWSOH No. 1 4-2 May 2010 
 

The Weatherwise Mariner 

cirrostratus clouds. As already indicated, cirrostratus is often the first sign of an 

approaching storm or warm front. In the middle latitudes of the northern hemisphere, 

a halo with northeast, east, or southeast wind, and falling barometer, can be a fairly 

reliable indicator of inclement weather to follow. 

Temperature and humidity 

There is a good possibility of fog formation whenever the wet bulb depression is slight, 

or when dew point temperature is close to the wet bulb temperature. The fall in nighttime temperature should be watched — if the wet bulb depression narrows, there is a 

greater likelihood of fog formation. 

Also, an increasing dew point temperature or a narrowing of the wet bulb depression 

may indicate the approach of a front or storm system with inclement weather. On the 

other hand, a low dew point temperature and large wet bulb depression indicate very 

dry conditions associated with high pressure areas, good visibility, and generally settled 

weather conditions. 

Sea and swell 

The arrival or absence of swell provides a clear distinction between the advance of a 

local thunderstorm and an approaching well developed storm center. A threatening sky 

with increasing and thickening clouds, but without any swell, cannot be part of a large 

storm system, so any bad weather will probably be short lived. However, increasing 

swell from the direction of advance of the storm clouds would suggest an approaching 

storm with a large area of strong winds. The appearance of a heavy, rolling swell often 

indicates the approach of a tropical storm. Such swell are the remains of huge, 

decayed waves generated by the storm, but which travel faster than the storm. 

The presence of swell for a long time without any significant change in weather 

conditions is difficult to interprete. A storm system may be approaching, but very 

slowly, or it may have already passed by. 

WEATHER FORECASTS AND STORM WARNINGS 

Always take advantage of professionally prepared weather forecasts and storm 

warnings, either from the NWS or from privately operated companies. Professional 

forecasters obtain vast amounts of data from worldwide sources, which allows them to 

locate and closely follow the movement of weather systems. Forecasters use numerical 

models which provide detailed forecast guidance out 72 hours or more from run time, 

and which also provide useful data out 144 hours (6 days) or more. 

MARINE CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMARIES OR ATLASES 

Climatological atlases generally provide information based on conditions averaged over 

long periods of time, and provide an indication of the range in weather and sea 

conditions to be expected in a particular area. The National Geospatial-Intelligence 

Agency prepares marine climatological atlases for the worlds oceans, which contain 

much meteorological and oceanographic information. Included is information about 

prevailing winds, currents, atmospheric pressure, the movement of ice, etc. See 

http://www.nga.mil/NGAPortal/MSI.portal. 

NWSOH No. 1 4-3 May 2010 
The Weatherwise Mariner 

USING WEATHER CHARTS AND ANALYSES 

The weather charts received via radiofacsimile provide a wealth of information allowing 

you to do your own forecasting. Perhaps the most useful chart is the surface analysis, 

which indicates the locations of Highs, lows, fronts, tropical storms, and also contains 

plotted surface reports, including ship reports. Your PMO can answer questions about 

using the surface and upper air weather analyses. 

WEATHER LORE, JINGLES AND PROVERBS 

Weather forecasting and supporting data acquisition programs (such as the VOS 

program) are a recent human advancement. Until the development of modern 

meteorology within the last hundred years, people relied on their own observations and 

experience to make weather predictions. It was known that certain atmospheric 

conditions were likely to produce certain kinds of weather, and this knowledge was 

often put into verses or proverbs. Some of the more accurate of the old sayings are 

shown below. All wind and compass directions are for the northern hemisphere 

(especially middle latitudes), and would reverse for the southern hemisphere. 

Beware the bolts from north or west
 

In south or east the bolts be best
 

Fairly reliable in the northern hemisphere middle latitudes, where weather generally 

moves from west to east. Lightning to the north or west could mean a thunderstorm 

coming towards you. 

Rainbow to windward foul fall the day 

Rainbow to leeward, rain runs away 

A windward rainbow indicates rain upwind, so it may begin raining soon. A rainbow 

behind the wind or to leeward implies the rain has probably past. 

If wooly fleece deck the heavenly way 

Be sure no rain will mar the day 

or 

If fleecy white clouds cover the heavenly way 

no rain should mar your plans that day 

Wooly fleece or fleecy white clouds refer to cumulus clouds with little vertical 

development (fair weather cumulus). This is sound folklore (as long as the clouds 

remain flat and do not grow vertically later on). 

Mountains in the morning 

Fountains in the evening 

The mountains refer to high, billowing cumulus clouds, indicative of instability and 

possible development of cumulonimbus clouds and a late afternoon or evening 

thunderstorm. 

