 |
|
Davis
Instruments Weather Club
May 2005
In This Issue:
PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Check Out All the New Stuff in Our Weather Clearance Center
Our Weather Clearance Center has recently gotten overstuffed! We swept the floors of our warehouse and moved a whole bunch of great new stuff to our Clearance Center! The shelves are bulging with brand new additions at an incredible 50% off regular prices. We’ve even got a few original Vantage Pros and Echoes, as well as a myriad of accessories and installation options for all stations.
Click quick, as supplies are limited, and at these prices, they won’t last long. (Need a preview? We’ve listed all the items available at the Weather Clearance Center at the bottom of this page!)
WEATHER 101:
The Truth About Russian Weather Forecasting
This story was submitted by reader David C. McGinley. He has an interesting insight into the problems of forecasting the weather in Russia, and we thought you would enjoy his story!
I read with interest the article in the March issue of the E-News, entitled “Next Week’s Forecast? Can I Tell You Next Week?” and the difficult position that the Russian weather forecasters are in. I am a consultant to the World Bank and to the Russian Government for the high performance computer modernization project for Roshydromet (Russian Weather Service). Although I cannot go into detail about the project, I can tell you about the current state of conditions with Roshydromet.
Roshydromet has four main centers for their operational and climatological activities. The World Meteorological Center and the Central Computing Center are located in Moscow. The A.I. Voeikov Geophysical Observatory in St. Petersburg is the site for their climatological modeling. There are two Regional meteorological centers located in cities of Novosibirsk (the capital of Siberia) and Khabarovsk (near the Pacific coast and the Chinese border).
Like the US National Weather Service, they have approximately 3,000+ manned and unmanned observation sites in many towns and cities. Many of these sites can be found at
Russia's Weather Forecast – Cities.
Click here for a listing of the
world’s current high performance (super computer) sites and many of those countries’ weather agencies. Russia is currently ranked near the bottom for all super computers used for weather modeling. They are currently using Cray Systems with a cluster based on four Intel Tiger (4xItanium2 1.6 GHz) nodes that are more than 10 years old in cities of Moscow and Novosibirsk. These systems are not much faster than your current high end personal computers. In St. Petersburg, at the geophysical observatory they are currently using Pentium III for their climatological modeling. Some of the these climate models can take up to two to three months to complete when you start evaluating 100 years or more of data.
At the computing center in Moscow, Roshydromet currently uses a global spectral model of the atmosphere for meteorological filed forecasts for a time period of up to seven days (the T85L31 version with 85 harmonics and 31 levels); and a global semi-LaGrange model of the atmosphere is being tested, which is being developed in parallel with the spectral model. This model is currently implemented with a longitudinal resolution of 0.9 degrees and the altitudinal resolution of 0.72 degrees (about 70 km over Russia), and 28 vertical levels (the grid dimension is 400x251x28).
There are plans to test the public domain software called MM-5 model used by the United States Air Force Weather Agency that was developed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, in Boulder, Colorado and Pennsylvania State University.
At the regional centers they run the regional finite-difference model with a horizontal step of 75 km for meteorological field forecasts for the time of up to 48 hours.
For anyone who has traveled around Russia, you soon learn that Russia is a very, very large country with its own unique weather conditions and problems. Did you know that palm trees grow and are found in towns of Southern Russia near the Black Sea?
In the USA, we have tornadoes and hurricanes and some flooding problems. In Russia, they have more hail damage, severe flooding problems and of course snow, lots of snow and polar conditions. We have the National Weather Service and all their severe warning systems to aid the public, while Russia is still attempting to develop these coordinated infrastructures for these systems.
On a personal note, it was a pleasure to work with the dedicated professionals of Roshydromet. While I was there we celebrated on the 23rd of March, Russian day of acknowledgement for
World Meteorological Day. And as usual with Russian friends we celebrated with a little vodka and cognac. I have been an avid weather enthusiast for many years and have owned several Davis systems over the last ten years including my Vantage Pro system. While I was there, I suggested that they consider implementing this type of equipment in the future. It is under consideration.
