Met Office Special Request data file Headers

MD.DWX.DRNL file format for daily weather measurements
MD.HWX.HRLY file format for hourly weather measurements including sunshine hours
MD.RAIN.DRNL file format for daily rain measurements
MD.RAIN.HRLY file format for hourly rain measurements
MD.WIND.HRLY file format for hourly mean wind measurements
MD.TEMP.DRNL file format for daily temperature extreme measurements
MD.SOILT.DRNL file format for daily soil temperature measurements
MD.RADT.HRLY file format for hourly and daily radiation measurements

Important notes:

1- The Met Office "now" use Standard International (S.I) Units.
2 - Values of -999 indicate missing data

MD.DWX.DRNL file format

Headers	Parameters	Units
OBS_END_TIME	Observation End Time	YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI
ID_T	ID Type	DCNN, WMO, ICAO...
ID	ID number	Station number
MET_DOM	Met Domain	Met Domain
OB_HOUR_COUNT	Observation Hour Count	Count
CS_24HR_SUN_DUR	Campbell-Stokes sunshine duration	hour
WMO_24HR_SUN_DUR
CONC	State of concrete slab	WMO Code
SNWL	Snow Lying	WMO Code
SNOW_DEPTH	Snow Depth	cm
FRSH_SNW_AMT	Fresh Snow Amount	cm
SNOW	Day of Snow	WMO Code
HAIL	Day of Hail	WMO Code
THUN	Day of Thunder	WMO Code
GALE	Day of Gale	WMO Code
FMSF	Fresh Amount Snowfall Flag

MD.HWX.HRLY file format

Headers	Parameters	Units - Comments
OBSERVATION_TIME	Observation Time	YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI
ID_T	ID Type	DCNN, WMO, ICAO...
ID	ID number	Station number
MET_DOM	Met Domain	Met Domain
WIND_DIR	Wind Direction	Degree true - From 0 to 360 degrees, clockwise
WIND_SPEED	Wind Speed	knots
PRST	Present Weather ID	WMO Code and Met Office Doc.
PAS1	Past Weather ID-1	WMO Code and Met Office Doc.
PAS2	Past Weather ID-2	WMO Code and Met Office Doc.
TCA	Cloud Total Amount ID	WMO Code and Met Office Doc.
LCT	Low Cloud Type ID	WMO Code
MCT	Medium Cloud Type ID	WMO Code
HCT	High Cloud Type ID	WMO Code
CBA	Cloud Base Amount ID	WMO Code
CBH	Cloud Base Height	decameters (dam)
VIS	Horizontal visibility	decameters (dam) and Met Office Doc.
MSLP	MSL Pressure	hPa or mb
CA1	Cloud Amount ID-1	WMO Code
CT1	Cloud Type ID-1	WMO Code
CBH1	Cloud Base Height ID-1	decameters (dam)
CA2	Cloud Amount ID-2	WMO Code
CT2	Cloud Type ID-2	WMO Code
CBH2	Cloud Base Height ID-2	decameters (dam)
CA3	Cloud Amount ID-3	WMO Code
CT3	Cloud Type ID-3	WMO Code
CBH3	Cloud Base Height ID-3	decameters (dam)
CA4	Cloud Amount ID-4	WMO Code
CT4	Cloud Type ID-4	WMO Code
CBH4	Cloud Base Height ID-4	decameters (dam)
VVIS	Vertical Visibility	decameters (dam) and Met Office doc.
AIR_TEMP	Dry-bulb Air Temperature	degree celsius and Met Office doc.
DEWPOINT	Dew Point Temperature	degree celsius and Met Office doc.
WETB_TEMP	Wet-Bulb Temperature	degree celsius and Met Office doc.
RLT_HUM	Relative humidity	% - RH = 100.0*vapour pressure/saturated vapour pressure ; only for data extracted from MIDAS from 31st January 2003
STN_PRES	Station Level Pressure	hPa - Correction for altitude not applied.
ALT_PRES	Altimeter Pressure	hPa
SOG	State of Ground ID	WMO Code
Q10MNT_MXGST_SPD	10 min maximum gust speed	knots