NWSOH No. 1 4-4 May 2010 
The Weatherwise Mariner 

When a halo rings the moon or sun 

Rains approaching on the run 

As already indicated, a halo around the sun or moon is followed by inclement weather 

about 65% of the time. 

Short notice, soon to pass 

Long notice, long will last 

or 

Long foretold—long last 

Short notice—soon past 

The approach of a major storm system with bad weather lasting several hours or more 

is revealed well in advance — by cloud formations, changing wind direction, falling 

atmospheric pressure, the arrival of swell, etc. However, a short lived bad weather 

event, such as a local thunderstorm, might only be revealed a short while ahead of 

time, such as from cumulus growing into cumulonimbus. This is, therefore, a fairly 

accurate jingle. 

Seagull, seagull, get out on T’sand 

We’ll never have good weather with thee on the land 

During fair weather, gulls scavenge at the waters edge or offshore. During stormy 

weather, they often fly inland and scavenge at waste dumps. However, they usually 

don’t do this until after the storm has arrived! 

When the glass falls low 

Look out for a blow 

or 

When the wind backs, and the weather glass falls, 

Then be on your guard against gales and squalls 

Sound advice, because as already indicated, a steady, persistent fall in atmospheric 

pressure is often a good indication of foul weather to come. This is 

particularly true with a windshift from the west to the east, northeast or southeast. 

Red sky at night, sailors delight 

Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning 

This is probably the most famous of all weather sayings, and is true more often than 

not. A red sky at sunset or early evening indicates clouds to the east, with clearing on 

the western horizon allowing the setting sun to be seen. Unsettled weather or 

stormyness may have passed or be moving out. A red sky in the morning indicates 

clouds to the west as the sun is rising, which may advance eastward and bring bad 

weather with them. 

NWSOH No. 1 4-5 May 2010 
The Weatherwise Mariner 

When the wind before the rain
 

Let your topsails draw again
 

When the rain before the wind
 

Topsail sheets and halyards mind
 

A small, weak, frontal system will have a narrow band of associated rain, and wind 

may be more conspicuous than rain. Stronger fronts and intense depressions are 

surrounded by bad weather for considerable distances, and precipitation should 

preceed the strongest wind. 

Mackeral skys and mares tails
 

Make lofty ships carry low sails
 

The mackeral sky is composed of cirrus and cirrocumulus clouds (which resemble scale 

patterns on a mackerals back). The mares tails refer to trails of ice crystals blown in 

streaks from cirrus clouds. These clouds may appear ahead of an approaching storm 

or frontal system, and can indicate strong winds aloft. If the cirrus and/or 

cirrocumulus thicken to cirrostratus, altostratus, and then nimbostratus, stormy 

conditions may be on the way. Strong winds require less sail for navigation in a rough 

sea. 

Sound traveling far and wide 


A stormy day will betide
 

Low, dense, rainy, stratus and nimbostratus clouds trap sounds by preventing them 

from escaping into the atmosphere above. Voices or noise may appear louder and 

travel further when these clouds are present. 

Frost or dew in the morning light
 

Shows no rain before the night
 

The formation of frost or dew requires night time cooling which usually occurs only on 

very clear, calm nights. Such a night is usually followed by fair, sunny daytime weather, 

so inclement weather would be unlikely. However, a weather system moving very 

rapidly could arrive during the day, thus interfering with this proverb. 

First rise after low
 

Portends a stronger blow
 

The strongest, gustiest wind often does not occur until the barometer reaches it’s lowest 

value and begins to rise. This is especially true in intense, well developed storm 

systems. Pressure gradients behind the low center can be very strong, giving rise to 

dangerous, unpredictable gales. 

NWSOH No. 1 4-6 May 2010 
Glossary 

3-hour observation Observations taken at 3-hourly intervals, such as 0300, 0600, 0900, 

UTC, etc. 

6-hour observation Observations taken a 6-hourly intervals, such as 0000, 0600, 1200, 1800 

UTC. These are also known as the main synoptic times. 

Alto- Cloud prefix meaning middle level. 

Altocumulus White or gray patch, sheet, or layer of cloud, generally with shading, 

composed of rounded masses, rolls, etc., sometimes partly fibrous, 

which may or may not be merged. Mainly composed of water droplets. 

Altostratus Grayish or bluish sheet or layer of striated, fibrous, or uniform 

appearance, having parts thin enough to see the sun, as through ground 

glass. 

Anemometer An instrument for measuring wind speed and direction. Typically, 3 or 4 

rotating cups measure speed and a vane indicates direction. 

Atmospheric pressure The pressure exerted by the atmosphere at a given point. Ships report 

pressure at sea level. 

Bar Unit of pressure equal to 1,000,000 dynes per square centimeter, or 1000 

millibars. 

Barogram A record of pressure produced by a barograph. 

