AGL/MSL Heights in METAR and TAF

[meritflyer]

Cloud heights in METAR and TAF -

AGL or MSL?

 

[DL31082]

AGL

 

[surreal1221]

The height of the bases are coded in AGL.

http://www.ofcm.gov/fmh-1/pdf/I-CH9.pdf

 

[Jshutt64]

So I take it AWOS reports the clouds height as AGL as well?

 

[Brian Z]

So I take it AWOS reports the clouds height as AGL as well?

Yep

 

[ppragman]

Cloud heights in METAR and TAF -

AGL or MSL?

Best way to remember that is that if your airport was sitting at 1500' MSL, and they called it 1500BKN it'd be foggy. That's kind of how I've always thought about it, so to correct for that its in AGL altitudes.

 

[Fly_Unity]

Best way to remember that is that if your airport was sitting at 1500' MSL, and they called it 1500BKN it'd be foggy. That's kind of how I've always thought about it, so to correct for that its in AGL altitudes.

Your thought process isnt making sense to me.

 

[ppragman]

Your thought process isnt making sense to me.

See if this helps. If cloud heights were reported in MSL, and not AGL, then at an airport which sits 1500' MSL, a 1500'OVC layer would be fog and wouldn't make any sense or even wackier would be a 1000'OVC layer at that same airport, what is there a layer of clouds if you dig down 500'? There'd be no need for FG, or HZ, or even VV, really, because you could just call it a broken or overcast layer at the airport's elevation and that wouldn't really tell you anything.

 

[TFaudree_ERAU]

That was my argument during my instrument rating check ride at Riddle. I kid you not.

 

[msmspilot]

Ground stations report AGL; pilots report MSL (what they see on their altimeter).

So, METARs and TAFs are AGL, while UAs are MSL.

 

[ppragman]

That was my argument during my instrument rating check ride at Riddle. I kid you not.

It makes sense to me.

 

[Fly_Unity]

See if this helps. If cloud heights were reported in MSL, and not AGL, then at an airport which sits 1500' MSL, a 1500'OVC layer would be fog and wouldn't make any sense or even wackier would be a 1000'OVC layer at that same airport, what is there a layer of clouds if you dig down 500'? There'd be no need for FG, or HZ, or even VV, really, because you could just call it a broken or overcast layer at the airport's elevation and that wouldn't really tell you anything.

aha, That makes sense

 

[matt152]

One of our tower controllers insisted that the ASOS reported in MSL. But she was stumped when I asked why it sometimes reports OVC 001. Our airport is at 270 MSL.

 

[Mike H]

KAPA is 5800' msl. Broken clouds @ 3000' can't very well be underneath the airport.

 

[SIUav8er]

Best way to remember that is that if your airport was sitting at 1500' MSL, and they called it 1500BKN it'd be foggy. That's kind of how I've always thought about it, so to correct for that its in AGL altitudes.

???

 

[ppragman]

???

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