Invalid METARs

[Gargam]

Hello, I tried to decode some METARs with your library and have some issues with the following 9 reports. They are not considered valid but they are supposed to (and I've managed to decrypt them with this online tool: http://www.metarreader.com/)

` LFBC 240900Z AUTO VRB02KT 9999 FEW033/// BKN052/// OVC066/// ///TCU 13/12 Q1016 BECMG NSC

LFBD 240900Z AUTO VRB03KT 4500 RA BR BKN026/// BKN035/// OVC056/// ///TCU 12/12 Q1016 TEMPO NSW

LFRJ 240900Z AUTO 24005KT 9999 FEW011/// SCT039/// BKN054/// ///TCU 08/07 Q1012 TEMPO SHRA BKN013TCU

LFBG 240900Z AUTO 19007KT 8000 -RA BKN016/// BKN023/// OVC074/// ///TCU 11/10 Q1015 TEMPO 3000 RA BKN005

LFRO 240900Z AUTO 25010KT 5000 -RA BR BKN009/// BKN015/// BKN029/// ///CB 08/08 Q1012 TEMPO RA

LFRU 240900Z AUTO 24005KT 9000 -RA FEW010/// BKN038/// OVC046/// ///TCU 08/07 Q1012

LFBU 240900Z AUTO 18007KT 150V210 5000 RA BR SCT007/// BKN013/// BKN027/// ///TCU 11/11 Q1015 TEMPO BKN008 BKN020TCU

LFSD 240900Z AUTO 21009KT 9999 ///TCU 11/08 Q1015

LFQG 240830Z AUTO 21007KT 9999 -RA ///TCU 12/10 Q1014

`

Regards.

[inouire]

Thanks for the feedback with the detailed examples. We'll have a look at it and let you know.

[Jalna]

Hello,
Thank you for your feedback.
I had a look and found that all these METARs have cloud strings such as ///TCU or ///CB and this do not strictly comply with the ICAO Annex 3 (see attached extract).
Indeed a cloud chunk must have a cloud amount (e.g. BKN) and a height of cloud base (e.g. 052) and may have as third information a cloud type (e.g. TCU): e.g. a BKN052 is valid, a BKN052TCU is valid.
For automated report the string "///" is acceptable for the clould amount, and "///" is also acceptable for the cloud base. So ////// is acceptable, and //////TCU is acceptable too. But not ///TCU nor ///CB because there is a missing ///.
And indeed http://www.metarreader.com/ does not show error but does not parse any cloud information...

[Gargam]

Hello,

Thanks for your investigation and explanation. I'll take it into consideration.