Barograph A recording barometer. 

Barometer An instrument that measures atmospheric pressure. The aneroid barometer is the standard instrument aboard ship. 

Barometric pressure The atmospheric pressure value indicated by the barometer. 

Barometric tendency See pressure tendency. 

Beaufort wind scale A numerical scale of wind force originally designed by Admiral Francis 

Beaufort in the early 19th century. Today, it consists of ranges of wind 

speed with appropriate descriptions of sea state. 

Bergy bit A piece of ice which has broken away from an iceberg, extending 1-5 

meters above the sea surface and 100-300 square meters in area. Can 

also be the remains of a melting iceberg. 

Celsius temperature Same as Centigrade temperature scale where the boiling point is 100 

degrees and the freezing point is 0 degrees. 

Cirro- Cloud prefix meaning high level. 

Cirrocumulus Thin white patch, sheet, or layer of cloud without shading, composed of 

very small elements in the form of ripples, grains, etc. 

Cirrostratus Transparent, whitish cloud veil of fibrous (hairlike) or smooth 

appearance, often producing a halo. 

Cirrus Clouds of ice crystals in the form of delicate white filaments, or white or 

mostly white patches or narrow bands, with a fibrous appearance or silky 

sheen. 

NWSOH No. 1 5-1 May 2010 
Cloud	 A visible aggregate of minute water droplets or ice crystals in the 

atmosphere. 

Cloud height	 The height of the base of a cloud or cloud layer above the sea surface. 

Cloud layer	 A grouping of clouds whose bases are at approximately the same level. 

Cloud type	 A cloud form which is identified as distinct according to the World 

Meteorological Organization International Cloud Atlas. 

Condensation	 The physical process by which a vapor becomes a liquid or a solid. 

Crest	 The highest part of a wave. 

Cumulonimbus	 Heavy, dense cloud, with considerable vertical extent, in the form of a 

mountain or huge tower. Part of upper portion usually, but not always, 

smooth or fibrous. 

Cumulus	 Detached clouds, generally dense and with sharp outlines, developing 

vertically in the form of rising mounds, domes, or towers, of which the 

bulging upper part often resembles a cauliflower. The sunlit parts are 

brilliant white; bases can be dark and nearly horizontal. 

Dew point	 The temperature to which the air must be cooled in order for saturation 

to occur. 

Drizzle	 Fairly uniform precipitation composed exclusively of fine drops, very 

close together. Diameter less than 0.02 inch or 0.5 millimeter. 

Evaporation	 The process of change from liquid water to water vapor. 

Fog	 A suspension of very small water droplets in the air, reducing horizontal 

visibility. 

Fracto- Cloud prefix meaning torn, ragged, or scattered appearance due to strong 

winds. 

Freak Wave	 A wave of great height and steepness, much higher than other waves in 

the prevailing sea or swell system. 

Freezing Rain	 Rain that freezes on impact and forms a glaze on the ground and exposed 

objects. 

Growler	 Similiar to a bergy bit, but smaller, extending less than 1 meter above the 

sea surface and occupying an area of 20 square meters or less. 

Gust	 Sudden brief wind speed increase followed by lull or slackening. 

Hail	 Precipitation in the form of small balls or irregular pieces of ice. 

Haze	 A suspension of very small, dry (non-liquid) particles in the air, such as 

dust, sea salt, or soot. Results in diminished visibility. Distinguished 

from fog by its dryness. 

Hectopascal	 A unit of measure of atmospheric pressure equal to 100 newtons per 

square meter. It is the numerical equivalant of a millibar. 

Horizon	 The distant line along which the sea surface, or the earth, and the sky 

appear to meet. It is the actual lower boundary of the observed sky or the 

upper outline of terrestrial objects. 

Hygrometer	 Instrument to measure humidity. The wet- and dry-bulb sling 

psychrometer is a type of hygrometer. 

Iceberg	 A piece of a glacier which has broken off and is floating in the sea. 

NWSOH No. 1 5-2	 May 2010 
Ice pellets Pellets or small pieces of ice, with a diameter of 5 millimeters or less, 

which bounce on impact. 

Icing Accumulation of ice on the ship’s superstructure, from freezing 

precipitation, ocean spray, supercooled fog, or cloud droplets. 

Intermediate synoptic times The times of 0300, 0900, 1500, and 2100 UTC. 

Knot One nautical mile per hour or approximately .5 meters per second. 

Land Ice Any ice of land origin, from the freezing of fresh water or the compacting 

of snow, such as an iceberg. 

Lenticular A type of cloud formed in the ascending portion of an airstream, which 

remains stationary while the air blows through it. 

Main synoptic times The times of 0000, 0600, 1200, and 1800 UTC. Also known as the 

standard synoptic times. 