What made this contract so unusual for me is that I am a petroleum geologist who had worked in Russia for Halliburton. In the energy industry we use super computer systems for processing geophysical data. I gained my meteorological experience developing a weather familiarization school for Civil Air Patrol cadets and the US Air Force Weather Agency at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
Weather Check Quiz Question 1: Everybody knows it gets very cold in certain parts of Siberia. But do you know what the national record low is? Just guess. Now guess lower. (Click here for answers.)
WEATHER STATIONS IN ACTION:
Vantage Pros Help Young Weatherman Take Home Science Fair’s Top Prize
Ah, springtime in California! Frank Kohl shows off his first place blue ribbon awarded at the Summerville Connections Academy annual science fair. Frank used two Vantage Pros to test his hypothesis about the rain shadow effect in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
Thirteen-year-old Frank Kohl took the blue ribbon at the Summerville Connections Academy’s annual science fair this year for a project using the original Vantage Pro and the new Vantage Pro2. While the Connections Academy (a public school) is located in Sonora, California, the actual project took place in Twain Harte, which is about 4,500 feet above sea level.
The project was to investigate whether a rain shadow effect would apply to snow, particularly in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The rain shadow effect is when there is a larger amount of precipitation on the windward slope of a mountain than on the leeward side. Frank wanted to see if the same theory held true for snow.
As a part of his research, Frank not only measured snow levels but also recorded data from both weather stations. The original Vantage Pro was positioned on one side of the mountain and the Vantage Pro2 on the other. He was able to take advantage of the Vantage Pro2’s long-distance transmission capabilities.
While he failed to prove his hypothesis about a snow shadow effect, his extensive data collection from the weather stations and the snow measurements garnered him first place in the middle school competition.
Late Breaking News Flash: Frank was very recently summoned to the county awards ceremony, where he learned that his project took another First Place at the county level! Go Frank!
Can Tubes in the Earth Lower Energy Costs in Southeast US? Researchers Ask Vantage Pro2
The Clean Energy Exhibition and Research Center has a novel use for its Vantage Pro2 weather station. At its Clean Energy Exhibit, a permanent renewable energy exhibition located within the 144-acre Georgia Nature Center, there is an exhibit of an exciting new way to provide natural heating and air cooling through the use of
earth tubes. The idea is to bury tubes a few feet below the earth’s surface where the temperature remains at a near constant of 65º year round. The air from these tubes can then be drawn out and used to cool the air in the summertime or lowering heating costs in the winter. The Vantage Pro2 will be used by researchers to see just how effective this system is in the Southeast US.
Now that’s cool. (Or warm, if it’s November…)
EXTREME WEATHER STATION CONTEST:
Can Your Weather Station Beat Cap’s for Elevation?
What a difference a day makes! A gorgeous sunny day, so clear you can see forever...
...until tomorrow, when all you see is lotsa cold, white stuff.
Cap Witzler thought we might enjoy some photos of one of his high altitude Vantage Pro2, installed in Keystone, CO, elevation 9,320'. He snapped the first photo on a glorious mid-March day, and the second one just 24 hours later.In the first photo, you can see Mt. Guyot, elevation 13,370’ in the background.
Cap thinks his Vantage Pro2 could be the highest Davis weather station in Colorado, maybe the highest in the US, and maybe even the highest in the world.
Can your Davis weather station beat Cap’s for elevation? If so, let us know. This will kick off the first of our Extreme Weather Station contests that will appear in each month of the E-News. To win, send us a photo of your weather station (any kind, as long as it is a Davis), with its elevation. The grand prize will be a Davis cap or T-shirt, plus eternal fame! We must get your entry before May 15. Email to news@davisnet.com , or mail to Davis Instruments E-News, 3465 Diablo Avenue, Hayward, CA 94545.
.
Weather Check Quiz Question 2: How high is too high for a Vantage Pro2? (Click here for answers.)
Extra Credit: Only12 US states have at least one spot higher than the answer to the question above. Name those states.
(Click here for answers.)
MAILBAG:
Weather Forecasters Forgot to Use Basic Observation Equipment: Eyes!
Jackie Ericksen, of Placitas, NM, was reminded by the weather forecasting article in the March E-News of a “true story from the late sixties that suggests weather forecasters can become too dependent on their wonderful high tech gadgets.”
