$        maintenance check indicator

-        light intensity

+        heavy intensity

/        indicator that visual range data follows; separator
        between temperature and dew point data.

ACC      altocumulus castellanus

ACFT MSHP        aircraft mishap

ACSL     altocumulus standing lenticular cloud

ALP      airport location point

AO1      automated station without precipitation discriminator

AO2      automated station with precipitation discriminator

APRNT    apparent

APRX     approximately

ATCT     airport traffic control tower

AUTO     automated report

B        began

BC       patches

BKN      broken

BL       blowing

BR       mist

C        center (with reference to runway designation)

CA       cloud-air lightning

CB       cumulonimbus cloud

CBMAM    cumulonimbus mammatus cloud

CC       cloud-cloud lightning

CCSL     cirrocumulus standing lenticular cloud

CG       cloud-ground lightning

CHI      cloud-height indicator

CHINO    sky condition at secondary location not available

CIG      ceiling

CLR      clear

CONS     continuous

COR      correction to a previously disseminated report

DOC      Department of Commerce

DOD      Department of Defense

DOT      Department of Transportation

DR       low drifting

DS       duststorm

DSNT     distant

DU       widespread dust

DZ       drizzle

E        east, ended

FAA      Federal Aviation Administration

FC       funnel cloud

FEW      few clouds

FG       fog

FIBI     filed but impracticable to transmit

FIRST    first observation after a break in coverage at manual station

FMH-1    Federal Meteorological Handbook No.1, 
        Surface Weather Observations & Reports

FMH-2    Federal Meteorological Handbook No.2, 
        Surface Synoptic Codes

FROPA    frontal passage

FRQ      frequent

FT       feet

FU       smoke

FZ       freezing

FZRANO   freezing rain sensor not available

G        gust

GR       hail

GS       small hail and/or snow pellets

HZ       haze

IC       ice crystals, in-cloud lightning

ICAO     International Civil Aviation Organization

KT       knots

L        left (with reference to runway designation)

LAST     last observation before a break in coverage at a manual station

LST      Local Standard Time

LTG      lightning

LWR      lower

M        minus, less than

METAR    aviation routine weather report

MI       shallow

MOV      moved/moving/movement

MT       mountains

N        north

N/A      not applicable

NCDC     National Climatic Data Center

NE       northeast

NOS      National Ocean Service

NOSPECI  no SPECI reports are taken at the station

NW       northwest

NWS      National Weather Service

OCNL     occasional

OFCM     Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology

OVC      overcast

OHD      overhead

P        greater than 

PE       ice pellets

PK WND   peak wind

PNO      precipitation amount not available

PO       dust/sand whirls (dust devils)

PR       partial

PRESFR   pressure falling rapidly

PRESRR   pressure rising rapidly

PWINO    precipitation identifier sensor not available

PY       spray

R        right (with reference to runway designation)

RA       rain

RVR      Runway Visual Range

RVRNO    RVR system not available

RWY      runway

S        south

SA       sand

SCSL     stratocumulus standing lenticular cloud

SCT      scattered

SE       southeast

SFC      surface

SG       snow grains

SH       shower(s)

SKC      sky clear

SLP      sea-level pressure

SLPNO    sea-level pressure not available

SM       statute miles

SN       snow

SNINCR   snow increasing rapidly

SPECI    an unscheduled report taken when certain criteria have been met

SQ       squalls

SS       sandstorm

SW       southwest

TCU      towering cumulus

TS       thunderstorm

TSNO     thunderstorm information not available

TWR      tower

UP       unknown precipitation

UTC      Coordinated Universal Time

V        variable

VA       volcanic ash

VC       in the vicinity

VIS      visibility

VISNO    visibility at secondary location not available

VRB      variable

VV       vertical visibility

W        west

WG/SO    Working Group for Surface Observations

WMO      World Meteorological Organization

WND      wind

WSHFT    wind shift

Z        zulu, i.e., Coordinated Universal Time

Note 1: The abbreviations, acronyms, contractions, and symbols included
        in this appendix are defined in accordance with their usage in
        this Handbook.