Millibar One one-thousandth of a bar. Numerically the same as a hectopascal. The 

weight of an average column of air at sea level is 1016 millibars. 

Nautical mile 1852 meters, or 6080.2 feet. 

Nimbostratus Gray cloud layer, often dark, thick enough to block out the sun, which 

appears diffuse by falling precipitation. 

Obscured sky The condition when the entire sky is hidden by surface-based obscuring 

phenomena. 

Okta Used for the measurement of total cloud cover. One okta of cloud cover is 

the equivalent of 1/8 of the sky covered with cloud. 

Period See wave period. 

PMO Port meteorological officer. 

Precipitation All types of condensed water vapor, whether liquid, freezing, or frozen, 

which fall out of the atmosphere to the earth’s surface. 

Pressure See atmospheric pressure. 

Pressure change The net difference between the pressure at the beginning and ending of a 

specified interval of time. 

Pressure characteristic The indication of how the pressure has been changing during the 3-hour 

period preceding an observation; i.e. decreasing then increasing, same 

pressure, or lower than 3-hours ago. 

Pressure tendency The character and amount of atmospheric pressure change during the 3­

hour period preceding an observation. 

Psychrometer An instrument for measuring the moisture content of the air by use of a 

wet- “and” dry- bulb thermometer; a type of hygrometer. 

Rain Liquid precipitation that remains in the liquid state upon impact with the 

ground or other exposed objects. 

Remarks Plain language data added after the last group of the weather message to 

report significant information not provided for in the main body of the 

report. 

Ripple A small wavelet which forms at wind speeds of 1-3 knots. 

Saturation The stage where the water content of the atmosphere reaches the 

maximum possible under the existing environmental conditions. 

NWSOH No. 1 5-3 May 2010 
Sea Locally generated waves produced by the wind, and described by their 

period and height. 

Sea ice Ice formed from the freezing of the sea surface. 

Sea-level pressure The atmospheric pressure at mean sea level, either directly measured, or 

empirically determined from the observed station pressure. 

Sleet Raindrops that have passed through a freezing layer of air and frozen or 

partially frozen. Same as ice pellets. 

Sling psychrometer A type of hygrometer with two thermometers, which is whirled to 

determine air and wet bulb temperatures. The bulb of one is kept moist 

by a piece of wet muslin. 

Snow Precipitation of ice crystals, mostly branched in star shapes. 

Snow grains Very small, white, opaque grains of ice, with a diameter of less than 1 

millimeter. Frozen drizzle. 

Snow pellets White, opaque grains of ice, with a diameter of 2-5 millimeters. 

Special observation An unscheduled or special observation taken to report significant 

changes in one or more of the observed elements since the last recorded 

observation. 

Squall A sudden increase in wind speed of at least 15 knots which is sustained 

at 20 knots or more for at least 1 minute. 

Standard barometer A barometer of very high accuracy used to calibrate other barometers. 

NWS PMOs use hand- held standard digital barometers to calibrate 

shipboard barometers. 

Standard synoptic times The times of 0000, 0600, 1200, and 1800 UTC. Also known as the main 

synoptic times. 

Station pressure The atmospheric pressure at barometer height, normally on the bridge. 

Barometers aboard NWS Voluntary Observing Ships are calibrated, when 

possible, to read sea-level pressure. 

Storm Sustained wind of 48-55 knots (defined by the WMO as Beaufort 

Force 10). 

Strato- Cloud prefix referring to cloud sheets or layers. 

Stratocumulus Gray or whitish patch, sheet, or layer of cloud, almost always with dark 

parts, with non- fibrous rounded masses or rolls, which may or may not 

be merged. 

Stratus Generally gray cloud layer with a fairly uniform base, which may produce 

drizzle or snow grains. 

Surface observation Surface weather observations taken in accordance with World 

Meteorological Organization regulations, containing those weather 

elements most important for forecasting and later use. 

Swell Ocean waves which have travelled beyond the generating area. They have 

longer periods and are more regular than seas. 

Synoptic code Rules and procedures established by the World Meteorological 

Organization for encoding weather observations. 

Temperature A measure of the hotness or coldness of the air as measured by a 

suitable instrument, using a defined temperature scale. 

NWSOH No. 1 5-4 May 2010 
Trough	 The lowest part of a wave. 

True direction	 Direction measured in degrees clockwise from true north, where north is 

0 degrees. 

Variable wind	 A condition when the wind direction fluctuates by 60  ̊ or more during the 

period of observation and the wind speed is greater than 10 knots. 

Visibility	 The greatest horizontal distance at which selected objects can be seen 

and identified. 

Visibility reference	 Selected objects at known distances used to determine visibility. 

