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 Weather Stations In Action
Ted Samford sent this pretty photo of his Vantage Pro enjoying sunrise in New Plymouth, Idaho. ...To Ice Storms in Massachusetts Dick Jubinville’s Vantage Pro (about 200 feet up the hill behind the trees in this photo) in Leicester, Massachussetts, was “the only thing in the yard that didn't get destroyed in the worst ice storm in over 70 years to hit central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire recently.” Dick told us that the ice won’t kill the trees outright because they are in a sort of hibernation. The real danger comes from disease in the spring and summer from the "open wounds" of all the broken branches. Brrr. >> Back to Menu At Ivan and Susan Cross's Camano Island Washington home.
Weather 101
Thinking Dangerously About Weather The topic of deadly weather has come under some intense scientific scrutiny lately. Geographers at the University of South Carolina have created a new kind of map: one that shows natural hazard mortality in the United States. Dr. Susan Cutter and Kevin Borden used nationwide data from as far back as 1970 to create the map. It shows a county-by-county likelihood of dying as a result of a natural event, and will be used for emergency management planning. The map shows that the most deadly natural hazard is heat/drought. Heat/drought, combined with severe summer and winter weather, accounted for almost 60% of the deaths, while earthquakes, wildfires and hurricanes combined only came to less than 5%. It’s interesting to note that the scientists did not find it easy to define "deadly," nor was it simple to wade through the data which is "fraught with inconsistencies…due to the subjective nature of attributing any death to a hazard event." In their conclusion, they assert that the better question may not be, what is most dangerous, but where is most dangerous. "The spatial patterns revealed in the results are not surprising – greater risk of death along the hurricane coasts, in rural areas, and in the South – all areas prone to natural hazards as well as significant population growth and expansion throughout the study period." You can read their paper and draw your own conclusions on the International Journal of Health Geographic website. >> Back to Menu Dangers in Dollar Signs According to the Insurance Information Institute, insurance payouts for damage caused byhurricanes and tornadoes in the United States during the first nine months of 2008 were just short of $25 billion. (The third quarter brought another estimated $11.5 billion.) $11 billion of that was spent on the three hurricanes that made US landfall: Dolly, Gustav and Ike. But Dolly and Gustav were minor players; Ike cost $10.6 billion. (But Ike still didn't come close to big bad sister Katrina, who racked up $41.1 billion in insurance payouts in 2005.) And of course, this reflects only insured losses. 2008 was a bad year for hurricane damage in dollars, but not the worst. (2005, with monster Katrina, will be hard to beat.) But as far as tornados in 2008, it was a very bad year indeed. When the dust settles, 2008 may become the new record holder for number of tornados - beating out 2004 for that dubious honor. With 1690 tornadoes in 2008, 2008 easily beat the usual 1,000 a year. The 2008 twisters caused 125 deaths, 1700 injuries and cost almost $2 billion in property and crop losses. Hurricanes and tornadoes weren't the only insurance nightmares in 2008. Wildfires and floods also had a banner year. "Insured catastrophe losses in 2008 exceeded all ‘cat’ losses incurred in 2006 and 2007 combined," said Michael Barry, vice president, Media Relations for the I.I.I.. So what do we conclude? The undeniable facts are that weather can be dangerous (and beautiful and fascinating and wonderful). In the United States, severe weather is becoming more severe, more frequent and hitting places that are more populated. For now, the best we can do is understand the risks and be prepared (and insured!). For the future, we must not fail to consider the weather in our decisions about land and resource use. As Katrina taught us, weather trumps everything. >> Back to Menu
Tech Tips
"I've Fallen and I Can’t Get Up!"
Tom Pratt, of Superior, Colorado, thought that using 10-inch spikes to anchor the mounting tripod of his Vantage Pro2 would be enough. But on the night of December 30, a mysterious force, called a wind gust, showed him otherwise! "The station is in a poor place actually," Tom wrote, "quite sheltered by fences, trees, and the house. But it managed to record a gust of 57 mph before it bit the dust and broke the mounting bracket." (Relax, no weather stations were injured in the making of this story. Everyone is okay, even the spikes.) With other nearby spots reporting gusts of over 90 mph, Tom’s station needs some special treatment. Our tech support team will tell Tom, and all of you, that siting your station correctly is important for accurate readings, as well as maintaining your station. The Vantage Pro2 sensor suite is easily installed on one pole, as Tom did. However, this may not give you the most accurate readings. Ideally, the radiation shield of the ISS, which houses the temperature and humidity sensors, should be mounted about 5 feet (1.5 meters) above the ground. This is usually a good height for the rain collector as well, as it can be easily reached for routine cleaning and maintenance. However, this might not be the best height for your anemometer. We recommend that the anemometer be placed at least 7 feet (2.1 meters) above surrounding obstructions such as trees. For many applications, the best place is on the roof. (The standard for meteorological and aviation applications is to place the anemometer 33 feet (10 meters) above the ground. We recommend professional installation in that case.) For this reason, the Vantage Pro2 anemometer can be mounted separately from the other sensors using the included 40’(12 m) cable. (You can avoid the cable altogether by using our Anemometer Transmitter Kit, which allows the anemometer to transmit its data directly to the console.) Our Weather Tech Guru Tom Raymond advises that something you really want to consider when siting your station is lightning. "Any metal object may attract a lightning strike, including your weather station or tripod. If lightning strikes your station or strikes somewhere nearby, the station's internal electronics may suffer anywhere between little to extensive damage. The station itself has been designed with considerable surge protection, but to safeguard nearby equipment and structures, we recommend following local recommendations on properly grounding your installation." If you want more details, Tom suggests you contact your local lightning protection authority and/or refer to the following articles: "Grounding, Bonding, and Shielding for Electronic Equipments and Facilities," from the US Department of Defense; and the National Fire Protection Association’s "Standard for Installation of Lightning Protection Systems" or "National Electrical Code." ("Our surge protector and surge protector shelter will help give upgraded protection," Tom adds.) "Another consideration if you are putting the tripod on your roof is leaking, which of course could cause extensive damage to your house. It might be a good idea to contact a professional roofer, especially if you have never put lag screws into your roof before." Here are some examples of mounting the tripod on different surfaces.
