FSL RAOB Format

The RAOB (or RAdiosonde OBservation) data format is similar to the format used by the National Severe Storms Forecast Center (NSSFC) in Kansas City. The first 4 lines of the sounding are identification and information lines. All additional lines are data lines. An entry of 32767 (original format) or 99999 (new format) indicates that the information is either missing, not reported, or not applicable.

		             ---COLUMN NUMBER---

      1          2          3         4        5       6           7         8          9
 LINTYP
                                header lines
   PROF        HOUR        DAY    MONTH       YEAR    (blank)    (blank)    MIN        RES  
      1       WBAN#       WMO#      LAT        LON     ELEV      (blank)
      2	   (blank)    (blank)  (blank)    (blank)   (blank)    (blank)
      3      (blank)      STAID   (blank)    (blank)  (blank)    WSUNITS
                        
                                data lines
      9    PRESSURE     HEIGHT       TEMP    DEWPT   WIND DIR    WIND SPD
      4
      4
      4
      4
      4
        .
        .
        .    

                                    LEGEND
									
LINTYP:   type of identification line
          PROF = Profiler sounding Date Information line
             1 = station identification line
             3 = station identifier and other indicators line
             4 = mandatory level 
             9 = surface level

HOUR:     Hour of Day in UTC
DAY:      Day of Month (1 - 31)
MONTH:    Month of Year (1 - 12)
YEAR:     Year (1900 - 2999)
MIN:      Minute timestamp of data
RES:      Resolution of the data  
LAT:      Latitude in degrees and hundredths
LON:      Longitude in degrees and hundredths
ELEV:     Elevation from station history in meters
WSUNITS:  Wind speed units kt = knots
STAID:    Radar Station Name

PRESSURE: in tenths of millibars.  These are all standard pressure 
          heights except for line type 9, it could be a messurment.
		  
HEIGHT:   Height in meters (m) (MSL)
TEMP:     Temperature in tenths of degrees Celsius
DEWPT:    Dew point temperature in tenths of a degree Celsius
WIND DIR: Wind direction in degrees
WIND SPD: Wind speed in knots or meters/second