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The abbreviation for a condition of mist is BR on METAR and TAF reports. How did mist end up getting abbreviated as BR?

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According to a CFI's lesson plan on the internet, it comes from the French word for mist, brume.

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  • $\begingroup$ I believe Smoke (FU) is also from the French (fumée) $\endgroup$ – voretaq7 Sep 25 '15 at 22:27
  • $\begingroup$ as well as Hail (GR) from French grêle. $\endgroup$ – mins Sep 25 '15 at 23:26
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    $\begingroup$ The word "brouillard" would also fit and is more common, as far as I know. It's used on traffic signs in France. $\endgroup$ – Hobbes Sep 26 '15 at 10:50
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    $\begingroup$ Looked up the difference: brouillard is used when visibility is less than 1 km, brume is for visibility between 1 and 5 km. $\endgroup$ – Hobbes Sep 26 '15 at 11:52
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    $\begingroup$ "brume" is more used for mist while "brouillard" would be more often translated as fog (which would have reduced visibility). $\endgroup$ – Mahmoud Al-Qudsi Sep 26 '15 at 17:06

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