Voluntary Observing	 Program of the WMO and NWS to manage weather reporting 

Ship (VOS) program by ships at sea and on the Great Lakes. 


Water vapor The gaseous form of water.
 

Wave height Distance from trough to crest, averaged for the better formed waves in the
 

center of the wave group. 

Wave length	 Distance from trough to trough or crest to crest for adjacent waves. 

Wave period	 Time, in seconds, for the passage of successive wave crests. Normally 

computed as an average value for several waves. 

Weather The individual and combined atmospheric phenomena used to describe 

the local atmospheric conditions at the time of observation. 

Whitecap	 The breaking crest of a wave, usually white and frothy. 

Wind	 The horizontal motion of the air past a given point. 

Wind character	 The measure of the variability of the wind speed in terms of gusts and 

squalls. 

Wind direction	 The true direction from which the wind is blowing at a given location. 

Wind shift	 A change in the average wind direction of 45 ̊ or more which takes place 

in less than 15 minutes with wind speeds greater than 10 knots. 

Wind speed	 The rate at which the air is moving horizontally past a given point. 

Vessels usually estimate wind speed by relating the state of the sea to the 

Beaufort Scale of wind force. 

NWSOH No. 1 5-5	 May 2010 
WEATHER MAP BASES

N. Atlantic–U.S. Intercoastal

N. Pacific–U.S. Intercoastal

S. Atlantic–U.S. Intercoastal

S. Pacific–Indian Ocean

WALL CHARTS

Sea State Poster

Cloud Poster 

Explanation of the Daily Weather Map

BROCHURE

PMO/VOS Program

Guide to Sea State, Wind and Clouds

Appendix A 

Observing Forms and Supplies 

BOOKLETS AND MANUALS 

NWS Observing Handbook No. 1 

World Wide Marine Radiofacsimile Broadcast Schedules 

Guide to Sea State, Wind and Clouds 

OBSERVING FORMS 

Ship’s Weather Observations 

Barogram 

NWSOH No. 1 A-1 May 2010 
Appendix B 

Conversion Factors and Equivalents 

LENGTH 

1 foot = .3048 meters 

1 centimeter = 10 millimeters = .394 inches = .01 meters 

1 meter = 100 centimeters = 3.2808 feet = 39.37 inches = 1.09 yards = .547 fathoms 

1 kilometer = 1000 meters = 3280.8 feet = .54 nautical miles = .621 statute miles 

1 degree latitude = 111.1 kilometers 

1 statute mile = 1.6093 kilometers 

SPEED 

1 knot (nautical mile/hour) = 1.15 statute miles/hour = .51 meters/sec 

1 meter/sec = 2.24 statute miles/hour = 1.94 knots 

1 centimeter/second = 1.97 feet per minute 

TEMPERATURE 

Degrees Celsius = Degrees Centigrade 

Celsius = 5/9(Fahrenheit - 32) 

or 

Celsius = (Fahrenheit - 32)/1.8 

Fahrenheit = 1.8(Celsius) + 32 

or 

Fahrenheit = 1.8(Celsius + 40) - 40 

PRESSURE 

1 millimeter mercury = .03937 inches = 1.3332 millibars 

1 inch mercury = 25.4 millimeters = 33.8640 millibars 

1 millibar = .02953 inches = .75006 millimeters 

millibars = inches x 33.865 

inches = millibars/33.864 

Standard Atmosphere: vertical pressure change is .037 millibars/foot 

(.1214 millibars/meter) 

AREA 

1 square centimeter = .155 square inches 

1 square meter = 10.8 square feet 

1 square kilometer = .386 square statute miles = .292 square nautical miles 

NWSOH No. 1 B-1 May 2010 
FAHRENHEIT/CELSIUS CONVERSION TABLE
 

Fahrenheit to Celsius Temperatures 

°F. 0.0 

°C. 

0.1 

°C. 

0.2 

°C. 

0.3 

°C. 

0.4 

°C. 

0.5 

°C. 

0.6 

°C. 

0.7 

°C. 

0.8 

°C. 

0.9 

°C. 

