This is the very first bit of code found on both METARs and TAFs.
What is the Station Identifier?
100
This is the central brain of most weather towers in use today.
What is the Datalogger?
100
This network of weather stations is used to measure a variety of weather parameters across a state.
What is a Mesonet?
100
This high velocity river of air flows continuously around the planet at higher levels in the atmosphere.
What is the Jet Stream?
200
This is the universal Time parameter for which meteorological observations are made.
What is Zulu Time?
200
This is the unit used to measure how far from the tower one could see.
What are Statute Miles?
200
This instrument is used to measure temperature inside of a solar shield.
What is a thermister/digital thermometer?
200
This is a line drawn from a station plot that measures where the wind is coming from and its speed.
What is a Wind Barb?
200
This special weather balloon is launched twice per day, and tracks pressure, temperature and relative humidity as it rises.
What is a Radiosonde?
300
These units are used when measuring pressure in the atmosphere.
What are Millibars/Hectopascals/Inches of Mercury?
300
This bit of code would indicate light rain showers in the vicinity of the tower.
What is -SHRA?
300
The Anemometer must be place at this height on every weather tower in use.
What is 10m?
300
This is a line of constant temperature to differentiate between different temperature regions near the surface.
What is an Isotherm?
300
This parameter, measured at 700 mb, looks at small kinks in the Jet Stream flow pattern.
What is a Shortwave feature?
400
These units are used when measuring Solar Radiation.
What are Watts per square meter?
400
This code marks a special observation made in a METAR, outside of the normal hourly observation.
What is a SPECI?
400
This instrument measures the outgoing long-wave radiation emitted by the surface of the earth.
What is the Pyrgeometer?
400
On a station plot, this information is found on the bottom right, and includes a two digit number and a line of some shape to indicate how the parameter is changing over time.
What is Pressure Tendency?
400
This feature at 850 mb acts to pull warm, moist air from the gulf to intensify a low pressure system.
What is the Low Level Jet?
500
This is the only temperature where Fahrenheit equals Celcius.
What is -40 degrees?
500
This marks a transition/temporary condition on a TAF that lasts less than half of the total time period during which it is forecasted to occur.
What is a TEMPO?
500
This very expensive piece of equipment is capable of detecting snow depth near the tower.
What is the Ultrasonic Snow Depth Sensor?
500
This type of surface front has a generally weak temperature gradient, weak, parallel winds, and is general indicative of stagnant, unchanging weather.
What is a Stationary Front?
500
This type of vorticity is negative and associated with High Pressure systems.