In This Issue:

• Check Out the Weather, and the View, Before You Head Up to the Italian Alps
• Tactical to Practical: Did We End Up On the Cutting Room Floor?
• Raindrops Keep Falling
• Other Stuff Keeps Falling…Growing, Nesting
• Give Me My Fog, or Give Me an Air Conditioner
• Missing From the Software Archives
• You’re Brilliant! Answers to Quiz Questions
• Who You Gonna Call? Davis!

Check Out the Weather, and the View, Before You Head Up to the Italian Alps

Overlooking the slopes on Seceda Mountain in South Tyrol, Italy, this Vantage Pro and web cam make it possible for visitors to know exactly how the weather is at the resort area.

In the northeast corner of Italy, there is a famous range of craggy, light-colored mountains called the Dolomites. For centuries, only the Ladins, a people who long preceded the Romans, and those hardy folks who enjoyed a brisk walk over snowbound Alpine passes got to enjoy the unusual mountain formations. But today, the area is a favorite vacation getaway for skiers, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts. And now, those visitors have a high tech way to know what is going on, weatherwise, before they even pack up their skis. Patrick Verband, webmaster of the Val Gardena Tourist Office, along with several business partners, has set up a Vantage Pro weather station and real-time web cam on Seceda Mountain in Val Gardena, South Tyrol, Italy. The camera is now sending glorious photos and weather information to users all over the world.

Many of our readers have set up web cams with their weather stations, but when Patrick set out to accomplish this back in the summer of 2003, he couldn’t find anyone who had successfully set up a camera and weather station at an altitude of 2,450 meters (8,038 feet). Technicians had to face a few unique problems in getting the system up and running, like 150km/h (93 mph) winds, temps of -20ºC (-4ºF), and the not-so-rare thunderstorm. But set it up they did. The first pictures were transmitted on September 25, 2003, and since early February the system has been transmitting faithfully.

“It should be the first real-time camera plus meteo [transmitting] over 200 meters via wireless connection!” Patrick told us, adding that because the system has been so successful, three more stations will be installed in the next few months in Val Gardena.

Weather Check Quiz Question 1: Why are these mountains pale in color and known for the way their color changes to reds and pinks with the changing light? And where did that name, the Dolomites, come from?

Tactical to Practical: Did We End Up On the Cutting Room Floor?

Back in April we told you about an upcoming episode of the History Channel’s “Tactical to Practical” that was to feature our Vantage Pro. Several of you were disappointed to find very little mention of your favorite weather gadget. We wondered too if we had ended up as a forgotten television has-been, edited out and left to wilt on the cutting room floor.

But we should have known better! What television producer could cut out that beautiful VP console, not to mention sound bites from our own Sales Director, Russ Heilig? We were assured by “Tactical to Practical” producer, Marc Prager, that we would be included in the July 27 program in the "Weather II" segment.

“There is a whole section on personal weather stations including sound bites of Russ,” Marc tells us. (Russ is already preparing for the onslaught of paparazzi!)

So try again – check your local listing for the History Channel.

Weather Check Quiz Question 2: If it’s 72ºF in the cutting room, most of us Americans know it is somewhere around 20ºC. And everybody who is anybody in the world of weather knows that Lord Kelvin chose 0ºK (and we do know that you are not supposed to use the º, but it looks like “okay!” without it) to represent absolute zero, the temperature at which molecular movement stops. But if you are so historically and temperature smart, can you name any other temperature scales?

Raindrops Keep Falling

Fred Demeter, of Stockton, IL, thinks he beat last month’s “big rain” champ, Dick Jubinville, with his June 16th VP reading of 10.67 inches per hour and 3.31 inches of rain in just an hour and a half in his soggy yard. We think many folks in the Midwest, southwest and even Southern California have had just about enough rain.

But none of those folks live in the territory of the terrible monsoon season: Southeast Asia. With at least 5.5 million people displaced, and almost 400 dead, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Japan are struggling with the daily disasters caused by the relentless rain. (As we write, in Niigata state, Japan, the rainfall over the last four days [July 12 -15] has topped 17 inches.) Last year the monsoon season death toll was 1,500. Little comfort, there.