+110 +43.3 +43.4 +43.4 +43.6 +43.6 +43.6 +43.7 +43.7 +43.8 +43.8 

109 42.8 42.8 42.9 42.9 43.0 43.1 43.1 43.2 43.2 43.3 

108 42.2 42.3 42.3 42.4 42.4 42.5 42.6 42.6 42.7 42.7 

107 41.7 41.7 41.8 41.8 41.9 41.9 42.0 42.1 42.1 42.2 

106 41.1 41.2 41.2 41.3 41.3 41.4 41.4 41.5 41.6 41.6 

+105 +40.6 +40.6 +40.7 +40.7 +40.8 +40.8 +40.9 +40.9 +41.0 +41.1 

104 40.0 40.1 40.1 40.2 40.2 40.3 40.3 40.4 40.4 40.5 

103 39.4 39.5 39.6 39.6 39.7 39.7 39.8 39.8 39.9 39.9 

102 38.9 38.9 39.0 39.1 39.1 39.2 39.2 39.3 39.3 39.4 

101 38.3 38.4 38.4 38.5 38.6 38.6 38.7 38.7 38.8 38.8 

+100 +37.8 +37.8 +37.9 +37.9 +38.0 +38.1 +38.1 +38.2 +38.2 +38.3 

99 37.2 37.3 37.3 37.4 37.4 37.5 37.6 37.6 37.7 37.7 

98 36.7 36.7 36.8 36.8 36.9 36.9 37.0 37.1 37.1 37.2 

97 36.1 36.2 36.2 36.3 36.3 36.4 36.4 36.5 36.6 36.6 

96 35.6 35.6 35.7 35.7 35.8 35.8 35.9 35.9 36.0 36.1 

+95 +35.0 +35.1 +35.1 +35.2 +35.2 +35.3 +35.3 +35.4 +35.4 +35.5 

94 34.4 34.5 34.6 34.6 34.7 34.7 34.8 34.8 34.9 34.9 

93 33.9 33.9 34.0 34.1 34.1 34.2 34.2 34.3 34.3 34.4 

92 33.3 33.4 33.4 33.5 33.6 33.6 33.7 33.7 33.8 33.8 

91 32.8 32.8 32.9 32.9 33.0 33.1 33.1 33.2 33.2 33.3 

+90 +32.2 +32.3 +32.3 +32.4 +32.4 +32.5 +32.6 +32.6 +32.7 +32.7 

89 31.7 31.7 31.8 31.8 31.9 31.9 32.0 32.1 32.1 32.2 

88 31.1 31.2 31.2 31.3 31.3 31.4 31.4 31.5 31.6 31.6 

87 30.6 30.6 30.7 30.7 30.8 30.8 30.9 30.9 31.0 31.1 

86 30.0 30.1 30.1 30.2 30.2 30.3 30.3 30.4 30.4 30.5 

+85 +29.4 +29.5 +29.6 +29.6 +29.7 +29.7 +29.8 +29.8 +29.9 +29.9 

84 28.9 28.9 29.0 29.1 29.1 29.2 29.2 29.3 29.3 29.4 

83 28.3 28.4 28.4 28.5 28.6 28.6 28.7 28.7 28.8 28.8 

82 27.8 27.8 27.9 27.9 28.0 28.1 28.1 28.2 28.2 28.3 

81 27.2 27.3 27.3 27.4 27.4 27.5 27.6 27.6 27.7 27.7 

+80 +26.7 +26.7 +26.8 +26.8 +26.9 +26.9 +27.0 +27.1 +27.1 +27.2 

79 26.1 26.2 26.2 26.3 26.3 26.4 26.4 26.5 26.6 26.6 

78 25.6 25.6 25.7 25.7 25.8 25.8 25.9 25.9 26.0 26.1 

77 25.0 25.1 25.1 25.2 25.2 25.3 25.3 25.4 25.4 25.5 

76 24.4 24.5 24.6 24.6 24.7 24.7 24.8 24.8 24.9 24.9 

+75 +23.9 +23.9 +24.0 +24.1 +24.1 +24.2 +24.2 +24.3 +24.3 +24.4 

74 23.3 23.4 23.4 23.5 23.6 23.6 23.7 23.7 23.8 23.8 

73 22.8 22.8 22.9 22.9 23.0 23.1 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.3 

72 22.2 22.3 22.3 22.4 22.4 22.5 22.6 22.6 22.7 22.7 

71 21.7 21.7 21.8 21.8 21.9 21.9 22.0 22.1 22.1 22.2 

+70 +21.1 +21.2 +21.2 +21.3 +21.3 +21.4 +21.4 +21.5 +21.6 +21.6 

69 20.6 20.6 20.7 20.7 20.8 20.8 20.9 20.9 21.0 21.1 

68 20.0 20.1 20.1 20.2 20.2 20.3 20.3 20.4 20.4 20.5 

67 19.4 19.5 19.6 19.6 19.7 19.7 19.8 19.8 19.8 19.9 

66 18.9 18.9 19.0 19.1 19.1 19.2 19.2 19.3 19.3 19.4 

+65 +18.3 +18.4 +18.4 +18.5 +18.6 +18.6 +18.7 +18.7 +18.8 +18.8 

64 17.8 17.8 17.9 17.9 18.0 18.1 18.1 18.2 18.2 18.3 

63 17.2 17.3 17.3 17.4 17.4 17.5 17.6 17.6 17.7 17.7 

62 16.7 16.7 16.8 16.8 16.9 16.9 17.0 17.1 17.1 17.2 

61 16.1 16.2 16.2 16.3 16.3 16.4 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.6 

NWSOH No. 1 B-2 May 2010 
FAHRENHEIT/CELSIUS CONVERSION TABLE (CONTINUED)
 

Fahrenheit to Celsius Temperatures 

°F. 0.0 

°C. 

