"oneatcer" wrote in message
...

Not to be pessimistic, where in my FAA ATC bible does it say "official
source"?


FAAO 7110.65, para 7-4-6.b. says, "The reported ground visibility is at
least 1 statute mile." The Pilot/Controller Glossary and FAR Part 1 both
define Ground Visibility as "Prevailing horizontal visibility near the
earth's surface as reported by the United States National Weather Service or
an accredited observer."



Available to ATC may be just a phone call away. I passed a CBI
based ASOS test at an FCT and was qualified to disseminate weather if the
ASOS failed. The only qualifications I needed after the test was to send
in an observation every quarter to the NWS. So what makes me any more
qualified than a guy who actually went to school for the weather
certification.


Nothing.



I only ask this question because it was asked of me by a
long time ATC instructor. Would a PIREP be good enough?


No.