If a balloon fades from view at 2,000 feet, how should this condition be recorded when an overcast layer is present?

When a balloon fades from view at 2,000 feet in the presence of an overcast layer, the correct way to record this condition is to denote the cloud cover accurately. The term "OVC" stands for overcast, which indicates that the clouds cover the sky completely.

In this scenario, the balloon disappears at 2,000 feet, suggesting that the cloud base is at or near that altitude. Since overcast implies that the ceiling is at the lowest level where clouds cover at least 90% of the sky, the height should reflect the base of the overcast layer. Thus, if the balloon faded from view at 2,000 feet, this suggests that the cloud base is at that height. Hence, recording “OVC020” indicates that the overcast cloud layer begins at 2,000 feet.

The notation "OVC019" would imply a cloud base at 1,900 feet, which is inconsistent with the visibility condition of the balloon. The terms "BKN020" and "FEW020" indicate broken and few cloud coverage respectively, which are not appropriate given that the balloon was not visible, signaling a continuous layer rather than broken or scattered clouds.

Thus, accurately documenting the cloud