If you live in the US where the weather gets extreme and would like even more warning than your weather station can provide, there are some good web resources. The NOAA’s Interactive Weather Information Network is a good starting point. You can also check out an EarthSat map of the US which shows how much rain is needed, county by county, over any three-hour period within the next 24 hours to cause flooding. You can make a very specific map of possible hazards for your own locality on the Esri and Fema website. Current severe weather warnings are listed (and it’s usually a rather frighteningly long list) on Nexlab’s webpage.

In the UK, check out the Met Office website, where we learned this little weather ditty about St. Swithin’s Day, July 15.

St.Swithin's Day, if it does rain, Full forty days, it will remain. St. Swithin's Day, if it be fair, For forty days, t'will rain no more.

It seems St. Swithin was a monk whose remains, being happily interred out in the elements, were moved inside the cathedral in 971. This was, apparently, something he did not like at all, because it caused a rainstorm that lasted 40 days and nights. There’s also the BBC’s severe weather. website.

The whole world is covered on the WMO’s Severe Weather Information Center. Wolrdwide storms are also reported on the NOAA’s National Hurricane Center Tropical Prediction Center You can even sign up to receive email warnings.

Weather Check Quiz Question 3: Congratulations to Marilyn, David, Carol, Roxanne, Allen, Janet, and Diane! Guess we won’t be hearing from you for the next ten years at least. Why not?

Other Stuff Keeps Falling…Growing, Nesting

Speaking of rain, and thus, Davis rain collectors, we’ve heard a few more stories from those of you who have “rain-and-other-stuff” collectors. Ben Severinghaus found his Florida-based tipping bucket stymied by the lovely, fat mushrooms that grew on the wood beneath his rain collector. (Perhaps a sauté pan, a bit of butter and a dollop of white wine would solve the problem?)

John Conway of Lakeside, MT, had a more timely problem. His Fourth of July patriotic enthusiasm led to his poor rain collector collecting a variety of firework debris!

And then there is the note we received from Alex Love, of St. Augustine, Fl, who sent the photo below with a request that our Technical Support staff analyze it and try to determine why his rain readings were inaccurate. They dove right into that question.

Last but not least, there was the feathered fellow who thought it was a Davis VP Osprey Collector. Newport Beach Fire Department’s Lifeguard Captain, Eric Bauer, sent us a photo of the majestic guy who spent a few days recuperating from a run-in with a fishing line on the department’s weather station. They use the station to provide information for the public surf report. Luckily for the osprey, rain readings were not so crucial that team couldn’t allow him a temporary resting place.

Give Me My Fog, or Give Me an Air Conditioner

It is our experience that everyone who loves weather, no matter where they live, think their weather is just the best. Whether you define “best” as being the best site for watching thunderstorms, the best site for building a storm shelter, the best place to indulge in “Snow-Shoveling for Fitness,” or the best for sun tanning or rainwater hair rinsing, we’ve heard it all. Yawn, and ho hum, we say, as we know that the San Francisco Bay Area truly does have the world’s best weather, and right now, we’ve got the VP readings to prove it.

Yes, we know that Mark Twain supposedly quipped that the “coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” But we think Mr. Twain failed to stay until our real summer begins in early fall! The reason we’ve got mild winters, mild summers, a zillion breezy, blue-skied days a year, and maybe half a zillion foggy summer ones is pretty simple. It’s that huge, cold, blue expanse out our western windows: the Pacific Ocean.

