On Fri, 29 Dec 2000 11:55:54 -0800, "Bill Potts"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

>>From the daily "HeadlineNewsMail," from CNN.
>
>Note the use of "15 centimetres," with neither a comment nor a change to
>American spelling.
>
>       Britons are facing their iciest winter since 1994
>       with heavy snow and freezing temperatures
>       causing chaos across the UK. Around 15 centimetres
>       of snow fell across most of the UK on Thursday, with
>       some flights cancelled and police urging motorists to
>       stay off the roads with the freezing weather forecast to
>       last for days. They warned that driving conditions would
>       remain treacherous with black ice on many roads after
>       overnight temperatures plummeted to minus 10C (14F).

Weather forecasts (at least on the BBC) tend to use centimetres now.

>I assume they omitted the degree sign because they're unsure of how to make
>it display on all email platforms.

The degree symbol is almost always missing from UK media reports. I
suspect it's sheer laziness (though no doubt many think it's the
correct way of showing it, as it has been used such much).


-- 
Chris KEENAN
UK Metrication: http://www.metric.org.uk/
UK Correspondent, US Metric Association

Reply via email to