How is Altocumulus Castellanus located from the south through southwest of the observation location encoded in column 14?

The encoding for Altocumulus Castellanus located from the south through southwest is correctly represented as "ACC S-SW." This format specifies the type of cloud (Altocumulus Castellanus denoted by "ACC"), followed by the direction from which the cloud is observed.

In this case, "S-SW" indicates a range from south to southwest, which accurately describes the cloud's location relative to the observer. The dash (-) serves as a clear delineation, indicating that the orientation spans between the southern and southwestern points on the compass.

The other options fail to represent this direction accurately. For instance, "SW-S" could suggest a reverse or unclear range, whereas "S-W" does not capture the intended southeasterly direction correctly, and "SSW" reflects a more specific direction rather than the broader range intended by the question. Thus, the encoding "ACC S-SW" provides the clearest and most precise representation of the cloud's location in terms of aviation weather reporting.