She wrote, “The University of New Mexico built an astronomical observatory on Capilla Peak in central New Mexico. My husband, Ron, a technician with the Physics and Astronomy Department, built and/or supervised the construction, so was the obvious person to assist (baby sit?) the astronomers who subsequently used it. Before heading up the mountain one evening, an astronomer asked Ron to check with the Weather Bureau to be sure the weather would cooperate. He made the call, and was assured clear skies were expected. Ron was unconvinced, and asked about the cloud bank sitting on the western horizon. He heard the man ask a colleague, ‘What cloud bank is he talking about?’ Ron suggested he look out the window. The man conceded they had no windows. Oh well...”
Next Davis high tech gadget: a hole in the wall, sealed with glass. To operate, turn toward device, open eyes…
Weather Check Quiz Question 3: Is a pair of trained eyeballs of any real meteorological used in this day of high tech electronics? (Click here for answers.)
Forecasted “Snow Flurries” Buried NJ in 30” of Snow
G. David Thayer, of sunny Sarasota, FL also had his excellent memory jogged by that story.
“I was born and raised in Glen Ridge, NJ, located about 18 km (11 miles) due west of uptown Manhattan, NYC,” David wrote. “On Christmas Day of 1947 the Weather Bureau (as it was known then) issued a forecast of ‘snow flurries’ for the next day. It started snowing hard at about 3:00 a.m. on the 26th and continued snowing hard until about 6:00 p.m. that night. The total snowfall at New York's Battery Park was 25 inches, at Newark Airport it was 26.3 inches, and in Glen Ridge it measured an even 30 inches. (Yes, I was interested in the weather even back then!) For many years thereafter it became a standing joke whenever there was a snowfall we’d say, ‘Oh, it's just snow flurries, you know!’
“Years later when I was working for what became the Environmental Research Labs of NOAA, I discovered to my amazement that the Weather Bureau considered the Dec. 26, 1947, storm to be one of their notable successes. Why? Because they had issued an industrial forecast, not released to the general public, which called for about a 25% chance of ‘very heavy snow.’ Well! That was just fine for the industries that were forewarned, but how about all the people who were totally blind-sided by the storm? It was three days before the snow plows got to our street, and the day after the storm my brother and I found a fire truck that had been abandoned sideways in a through street a couple of blocks from our home. It was a big mess!”
Florida Has Its Own Rules
Ken Koenitzer wrote to tell us that he thinks one of our Weather Check Quiz Questions may not apply in his own great weather state of Florida. Last month, we asked what it meant when the weatherman predicts a 60% chance of rain. Our answer was that it meant that “there is a 60% chance that any random place in the forecast area, such as your home, will receive measurable rainfall.”
According Ken, that’s not what it means in Florida. As proof, he included a copy of Chief Meteorologist Dave Marsh’s March 4 column in the Orlando Sentinel. Dave says that our definition is the standard one. But then he added, “However, during the summer in Central Florida, when it rains daily, the chance of rain is used to express how much of the area will see rain.”
Well, it must be nice to live in a special state!
Thanks Ken and Dave! (Are we any less confused yet?)
Mother Nature Can’t Fool the Vantage Pro
Jim Potter, who lives just about a mile north of the Atlantic Ocean in Westhampton, NY, enjoys the way his Vantage Pro can tell him just when, and why, a snow event changed to sleet and rain event. Whenever that happens, he just scans the data and, voila, he always finds that the moment coincides with a change in wind direction from NE to SE. The warmer air off the ocean can transform snow into sleet in a flash.
“I had one day in January,” Jim wrote, “when the temperature was holding at 20ºF all day long with a dry, heavy, powdery snow and winds from the north. When the wind shifted into the east at about 2 p.m., the temperature rose 13 degrees in one hour. The snow was then heavy and wet for the next four hours, until about 6 p.m., when the wind shifted back to the north and the temperature fell down to 20ºF again in two hours. All of this was documented very clearly and concisely on my Vantage Pro! It’s such a wonderful system -- it allows me to not only display every weather graphic, but also allows me to see the reason it happened. I can’t even imagine of living without one!”
You mean there are people who are living without a Vantage Pro? How terrible! Thanks, Jim!
Weather Check Quiz Question 4: Weather maps often show lines called isobars. What is an isobar? What information can we get from an isobar map?
(Click here for answers.)