This time of year, we’re still seeing some foggy days in the City and near the coast. The kind of fog we love to watch spill over the hilltops like a slo-mo waterfall is called advection fog. Advection fog is caused when warm, moist air moves over a cold surface and is cooled to its dew point. The simple story is that the surface water just offshore is colder than the water further offshore. This is caused by the presence of the Pacific High, a high pressure ridge that sits about 1,000 miles offshore, and causes winds that hit the California coast from the northwest. The wind pushes the warmer surface water to the south and east, and cold deeper water along the shore is pulled up to replace it. The same westerly winds carry warm moist air over this cold surface water, dropping the temp to the point at which the moisture condenses into a nice thick fog. The white blanket rolls in, pouring over hills, laying in valleys, and keeping the summertime temps in many San Francisco neighborhoods at a nice 70ºF. Additionally, the summer sun heats up the inland areas and central valley, causing hot temps (hi there, Sacramento!). The hot air rises, and cool air from the coast rushes in to fill the void. The fog and cool air (we call it “air conditioning”) travel further inland, keeping the East Bay nice and balmy.

Eventually, however, the summer sunlight starts to wane with the approach of fall, and this effect lessens. That’s when our mostly fog-free summer starts. September and October are good months for beach parties around here!

This explanation is simplistic, as our local weather guru Jan Null would probably point out. In fact, back in June of 2000, the San Francisco Chronicle ran a long story about how new research is clarifying just how San Francisco’s “biggest show in town” hits every summer. In it, Jan Null explains how the Jet Stream and other upper air systems create the natural air conditioning and fog we all love.

The fog does more than just keep us comfy and make for pretty post cards for our visitors! Without the fog, we would not have our beloved coastal redwoods, sequoia sempervirens. The tall, tall, ancient denizens of our coast don’t have to figure out how to pump water up from their roots to the highest leaves – the foliage takes moisture right out of the foggy air. Even more importantly, the foliage collects water and drips it onto its own shallow root system and neighboring plants. Todd E. Dawson, of the University of California at Berkeley, studied redwoods and found that between 6 and 100% of the water used by the understory comes from water dripped by the redwoods. 22 to 46% of the moisture input into the ecosystem is due to the presence of the redwoods themselves.

Although redwoods are some of our favorite living things, we were pretty impressed to find a couple of other creatures that have figured out how to get a drink from the fog. On the dry desert coast of southwest Africa, advection fog is often the only moisture around. The Namibian sand beetle holds up his wings and collects a drop of water from the fog. His cousin, the Namibian dune beetle, is even more industrious, digging trenches to collect and funnel water. Then there is another clever beast: man! In the high and dry Andes, Chilean folks know how to string nets that collect water from the fog. They can supply drinking water for the whole village by this method.

Okay, we admit that we don’t have the only fog around. Readers in New England, Appalachia, the tropical highlands of Central and South America, residents of the coasts of eastern UK, Denmark, and Germany, and lots of other spots are allowed to brag about their fog, we guess. But when it is 100ºF just a few miles to our east and we are enjoying the 72ºF reading on the VP console, it’s hard not to think our advection fog is the BEST!

Weather Check Quiz Question 4: Can you name a fog that is caused by a process other than advection? How about a few more, oh wise one?

Extra Credit: Rosie, the elderly Jack Russell Terrier, was delighted to hear that we are in the “dog days” of summer. She figures that means these are the days in which we spend hours meandering poison-oak adorned trails, chasing slimy tennis balls into the lake, and harassing summertime’s bevy of cats, ducks, squirrels, and lizards. Is she right in her assumption of the meaning of the term?

Here at Davis we tend to hang on to ancient documentation for our products – even those old, retired ones. But we couldn’t help Don Biederman, who is looking for some old software for a Digitar #7710 Weather Station, circa 1990.

“This station has an ISA computer card that the sensors plugged into,” he wrote. “The program runs on MS-Dos; its file name is PCW.COM and PCWGRAPH.EXE. There was a PRO version software also.” It is compatible with IBM, PC, XT, AT, or 386 (antique!) machines.

If you can help him out, his email address is gtw@ripco.com.

