Davis | News


		Davis Instruments Weather Club February 2000 ===== Here's a quick preview of this month's contents: ===== Toolbox update...Look before you leap...Up to the minute weather in Tulsa...and let it snow, let it snow, wish it would go...Enjoy! ===== Davis: Toolbox Update ===== Back in June 1999, we introduced the WeatherLink Toolbox. It's a stunning little software package that posts your weather data to a website and then updates that data automatically as time goes on and conditions change. It will even let you page yourself and friends (via phone or pager) when weather conditions get exciting. As with any software program, there were a few bugs that didn't come out of hiding right away. Our software engineers stayed on their trail and nabbed the buggers. The program has been updated, and Toolbox owners can download the update for free on our website. It's located at http://davisnet.com/support/weather/software.asp. Click on the WeatherLink Toolbox header and you will be ready to download. For those of you thinking about posting your weather on the web, check out the weather at Davis: http://davisnet.com/weather/cool/see_weather.asp. You'll see Toolbox in action - not to mention the weather at our Hayward factory. ===== Tech Tip: Look before you leap! ===== If winter seems to be longer this year, it's not your imagination. It's leap year, which comes every four years. Or does it? Well, here's how to tell. The year must be divisible by 4. If the year is the last year of a century like 2000, then it is only a leap year if it is also divisible by 400. So, if we have such a hard time remembering which years are leap years, how do our weather stations keep track? They don't, so you need to be alert. The weather station console will display March 1 on February 29. You can correct the date on or after the real March 1st, by using the Time and Enter keys on your display console. But what happens to your weather data? If you are using WeatherLink for Mac (1.2 or above) or Windows, nothing happens to your data. Just download your station without changing the date, and the software will automatically guide you through the correction process. WeatherLink will even ask if you want it to reset your console. It couldn't be easier! ===== Cool Ap: Watching the weather in Tulsa ===== Each month we travel the globe seeking new weather adventures, yet somehow we keep finding our way back to Tornado Alley. Usually the adventure revolves around storm chasers, but have you ever wondered how they find out that tornado conditions are right? They keep in touch with the National Weather Service! The NWS maintains a series of weather posts throughout the United States. As their mission statement says, "NWS data and products form a national information database and infrastructure which can be used by other governmental agencies, the private sector, the public, and the global community." In other words, if you want to know weather, check out the NWS. We had a chance to chat with Michael Teague from the Tulsa office recently. As with most NWS offices, the official weather is measure by an ASOS (Automated Surface Observing System) station at the local airport. However the Tulsa office is 4 miles away from the ASOS, so the staff had no local weather. They also didn't have a lot of space at the building they lease. So, last fall, they installed a Wireless Weather Monitor II to provide local weather for the staff. Mike said his group has been pleased with the station's performance. The reception from the outside sensors is good, and the console in the office allows visitors to see the weather. While the Davis data is "unofficial" the Tulsa office is using the alarm features to stay alert to changing conditions. Mike has even posted the Davis weather data on the Tulsa NWS site. Data is recorded every minute and updated to the site. You can see it at http://www.nwstulsa.noaa.gov/1minute.htm. ===== Reader's Write: Let it Snow! ===== A number of you wrote with comments about our article "how much water is in snow". Michael Matthews of Billerica, Massachusetts supplied us with another water/snow resource. He wrote: >When I purchased the rain guage heater for my weather stations, I was wondering the same thing. I went on-line to the NWS Boston office and found a great statistical database on just this topic. It can be found at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/er/box/, choose Snow Storms, then choose "Snow Amounts for water equivalent and temperature." ===== A Note: Updates to Weather World 'Round ===== Many thanks to all of you who have submitted your URL for the Weather World 'Round. We have been overwhelmed with listings, so please continue to be patient while we get them posted. We hope to have some other ways for you to share your data in the newsletters ahead. ====== That's it for February's E-news! See you next month. To subscribe to this e-newsletter go to: http://davisnet.com/news/e_club_signup.asp