0.1 

°C. 

0.2 

°C. 

0.3 

°C. 

0.4 

°C. 

0.5 

°C. 

0.6 

°C. 

0.7 

°C. 

0.8 

°C. 

0.9 

°C. 

+60 +15.6 +15.6 +15.7 +15.7 +15.8 +15.8 +15.8 +15.9 +16.0 +16.1 

59 15.0 15.1 15.1 15.2 15.2 15.3 15.3 15.4 15.4 15.5 

58 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.6 14.7 14.7 14.8 14.8 14.9 14.9 

57 13.9 13.9 14.0 14.1 14.1 14.2 14.2 14.3 14.3 14.4 

56 13.3 13.4 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.6 13.7 13.7 13.8 13.8 

+55 +12.8 +12.8 +12.9 +12.9 +13.0 +13.1 +13.1 +13.2 +13.2 +13.3 

54 12.2 12.3 12.3 12.4 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.6 12.7 12.7 

53 11.7 11.7 11.8 11.8 11.9 11.9 12.0 12.1 12.1 12.2 

52 11.1 11.2 11.2 11.3 11.3 11.4 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.6 

51 10.6 10.6 10.7 10.7 10.8 10.8 10.9 10.9 11.0 11.1 

+50 +10.0 +10.1 +10.1 +10.2 +10.2 +10.3 +10.3 +10.4 +10.4 +10.5 

49 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.6 9.7 9.7 9.8 9.8 9.9 9.9 

48 8.9 8.9 9.0 9.1 9.1 9.2 9.2 9.3 9.3 9.4 

47 8.3 8.4 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.6 8.7 8.7 8.8 8.8 

46 7.8 7.8 7.9 7.9 8.0 8.1 8.1 8.2 8.2 8.3 

+45 +7.2 +7.3 +7.3 +7.4 +7.4 +7.5 +7.6 +7.6 +7.7 +7.7 

44 6.7 6.7 6.8 6.8 6.9 6.9 7.0 7.1 7.1 7.2 

43 6.1 6.2 6.2 6.3 6.3 6.4 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.6 

