Hello Frank,
I also have another issue that I recently saw. When there is a thunder storm and the clouds reach an altitude up to 50 000 feet, the clouds only go to around 10 000 feet. As I climb higher, there is still rain, but there are no clouds. The metar says there is an overcast layer between 20 000 feet to 50 000 feet, but there are no clouds in that layer. I can also see lightning coming from clear sky but there should be a cloud there.
Thanks,
Chris