Extra Credit: (This question comes from John Dorflinger, of Waymart, PA, who calls himself “just a so-so weather watcher.” We don’t think so! This is sure not a “so-so” question!) If the isobars connect places of the same pressure, why do the winds flow parallel to the lines instead of jumping into the center of the low like air will follow into a vacuum at right angles to the isobars?
(Click here for answers.)
YOU'RE BRILLIANT!:
Answers to Quiz Questions
Question
1:
Russia's national record low is -94°C, that’s -137.2º F, recorded at Verkhoyansk in north-central Siberia. Go put on a sweater, then click here for a fun story called
“Interpreting Russian Weather,” by Michele Berdy for the Moscow Times.
Question
2: Vantage Pro2’s (and original VP’s as well) love to be up high! (Or down low, for that matter.) They like to be up there as high as 12,500 feet, which is high enough. Even above that, the only data that might become unreliable is the barometric pressure.
Extra Credit:
1. Alaska, highest point: Denali (Mt. McKinley), 20,300’
2. California, highest point: Mt. Whitney, 14,494’
3. Colorado, highest point: Mt. Ebert, 14,433’
4. Washington, highest point: Mt. Rainier, 14,410
5. Wyoming, highest point: Gannett Peak, 13,804
6. Hawaii, highest point: Puu Wekiu, Mauna Kea, 13,796’
7. Utah, highest point: Kings Peak, 13,528
8. New Mexico, highest point: Wheeler Peak, 13,161’
9. Nevada, highest point: Boundary Peak, 13,140’
10. Montana, highest point: Granite Peak, 12,799’
11. Idaho, highest point: Borah Peak, 12,662’
12. Arizona, highest point: Humphreys Peak, 12,633.
(Source:
InfoPlease)
Question
3: Yes. According to an
article by Connie Jo Discoe in the McCook (NE) Daily Gazette, “Radar’s good, but nothing beats the human eye when it comes to watching weather.” She says that David Floyd, a NWS meteorologist in Goodland, NE, has been training people to become “storm spotters,” providing visual observations to help meteorologists confirm what their high tech gear reports, and to fill in the gaps that data always leaves. (So keep ‘em peeled.)
Question 4: Isobars are lines connecting points of equal pressure. The lines are typically drawn at intervals of 4 millibars, so the distance between isobars shows how strong the pressure gradient is in that area. Isobar maps show us areas of high and low pressure – which are important for identifying storm fronts, and the formation and position of cyclones and anticyclones. When you see many tightly packed lines, you can expect strong winds which accompany strong pressure gradients as air flows from high to low pressure.
Extra Credit: When we think of movement of wind as related to an isobar map, we are thinking only of one force on the air: the pressure gradient force, or PGF. If that was all that was affecting the wind, it would flow at right angles to the isobars, from high to low pressure. But PGF is not the only force at work on the air. There is also the Coriolis Force, caused by the earth’s rotation. (Short lesson: imagine playing catch on a merry-go-round. Every time you toss the ball to your pal on the other side of the ride, it veers to his right!) Then there’s surface friction that slows down winds at the surface. Jason Karvelot, Davis’ own meteorologist, explains it like this: “At higher levels of the atmosphere, winds flow parallel to the isobars. Near the earth's surface, winds spiral into a low and spiral out of a high. The spiraling is a result of a friction with the earth's surface. It slows the wind speed, which then reduces the Coriolis force. At the higher levels of the atmosphere, the Coriolis force is much stronger and generally balanced with the pressure gradient force, which results in the winds blowing parallel to the pressure gradient. The Coriolis force is an apparent force that results from the rotation of the earth under the atmosphere. If the earth didn't rotate, winds would blow straight from high to low.”