42 5.6 5.6 5.7 5.7 5.8 5.8 5.9 5.9 6.0 6.1 

41 5.0 5.1 5.1 5.2 5.2 5.3 5.3 5.4 5.4 5.5 

+40 +4.4 +4.5 +4.6 +4.6 +4.7 +4.7 +4.8 +4.8 +4.9 +4.9 

39 3.9 3.9 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.4 

38 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.8 

37 2.8 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.3 

36. 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.6 21.6 2.7 2.7 

+35 +1.7 +1.7 +1.8 +1.8 +1.9 +1.9 +2.0 +2.1 +2.1 +2.2 

34 +1.1 +1.2 +1.2 +1.3 +1.3 +1.4 +1.4 +1.5 +1.6 +1.6 

33 +0.6 +0.6 +0.7 +0.7 +0.8 +0.8 +0.9 +0.9 +1.0 +1.1 

32 0.0 +0.1 +0.1 +0.2 +0.2 +0.3 +0.3 +0.4 +0.4 +0.5 

31 -0.6 -0.5 -0.4 -0.4 -0.3 -0.3 -0.2 -0.2 -0.1 -0.1 

+30 -1.1 -1.1 -1.0 -0.9 -0.9 -0.8 -0.8 -0.7 -0.7 -0.6 

29 -1.7 -1.6 -1.6 -1.5 -1.4 -1.4 -1.3 -1.3 -1.2 -1.2 

28 -2.2 -2.2 -2.1 -2.1 -2.0 -1.9 -1.9 -1.8 -1.8 -1.7 

27 -2.8 -2.7 -2.7 -2.6 -2.6 -2.5 -2.4 -2.4 -2.3 -2.3 

26 -3.3 -3.3 -3.2 -3.2 -3.1 -3.1 -3.0 -2.9 -2.9 -2.8 

+25 -3.9 -3.8 -3.8 -3.7 -3.7 -3.6 -3.6 -3.5 -3.4 -3.4 

24 -4.4 -4.4 -4.3 -4.3 -4.2 -4.2 -4.1 -4.1 -4.0 -3.9 

23 -5.0 -4.9 -4.9 -4.8 -4.8 -4.7 -4.7 -4.6 -4.6 -4.5 

22 -5.6 -5.5 -5.4 -5.4 -5.3 -5.3 -5.2 -5.2 -5.1 -5.1 

21 -6.1 -6.1 -6.0 -5.9 -5.9 -5.8 -5.8 -5.7 -5.7 -5.6 

+20 -6.7 -6.6 -6.6 -6.5 -6.4 -6.4 -6.3 -6.3 -6.2 -6.2 

19 -7.2 -7.2 -7.1 -7.1 -7.0 -6.9 6.9 -6.8 -6.8 -6.7 

18 -7.8 -7.7 -7.7 -7.6 -7.6 -7.5 -7.4 -7.4 -7.3 -7.3 

17 -8.3 -8.3 -8.2 -8.2 -8.1 -8.1 -8.0 -7.9 -7.9 -7.8 

16 -8.9 -8.8 -8.8 -8.7 -8.7 -8.6 -8.6 -8.5 -8.4 -8.4 

+15 -9.4 -9.4 -9.3 -9.3 -9.2 -9.2 -9.1 -9.1 -9.0 -9.0 

14 -10.0 -9.9 -9.9 -9.8 -9.8 -9.7 -9.7 -9.6 -9.6 -9.5 

13 -10.6 -10.5 -10.4 -10.4 -10.3 -10.3 -10.2 -10.2 -10.1 -10.1 

12 -11.1 -11.1 -11.0 -10.9 -10.9 -10.8 -10.8 -10.7 -10.7 -10.6 

11 -11.7 -11.6 -11.6 -11.5 -11.4 -11.4 -11.3 -11.3 -11.2 -11.2 

NWSOH No. 1 B-3 May 2010 
Appendix C 

Interpretation of Weather Map Symbols 

CODE FIGURES AND SYMBOLS 

Present Weather ww, Cloud Types CLCMCH, Past Weather W1W2, Sky Cover N, Pressure Characteristic a. 

SYMBOLS FOR FRONTS, ISOBARS, ETC.
 

SAMPLE WIND PLOT
 

NWSOH No. 1 C-1 May 2010 
PLOTTING SHIP REPORTS
 27 96 24

CALL

21 

MIDDLE AND HIGH CLOUD TYPE (Cm, Ch)

SHIP’S COURSE AND AVERAGE SPEED (Dsvs) TOT (N) AL AMOUNT OF CLOUDS

2 BAROMETRIC PRESSURE (Millibars and tenths) (PPP) (TTT) TEMPERATURE (Celsius)

137 (VV) VISIBILITY AND (WW) PRESENT WEATHER 3 HOUR PRESSURE TENDENCY AND PRESSURE CHANGE (appp)20 (TdTdTd) DEW POINT TEMPERATURE SEA WAVES INDICATOR, PERIOD (Secs.), HEIGHT (Half Meters) 20604 (2PwPwHwHw) VESSEL CALL SIGN 181008

(TwTwTw) SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE PRIMARY SWELL (Direction, Period, Height) (dw1dw1Pw1Pw1Hw1Hw1) 241504 

(ddff) WIND DIRECTION AND SPEED SECONDARY SWELL (Direction, Period, Height) (dw2dw2Pw2Pw2Hw2Hw2) 

Low Cloud Type (CL) 

SAMPLE MESSAGE DECODED:

Visibility 2 miles; Wind from 230°, 25 knots; 27°C, Dew Point Temperature 24°C, Sea Level Pressure1013.7 millibars, Pressure falling, then rising. Net 3 Hour pressure change minus 2 millibars, PresentWeather—rain showers, Past W eather—showers and drizzle, Fraction of sky cover by C L cloud 3 

eighths, CL cloud cumulus, CW cloud altocumulus, CH cloud cirrus, Ships course South, average speed

8 knots, Sea Surface Temperature 21°C, Sea Waves Period 6 seconds, height 2 meters (1 half meters),Primary Swell from 180° (South), period 10 seconds, height 4 meters, Secondary Swell running from240°, period 15 seconds, height 2 meters, total cloud amount 4 eighths. 

NWSOH No. 1 C-2 May 2010
 
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NOTES
 
Weather observations from ships at sea are 

treasured by meteorologists as invaluable in the 

preparation of marine weather forecasts and 

storm warnings. They are also of critical 

importance in identifying and tracking weather 

systems in their worldwide movement. 

This completely redesigned handbook has been 

prepared to help you observe, code, and report 

weather — as easily, quickly, and accurately as 

possible. 

The National Weather Service thanks ships 

officers for their enormous effort and dedication 

as weather observers in the Voluntary Observing 

Ship Program. 

Only YOU know the weather at your position. 

Please report it at 00, 06, 12, and 18 UTC to the 

National Weather Service.