Author Topic: NWS data used in other weather sources  (Read 1587 times)

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Offline SlowModem

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NWS data used in other weather sources
« on: November 14, 2009, 09:44:04 AM »
I was thinking about that weather station in Lampasas, TX shown in that other thread http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=5937.msg54765#msg54765 and also thinking about the differences in my weather and the weather that WU says that I'm experiencing (cloudy, sunny, rain, etc.).  "Current Conditions" are, I believe, grabbed from the closest reporting airport.  In my case, the closest airport as the crow flies is Crossville Memorial-Whitson Field Airport.  That's nice, except it's up on the Cumberland Plateau and the weather is usually very different up there.  I suppose that's the price we pay for automation.

I have noticed on my CWOP QA ratings, that my blue line shows changes before the red line, leading me to believe that I'm being compared to a station west of me (I warm up first, I cool down first, etc).  And since who we're compared to on CWOP QA is a mystery, I believe from what I've observed, that Crossville Airport is who I'm being compared to.

I looked at the QA page for the Crossville airport and guess what?  Their station has this wording:

Your readings are not within an acceptable error range. The automated problem analysis cannot identify the problem. You can signup on the wxqc mailing list and post information about this situation there. This is may be caused by poor siting of the sensor (e.g. under eves, in screen porch, or in thick tree coverage). For information on siting, see CWOP Station Guide.

Their readings are still displayed on the NWS page.  I wonder if it's so automated they don't know about it.  Or, do you think that they do their own calibrations and don't care about the CWOP QA?

Just some random thoughts on a Saturday morning.

Greg
« Last Edit: November 14, 2009, 09:54:12 AM by Slow Modem »
Greg Whitehead
Ten Mile, TN USA

 

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