Weather Clearance Center Items, as of May 2, 2005
ORIGINAL VANTAGE PRO
Original Wireless Vantage Pro
- Wireless Vantage Pro, US version only. Originally $595.00; now just $297.50
- Wireless Vantage Pro Plus, US version only. Originally $995.00;
now just $497.50
- Console for Wireless Vantage Pro, Originally $295.00; now just $147.50
- Wireless Weather Envoy, Originally $195.00; now just $97.50
- Wireless Integrated Sensor Suite,. Originally $325.00; now just $162.50
- Wireless Integrated Sensor Suite, with Solar Powered Fan Aspirated Radiation Shield, Originally $525.00; now just $262.50
- Wireless Integrated Sensor Suite Plus, with UV & Solar Radiation Sensors, Overseas version only. Originally $725.00;
now just $362.50
- Anemometer Transmitter Kit, Originally $135.00; now just $67.50
Wireless Leaf & Soil Moisture/Temperature Station, Originally $195.00; now just $97.50
- Wireless Soil Moisture/Temperature Station,
US version only. Originally $275.00; now just $137.50
- Wireless Temperature Station, Originally $135.00; now just $67.50
- Wireless Temperature/Humidity Station,. Originally $235.00; now just $117.50
- Wireless Temperature/Humidity Station with Solar Powered Fan Aspirated Radiation Shield, Originally $395.00; now just $197.50
- Weather Echo, Originally $95.00; now just $47.50
Weather Echo Plus, Originally $135.00; now just $67.50
- Wireless Repeater with AC Power, Originally $125.00; now just $62.50
- Wireless Repeater with Solar Power,. Originally $175.00; now just $87.50
Original Cabled Vantage Pro
- Console for Cabled Vantage Pro, US version only. Originally $245.00;
now just $122.50
- Cabled Weather Envoy, Originally $165.00; now just $82.50
- Cabled Integrated Sensor Suite, US version only. Originally $275.00;
now just $137.50
- Cabled Integrated Sensor Suite with AC Powered Fan Aspirated Radiation Shield,, US version only. Originally $430.00;
now just $215.00
- Cabled Integrated Sensor Suite Plus with AC Powered Fan Aspirated Radiation Shield,UV & Solar Radiation Sensors ,, European version only. Originally $830.00; now just $415.00
- Add-on Solar Panel (for 7707 Solar Power Kit), Originally $150.00;
now just $75.00
Installation Options
- Daytime Fan Aspirated Radiation Shield,. Originally $100.00; now just $50.00
- Sensor Mounting Shelf for Solar Radiation & UV Sensors, Originally $25.00; now just $12.50
WEATHER WIZARD III / WEATHER MONITOR II
WeatherLink
- WeatherLink Tool Box, Originally $45.00; now just $22.50
- WeatherLink Upgrade for Mac OS X, Originally $49.00; now just $24.50
WeatherLink and Short-Range Modem
- WeatherLink for Windows, Enhanced for Short-Range Modem, Originally $185.00; now just $92.50
- WeatherLink for Mac OS X, Enhanced for Short-Range Modem, Originally $185.00; now just $92.50
-
Short-Range Modem Pair, Originally $270.00; now just $135.00
Options
- Surge Protector Shelter, Large, Originally $75.00; now just $37.50
-
Grounding Kit, Originally $30.00; now just $15.00
Installation Options
- Add-on Solar Panel (for 7707 Solar Power Kit), Originally $150.00;
now just $75.00
GROWEATHER, ENERGY AND HEALTH ENVIROMONITOR
Standard Sensors
- Stainless Steel Temperature Probe, Standard, Originally $30.00;
now just $15.00
- Leaf Wetness Sensor, Standard, Originally $85.00; now just $42.50
Solar Radiation Sensor, Standard,. Originally $160.00; now just $80.00
Industrial Sensors - Stainless Steel Temperature Probe, Industrial, Originally $35.00;
now just $17.50
- Temperature Humidity Sensor, Industrial Originally $150.00; now just $75.00
Options and Software
- Alarm Output Module, US version only. Originally $195.00; now just $97.50
- GroWeatherLink Software, ver. 1.2, English or Spanish/Portuguese. Originally $100.00; now just $50.00
REPLACEMENT PARTS
- Anemometer for Weather Wizard IIS, Originally $90.00;
now just $45.00
- Isolator Kit for Gro, Energy or Health WeatherLink, Originally $75.00;
now just $37.50
- Standard Motor Kit for Fan-Aspirated Radiation Shield, Originally $45.00; now just $22.50
WHO YOU GONNA CALL?
Davis!
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 URL's, 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!
Vantage Pro2,
Vantage Pro2 Plus,
Vantage Pro,
Vantage Pro Plus, Weather Monitor, Weather Wizard, WeatherLink, Weather Envoy, and Perception
are trademarks of Davis Instruments Corp.
If you would like to receive the Weather Club e-newsletter via
email every month, sign up now.
|
|
