In checking out cablet from wwh's "c" list--well, one of 'em--I came across a cool site for seamanship. Here are standardized letters for indicating weather--and, Faldage, are you familiar with these?:


Letters to denote the State of the Weather

b
denotes Blue Sky-whether with clear or hazy atmosphere

c
Cloudy-i.e. Detached opening clouds

d
Drizzling Rain

f
Fog

F
Thick Fog

g
Gloomy Dark Weather

h
Hail

l
Lightning.

m
Misty or Hazy-so as to interrupt the View.

o
Overcast-i.e. the whole sky covered with one impervious cloud.

p
Passing Showers.

q
Squally.

r
Rain i.e. Continuous Rain,

s
Snow.

t
Thunder.

u
Ugly threatening appearance in the weather.

v
Visibility of Distant Objects-whether the sky be cloudy or not.

w
Wet Dew.

e
Under any letter denotes an Extraordinary Degree.


By the combination of these letters all the ordinary phenomena of the weather may be recorded with certainty and brevity.

The site is well worth investigating:

http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/B_S_M/First_Instruction.html#Wind