Weather Observation Data Transfer Format, 1998 (WxObs 98)
| Item | Columns | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01-03 | 3A | Record type (W98). All records begin with this record type identifier code. |
| 2 | 04-09 | 6N | Station Number. |
| 3 | 10-17 | 8N | Observation date (YYYYMMDD). |
| 4 | 18-21 | 4N | Observation time (0000-2359). |
| 5 | 22 | 1A | Observation type (O=NFDRS, R=RAWS other than at the standard NFDRS observation time, F=Forecast, X=Other). |
| 6 | 23 | 1N | State of weather code. |
| 7 | 24-26 | 3N | Dry bulb temperature (degrees Fahrenheit or degrees Celsius based on Measurement Type code [col. 63]). |
| 8 | 27-29 | 3N | Atmospheric moisture (wet bulb temperature, relative humidity (percent), or dewpoint temperature based on Moisture Type code [col. 62]). |
| 9 | 30-32 | 3N | Wind direction azimuth measured from true north. 0 (zero) means no wind direction, 360 is north. |
| 10 | 33-35 | 3N | Average windspeed over a 10-minute period (miles or kilometers per hour based on Measurement Type code). |
| 11 | 36-37 | 2N | Measured 10-hour time lag fuel moisture. |
| 12 | 38-40 | 3N | Maximum Temperature (degrees Fahrenheit or degrees Celsius based on Measurement Type code [col. 63]). |
| 13 | 41-43 | 3N | Minimum Temperature (degrees Fahrenheit or degrees Celsius based on Measurement Type code [col. 63]). |
| 14 | 44-46 | 3N | Maximum relative humidity (percent). |
| 15 | 47-49 | 3N | Minimum relative humidity (percent). |
| 16 | 50-51 | 2N | Precipitation duration (hours). |
| 17 | 52-56 | 5N | Precipitation amount based on Measurement Type code [col. 63]. Blanks=no precipitation. U.S. measurement: inches with implied decimal nn.nnn format; trace shown as 00005. Metric measurement: measured in millimeters, no implied decimal; trace shown as 00001. |
| 18 | 57 | 1A | Wet flag (Y/N). |
| 19 | 58-59 | 2N | Herbaceous greenness factor (0-20). |
| 20 | 60-61 | 2N | Shrub greenness factor (0-20). |
| 21 | 62 | 1N | Moisture Type code (1=Wet bulb, 2=Relative Humidity, 3=Dewpoint). |
| 22 | 63 | 1N | Measurement Type code: 1=U.S.,2=Metric. Affects temperature (Fahrenheit or Celsius), wind (miles or kilometers per hour), and precipitation (decimal inches or millimeters - 1 = US (Preceiptation amount 24 hour), 2 = Metric (Preceiptation amount 24 hour), 3 = US (Preceiptation amount hourly), 4 = Metric (Preceiptation amount hourly). |
| 23 | 64 | 1N | Season code (1=Winter, 2=Spring, 3=Summer, 4=Fall). |
| 24 | 65-68 | 4N | Solar radiation (watts per square meter). |