Tom says that sometimes weather watchers are surprised that their data, even when they’ve followed all the suggestions for correctly siting their station, is not exactly the same as what is reported by the NWS. "Your backyard can have its own micro climate," Tom concludes. "Sometimes it can be better to know what the weather is in your backyard then to try and match what the NWS has for readings!" >> Back to Menu
Davis In The News
Weston’s Own Weatherman Weather buff Carl Pugh was featured in his local newspaper The Weston Forum in Weston, Connecticut. With his Vantage Pro2 set up on the dock at Beaver Brook Lake, Carl has become a local resource for his community by putting local weather data on his website and on local television Channel 12. It's clear that Carl understands the concept of microclimates. "You would see weather being reported for Bridgeport or Danbury, but not Weston. In many cases that information was extrapolated, and not based on actual conditions in Weston," he said. >> Back to Menu Damian’s a Weather Ace! The Ottery, Devon, UK, man has made a name for himself with his one-man weather station which he built by adapting a scrapped Davis Weather Monitor II. He has been publishing all sorts of data, including leaf wetness and solar radiation, since 2006. But what we like best about Damian's story was found on his website, where he explains that his original Weather Monitor II was first deployed in 1992! (Babies born in 1992 are now graduating high school!) Damian writes, "I think this shows you get what you pay for with weather recording equipment! I shall be buying a Davis when this one finally fails in a way that I cannot fix." At this rate, we may never get to send a new Vantage Pro2 to Damian. >> Back to Menu
Mailbag
Hans Approves of Davis’s Service We at Davis are proud of our reputation for excellent customer service here in the United States, and we have brought on board international dealers with the same zest for making happy customers. In Denmark that enthusiastic dealer is Masnedø Marinecenter A/S, who inspired this poetic letter from Hans Elfelt Bonnesen, of Birkerod, Denmark. "Now and then you buy something which is somewhat above your means: a Rolex watch, an Audi or an expensive cashmere sweater. Usually the price follows the quality and the service." "The same apparently applies when you buy a Davis Vantage Pro2 weather station." "In my long (77 years) life I have never received a service just faintly similar to the service rendered last week. Within two days a faulty transmitter board was replaced, installed, and working. Thank you, Davis." Værsågod, Hans. >> Back to Menu Answers to Quiz Questions
Question 1: The Vantage Pro2 outdoor temperature sensors are accurate to -40ºF (-40ºC). But the console will stop displaying at 32ºF (0ºC), and stop operating all together at about 0ºF (-18ºC). (This spec may not match what you have in your manual. It has been recently revised.) If it is that cold in your living room, your Vantage Pro2 console is probably the least of your worries! And too cold is somewhere around +54ºF (+12ºC) for the editor. That’s why we live where we do. >> Back to Menu Question 2: September is the busiest month in the Atlantic hurricane season; 96% of major Atlantic hurricanes occur in August, September and October. None. Last November, when Hurricane Paloma reached Category 3, 2008 became the first hurricane season on record to have a major hurricane in five different months of the season with one in July, August, September, October, and November. Only seven major hurricanes have been reported in November: The Jamaica Hurricane of 1912, The Cuba Hurricane of 1932, Hurricane Greta in 1956, Hurricane Kate in 1985, Hurricane Lenny in 1999, Hurricane Michelle in 2001, and Paloma in 2008. >> Back to Menu Question 3: Five ways, all unpleasant.
>> Back to Menu Question 4: True. There was a battle to establish a weather station on Greenland. If you knew the weather in Greenland, you had a much better chance of predicting the weather in the Northern Atlantic and Western Europe. According to an article in The UK Times Online by Paul Simons, the Germans tried several times to smuggle in weather equipment, and although they were denied by the Allies, they did manage to get enough data to use in planning deadly U-boat operations. In fact, the famous “Enigma” code book got into British hands when they captured the weather ship München in the Greenland Sea. >> Back to Menu Who You Gonna Call?
Davis! What do you think of our new E-news format? 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 Davis E-News. Member participation is what keeps the Davis E-News alive and kicking. Well, that’s it for this edition. You’ll be hearing from us again next month! The Davis Weather Club E-Newsletter is published by Davis Instruments. Vantage Pro2, Vantage Pro2 Plus, Vantage Pro, Vantage Pro Plus, Weather Monitor, Weather Wizard, WeatherLink, WeatherLinkIP, Weather Envoy, and Perception are trademarks of Davis Instruments Corp. |
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