You're Brilliant! Answers to Quiz Questions

Question 1: The geologic story is that about 200 million years ago, a shallow sea covered this corner of what is now Italy. Coral reefs formed in the warm water, leaving behind a geology of limestone and dolomite that was hundreds of meters thick. (Dolomite is a cousin of limestone. It weathers to a more brown or reddish color, while limestone becomes grey or white.) Volcanic activity covered the limestone and dolomite formations. The cycle repeated itself a few times, creating layers of sedimentary and volcanic rock. Eventually, when the Alps rose, these rocks were deformed and forced upward. The volcanic rock layers wore off the ancient reefs and what was left are the tall, craggy, stair-stepped, pale white and rose mountains now known as the Dolomites.

But here’s a better story. Once upon a time, according to Ladin lore, dwarves lived in the woods and caverns of the area. They spun moonbeams around the mountains into a bright, diaphanous web, because the daughter of the King of the Moon, who married the King of the Mountains, was homesick. The proof of this story is that edelweiss, which the princess brought from her home on the moon, still grows here.

We found this story on the Geologia website. For some lovely photos of wildflowers of the Dolomites, check out British botanist Alan Grainger’s website.

Question 2: Way back when Newton was watching apples fall, he came up with one. Then there was Romer, who set 0ºRo as the temperature at which brine freezes. (Mr. Fahrenheit actually started with Romer’s scale and improved on it.) There was the Delisle scale, which set 0ºD as the temperature at which water boils, working up to 150ºD as the temperature at which it freezes. (Seems strange to us now, but the Celsius scale also started out going from low to high with increasing cold!) French scientist Reaumur’s scale divided the temperatures of ice and steam by 80º, with ice forming at 0º and steam forming at 80º. And between Celsius and Kelvin, there was the Scottsman Rakine, whose scale matches Kelvin’s in setting zero degrees at absolute zero, but using Farenheit degrees.

Here's a cool (hot?) temperature converter. It gives you more than the boring old F and C!

Question 3: Here’s a hint: Also members of that elite club: Andrew, Hugo, Mitch, Camille, … now you get it! Once a hurricane becomes particularly destructive, its name is temporarily retired by the NOAA.

Question 4 : If you said radiation fog, caused by cooling nighttime air near the ground, give yourself a point. If you said uphill fog or slope fog (caused when moist air flows uphill), you get two more points. If you got evaporation or steam fog (forms when cool air over water is heated from below) you get three more. If you added frontal fog (which forms just ahead of a warm front or behind a cold front), add five points. If you got a score of 11 or more (we know some of you came up with a few more), you are hereby inducted into the cult of the Fogacious Fog Spirit. (Worship services subject to cancellation due to sunny weather.)

Extra Credit : No, but we’re not going to be the ones to tell her! Dog days, which last from July to September, are usually the muggiest and miserablest of the year, which has led to using the term “dog days” to mean any period of stagnation. But they got the name from the stars. Or star. In summer, Sirius, the Dog Star, rises and sets with the sun, coming to full conjunction with the sun in late July. Some overheated ancient Romans noticed that in July, the Dog Star dogged the sun, and they figured it added just enough extra heat to make the season really hot, hot, hot. The conjunction varies with latitude and with the passing of time, so our dog days don’t fall quite where the Romans’ did. (Siriusly, folks, what causes the hotter temps of the summer? Altogether now: The earth’s tilt.)

Who You Gonna Call?
Each month after the E-News goes out, we receive messages back. Sometimes the messages are in response to a story we shared; other times they are a request for help of some kind. We read all the emails, answer those we can, and pass the rest on to the appropriate departments.

We think you should know, though, that if you're interested in the fastest possible reply, news@davisnet.com may not be the best place to send your message. Questions about how things work should be addressed to tech support directly at support@davisnet.com. For general information about the products, such as how much cable comes with a station contact sales@davisnet.com. To request a catalog, you’ll find links for catalog requests on our web site at http://www.davisnet.com/contact/catalog.asp

Please continue to send your comments, weather URLs, and story suggestions to news@davisnet.com. We look forward to getting your comments and any responses you have to the E-News. Member participation is what keeps the E-News alive and kicking.

Well, that’s it for this edition. You’ll be hearing from us again next month!


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