Metar help please

[Skip Miller]

At Fort Pierce, Fl in the wake of Hurricane Wilma:

KFPR 241717Z 19/ RMK AO2 RAEMM P0008 PWINO $


RAEMM?

Thanks. Google and I have had no luck coming up with the translation.

-Skip

 

[HPNPilot1200]

Most of the time the prefix "RAE" means rain ended {at} and then is followed by two digits indicating the minutes after the hour the rain ended. Not sure what MM could mean...

 

[ScottM]

Most of the time the prefix "RAE" means rain ended {at} and then is followed by two digits indicating the minutes after the hour the rain ended. Not sure what MM could mean...

It could mean that the rain is ending by Disney World, hence RAE Mickey Mouse

The notation PWINO is on that METAR and that indicates that the precipitation sensor is currently unreachable. hence the MM could just be a place holder as the computer cannot work correctly.

 

[Pilawt]

the MM could just be a place holder as the computer cannot work correctly.

Correct. Ordinarily there would be a two-digit number indicating the time (in minutes after the hour) when the rain ended, but that data is Missing.

-- Pilawt

 

[TeenDoc]

That's is the most logical explanation. I went to http://adds.aviationweather.gov and requested the "translated" METAR for KFPR and got the message: no info available, info may be inaccurate. The same is true for most Florida airports affected by Wilma.

 

[HPNPilot1200]

It's a bit misleading because they also say that when data is missing it is simply ommitted which I have seen on METARS. You will either see it or it's simple blank on the METAR.

Jason

 

[Skip Miller]

Correct. Ordinarily there would be a two-digit number indicating the time (in minutes after the hour) when the rain ended, but that data is Missing.

No, it is MMissing. What you say sounds logical but I am skeptical of logic in these situations. Do you have a source for this?

-Skip

 

[Dave Siciliano]

Ahhh Skip.

In my business one would have a very short tenure using logic and governmental entity in the same sentence!! Good to be cautious!

Dave

 

[Skip Miller]

The "mm" is the placeholder for minutes (after the hour). From FAA Order 7900.5B, Surface Weather Observing, Chapter 15:

15-30. BEGINNING AND ENDING OF PRECIPITATION (w'w'B(hh)mmE(hh)mm)

...snip...

Apparently, in your example the data for the actual time was not transmitted or was corrupted in transmission from the observing station.​

OK, we are getting closer but we are not at the destination yet. Where does it say that if the data is not available or corrupt that MM will be used in its place, rather than omitting the RAExx information?

If you google "metar raemm" you will get lots of hits. Clearly this did not happen at random. It means something. That means that somewhere there is a reference that says what it means. Let's keep looking.

...and thanks for all your help so far!

-Skip​

 

[ScottM]

OK, we are getting closer but we are not at the destination yet. Where does it say that if the data is not available or corrupt that MM will be used in its place, rather than omitting the RAExx information?

If you google "metar raemm" you will get lots of hits. Clearly this did not happen at random. It means something. That means that somewhere there is a reference that says what it means. Let's keep looking.

...and thanks for all your help so far!

-Skip

As I said earlier

The notation PWINO is on that METAR and that indicates that the precipitation sensor is currently unreachable. hence the MM could just be a place holder as the computer cannot work correctly.

 

[RotaryWingBob]

No, it is MMissing. What you say sounds logical but I am skeptical of logic in these situations. Do you have a source for this?

-Skip

Just for jollies, I called the Williamsport, PA FSS. The briefer said he had never encountered MM, but that if the data were missing there should have been a single M.

I too have been unable to find any reference to MM in any of my books.

 

[Skip Miller]

As I said earlier:

The notation PWINO is on that METAR and that indicates that the precipitation sensor is currently unreachable. hence the MM could just be a place holder as the computer cannot work correctly.

I acknowledge your theory with thanks. I still think that since this is the FAA Bureaucracy where everything that happens correctly is written down in some procedure manual, that we should be able to find something that says: If PWINO then RAEMM. The logical flaw there is suppose the rain did not end? If everything were working correctly there would be no RAExx statement of any sort. And, if PWINO, how does the system know if the rain stopped (requiring a RAExx message) or not (requiring no RAExx message)?

-Skip