CBC (Canada) manages to make sense of the units mishmash in an AP story. Do they have to clean it up themselves or does AP use metric (semi-)correctly when writing articles for metric countries? (I would have written "8 km/h decrease" not "eight km/h decrease," and about 1500 km would have been close enough, not about 1497.) http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/09/01/hurricane-katia-atlantic.html Storm threatens Gulf, Katia weakens Possible flash floods in Lousiana lead governor to declare emergency The Associated Press Last Updated: Sep 1, 2011 9:18 PM ET
Areas along the U.S. Gulf coast could get up to 50 centimetres of rain from a system that could blow into tropical storm strength, leading Louisiana's governor to declare a state of emergency Thursday because of the threat of serious flash flooding. Tropical storm warnings are out for the Gulf coast from Mississippi to Texas. The National Hurricane Center said the system that is now a depression in the Gulf of Mexico will dump 25 to 35 centimetres of rain over southern areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama through Sunday and as much as 50 centimetres in some spots. As for Katia (KAH'-tee-yah) in the Atlantic, it weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm, though forecasters say it will again grow stronger. It was about 1,497 kilometres east of the Leeward Islands and moving west near 30 km/h with maximum sustained winds Thursday evening near 113 km/h, a eight km/h decrease. It could become a major hurricane this weekend. --- On Thu, 9/1/11, G. Stanley Doore <[email protected]> wrote: From: G. Stanley Doore <[email protected]> Subject: [USMA:51052] RE: Tropical Storm Katia strengthening, moving northwestward: NHC To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Cc: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Date: Thursday, September 1, 2011, 10:20 AM Your email shows how far behind editorial practices are from the real world and the International System of Unit (SI) symbols. The standard International System of Units (SI) symbols should be used everywhere. No deviations. This would simplify peoples' lives and understanding so people would not need to learn different sets of symbols. The SI is already the international standard. The SI could be used worldwide in all publications, including newpapers. The SI should be taught in ALL elementary schools and used exclusively thereafter. Regards, Stan Doore On Sep 1, 2011 8:58 AM, "Ressel, Howard (DOT)" <[email protected]> wrote: > Interestingly the following bring up wavy not spelled correct lines: > > kmph, kph but it did recognize mph and Km/h > > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of > Carleton MacDonald > Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2011 7:00 PM > To: U.S. Metric Association > Subject: [USMA:51047] RE: Tropical Storm Katia strengthening, moving > northwestward: NHC > > Spoke too soon - someone got to them. > > Interesting, in my e-mail client (Outlook), there's a wavy red line under > "kmph", meaning the Word editor doesn't think it's right. When I right-click > on it I get, as a suggestion ... mph. > > Carleton > > Bangalore (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Katia, located about 1,285 miles east of > Leeward Islands was almost a hurricane packing winds of 70 miles per hour > (110 kmph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Wednesday. > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of > John M. Steele > Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2011 06:16 > To: U.S. Metric Association > Subject: [USMA:51045] Tropical Storm Katia strengthening, moving > northwestward: NHC > > Reuters correctly uses "km/h" for wind and storm speed in this story on > tropical storm Katia. > http://news.yahoo.com/katia-speeds-atlantic-not-clear-threat-u-031723393.html;_ylt=AobHPh4mmrdbQsbkDt8mUD6s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNtaDM0dXBwBG1pdANUb3BTdG9yeSBGUARwa2cDNzY4MWZiOGQtNmE4Mi0zMTFjLTkzMTMtNTMxODc2MzY0Y2JkBHBvcwMxNQRzZWMDdG9wX3N0b3J5BHZlcgNkZGEyYTFkMC1kM2IxLTExZTAtYmJmZC02ZTcxMzI4M2Q2MWQ-;_ylg=X3oDMTFvdnRqYzJoBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25zBHRlc3QD;_ylv=3 > > One has to wonder why a reporter in Bangalore is covering the Atlantic > hurricane watch desk. I have also seen Reuters use "kph." They appear not to > have a firm policy. At least "km/h" made it through the editor. That is > better than AP's policy of institutionalized error, always "correcting" it to > wrong. > >
