Help with METAR/TAF category TEMPO

[LongRoadBob]

I am doing the exercises for my online ground school part (later we do classroom). Have noticed a bit of misprints, and am very unsure on this part of a METAR/TAF sample...

TEMPO 0800 FG VV003 RMK WIND 1200 FT 17007KT

First problem I have is the time. Since it is missing TL or AT, this seems to be temporary with effect from 08:00 unti 24:00 ?? But it is a temporary addition?

Second, the vertical visibility of 300 ft...its fog, so by definition on the ground, but I have to take this to men an observer can see an object (balloon, plane) up to 300 ft? Makes no sense to me.

Here is a small but I took from a website that didn't help me...


TEMPORARY Group: ie. (TEMPO 1316)
The TEMPO group is used for any conditions in wind, visibility, weather, or sky condition which are expected to last for generally less than an hour at a time (occasional), and are expected to occur during less than half the time period. The TEMPO indicator is followed by a four-digit group giving the beginning hour and ending hour of the time period during which the temporary conditions are expected. Only the changing forecast meteorological conditions are included inTEMPO groups. The omitted conditions are carried over from the previous time group.

Examples:

• SCT030 TEMPO 1923 BKN030 - Three thousand scattered with occasional ceilings three thousand broken between 1900Z and 2300Z.

• 4SM HZ TEMPO 0006 2SM BR HZ - Visibility four in haze with occasional visibility two in mist and haze between 0000Z and 0600Z.

=: ie. (KOKC)

 

[EdFred]

Temporary periods of fog from 0800Z to 2400Z and yes, vertical visibility (VV003) means you can see up 300 ft.

What's the METAR/TAF location?

 

[azure]

I do believe you are correct. I would read that TEMPO group to mean from 08Z to 00Z they forecast periods of fog with vertical visibility of 300 feet. Vertical visibility implies an indefinite ceiling, though I'm not sure how the sensor determines that without a reflection from the ceiling. (Or maybe it sees multiple reflections, weak ones from lower layers and stronger ones from higher layers, with an average but still indefinite ceiling? I'm really not certain.)

I also assume the RMK WIND group to be part of the TEMPO group and used when the wind at the specified altitude is very different from the wind on the ground. I have never seen a RMK used in a tempo group here though, and am not certain it is part of the group.

 

[LongRoadBob]

Temporary periods of fog from 0800Z to 2400Z and yes, vertical visibility (VV003) means you can see up 300 ft.

What's the METAR/TAF location?

It's an example question and the airport would be Bergen (Fleslund)
Thanks!!

 

[LongRoadBob]

I do believe you are correct. I would read that TEMPO group to mean from 08Z to 00Z they forecast periods of fog with vertical visibility of 300 feet. Vertical visibility implies an indefinite ceiling, though I'm not sure how the sensor determines that without a reflection from the ceiling. (Or maybe it sees multiple reflections, weak ones from lower layers and stronger ones from higher layers, with an average but still indefinite ceiling? I'm really not certain.)

I also assume the RMK WIND group to be part of the TEMPO group and used when the wind at the specified altitude is very different from the wind on the ground. I have never seen a RMK used in a tempo group here though, and am not certain it is part of the group.

Thanks also to you. I don't know, about the RMK, what the translation is but they call it something like a "additional information" In this case though I don't know if this means always, but at least often this means a wind was measured up on a mountain with those conditions.

Thanks!

 

[EdFred]

It's an example question and the airport would be Bergen (Fleslund)
Thanks!!

Is the area known for fog? I don't know if the practice questions are pulled from actual historic METARs/TAFs or if they are randomly generated. Coastal area, depending on the conditions, could definitely be fog that rolls in and out periodically.

 

[azure]

Thanks also to you. I don't know, about the RMK, what the translation is but they call it something like a "additional information" In this case though I don't know if this means always, but at least often this means a wind was measured up on a mountain with those conditions.

Thanks!

RMK stands for "remark".

 

[LongRoadBob]

I do believe you are correct. I would read that TEMPO group to mean from 08Z to 00Z they forecast periods of fog with vertical visibility of 300 feet. Vertical visibility implies an indefinite ceiling, though I'm not sure how the sensor determines that without a reflection from the ceiling. (Or maybe it sees multiple reflections, weak ones from lower layers and stronger ones from higher layers, with an average but still indefinite ceiling? I'm really not certain.)

I also assume the RMK WIND group to be part of the TEMPO group and used when the wind at the specified altitude is very different from the wind on the ground. I have never seen a RMK used in a tempo group here though, and am not certain it is part of the group.

RMK stands for "remark".

Thanks, I didn't make it clear I knew it was Remark, but the definition was "additional information". Also in the book they pointed out that almost always this is a windmeter up on a mountain when the RMK is about wind dir and velocity at a certain height...In Norway.

Thanks again to all, I've answered the example (just point out also, these were not REAL METAR/TAFs but examples. I assume they took mostly from real situations that occur here in Norway, but they may have just made up some of it.) about the RMK, I meant that I don't know if it was part of the TEMPO report, or if it was on it's own...part of the original METAR or TAF.

 

[LongRoadBob]

well, I got my test graded...turns out the 0800 is visibility 800 ft.
Also the way the test was written, ALL of the reports (there were several) I understood it to be "given the following METAR/TAF decode the message" but I read it wrong and part of it was one was supposed to write WHICH it was as well as the rest. I sometimes tend to "skim" norwegian, I would have caught that point in english but just means I have to slow down, I was eager to get to the decoding part and missed a big part of it.
I also thought that since the line in question was a TEMPO the next item would be the time it was valid.

Turns out I should have called this a METAR with TREND, and that the TEMPO was showing visibility 800ft. etc. I got the rest of it but not the 800 foot as I thought it was times.

Overall I got 89% on the test. Believe I could have gotten 98% or so if I had read more carefully. Luckily this is the online ground school part. Will be taking classroom later this year, and then the exam.