MD.RAIN.DRNL file format

Headers	Parameters	Units
OBSERVATION_DATE	Observation Date	YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI
ID_T	ID Type	DCNN, WMO, ICAO...
ID	ID number	Station number
MET_DOM	Met Domain	Met Domain
OB_END_CTIME	Observation End Time
OB_DAY_CNT	Observation Day Count	Count
PRECIP_AMT	Precipitation amount	millimetres (mm)

MD.RAIN.HRLY file format

Headers	Parameters	Units
OB_END_TIME	Observation End Time	YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI
ID_T	ID Type	DCNN, WMO, ICAO...
ID	ID number	Station number
MET_DOM	Met Domain	Met Domain
OB_HOUR_COUNT	Observation Hour Count	Count
PRECIP_AMT	Precipitation Amount	millimetres (mm)
PRCP_DUR	Precipitation Duration	minutes

MD.WIND.HRLY file format

Headers	Parameters	Units
OBS_END_TIME	Observation End Time	YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI
ID_T	ID Type	DCNN, WMO, ICAO...
ID	ID number	Station number
MET_DOM	Met Domain	Met Domain
OB_HOUR_COUNT	Observation Hour Count	Count
MEAN_WIND_DIR	Mean Wind Direction	Degree true
MEAN_WIND_SPEED	Mean Wind Speed	Knots
MAX_GUST_DIR	Max Gust Direction	Degree true
MAX_GUST_SPEED	Max Gust Speed	Knots
MAX_GUST_CTIME	Time of Max Gust

MD.TEMP.DRNL file format

Headers	Parameters	Units
OBS_END_TIME	Observation End Time	YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI
ID_T	ID Type	DCNN, WMO, ICAO...
ID	ID number	Station number
MET_DOM	Met Domain	Met Domain
OB_HOUR_COUNT	Observation Hour Count	Count
MAX_AIR_TEMP	Max Dry-bulb Air temperature	Degree Celsius
MIN_AIR_TEMP	Min Dry-bulb Air temperature	Degree Celsius
MIN_GRSS_TEMP	Min Grass temperature	Degree Celsius
MIN_CONC_TEMP	Min concrete slab temperature	Degree Celsius

MD.SOILT.DRNL file format

Headers	Parameters	Units
OBSERVATION_TIME	Observation End Time	YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI
ID_T	ID Type	DCNN, WMO, ICAO...
ID	ID number	Station number
MET_DOM	Met Domain	Met Domain
SOIL_TEMP_5CM	Soil temperature at 5cm	Degree Celsius
SOIL_TEMP_10CM	Soil temperature at 10cm	Degree Celsius
SOIL_TEMP_20CM	Soil temperature at 20cm	Degree Celsius
SOIL_TEMP_30CM	Soil temperature at 30cm	Degree Celsius
SOIL_TEMP_50CM	Soil temperature at 50cm	Degree Celsius
SOIL_TEMP_100CM	Soil temperature at 100cm	Degree Celsius

MD.RADT.HRLY file format

Headers	Parameters	Units
OBS_END_TIME	Observation End Time	YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI
ID_T	ID Type	DCNN, WMO, ICAO...
ID	ID number	Station number
MET_DOM	Met Domain	Met Domain
OB_HOUR_COUNT	Observation Hour Count	Count
GLBL_IRAD_AMT	Global Solar Irradiation Amount	KJoules/m**2
DIFU_IRAD_AMT	Diffuse Solar Irradiation Amount	KJoules/m**2
DIRECT_IRAD	Direct Solar Irradiation Amount	KJoules/m**2
IRAD_BAL_AMT		KJoules/m**2
GLBL_S_LAT_IRAD_AMT		KJoules/m**2
GLBL_HORZ_ILMN		KJoules/m**2

Note that in 2001, the Met Office changed the radiation units from Watt-hr/m**2 to KJoules/m**2 .