Topic: Wind

[Jjm457]

Hello all, between late last night and current, we've been in a high wind warning.  There are many outages and trees down. The winds have been gusting over 60mph.

My Vue has a high of only 37mph. Watching the cups, I don't see how they can spin any faster. My station is 18' off the ground, but even though it's not way up 30', I think the high gust for the day/24 hours should be higher.  Right now my power is still out and the console is running on battery power.

Any ideas, should I have at least somewhat higher of a reading?  I'm about 1/2 hour from the regional airport where they recorded 62mph. I know siting is everything,
Id just like to know if this is normal!

Thanks!

[ocala]

You said it yourself.
"Siting is Everything".
In an urban environment there is only so much you can do with regard to the placement of the anemometer. It's usually the number one issue when siting a unit. Trees, buildings, houses etc all block the wind in some way. The 62 mph gust you mentioned was taken at an open location devoid of any obstructions.
Just the way it is when it comes to wind data from your back yard.

[SoMDWx]

You can't get too wrapped up on what your site is reporting and someone 1/2 mile away is saying. True, siting is everything but if that is the best you can get then so be it...

I just help an elderly man who lives by the bay in So. MD set up is Vue. His anemometer is on the roof and recorded a gust near 60 mph while i only get 43 mph....Not going to lose any sleep over it.

It's what my station is reporting here...

Jim

[Old Tele man]

In my best imitation REAL ESTATE agent voice: "...location, location, location..."

[Mattk]

You are a little limited with how high you can practically locate a Vue ISS. Just do the best most practical thing you can with locating the ISS and be happy with and don't take any notice of nearby stations. 

[Jjm457]

Thanks guys!

[mikemaps]

Most NWS locations report an average wind speed for the entire year of between 7-10 mph. If you check Weather Underground sites I think you’ll find the average is more like 2-3 mph. NWS sites specifications call for the wind equipment to be unobstructed and twice the distance of the tallest object. So if you have 50 foot trees, you would have to have your equipment at least 100 feet away from the trees, impossible for most people with houses. We just do the best we can.

[boss281]

I have to claim my new Davis vp2 station is Under reporting wind as well. Sure, this is anecdotal from an amateur, but my previous station recorded high winds into the 40s routinely for a thunderstorm however with this massive wind storm that we had in Maryland a few days ago I was watching trees nearly bend in half and only seeing 45 mile per hour winds. The station is at least a hundred and fifty feet away from the house in a flat area. It is twice as far as my previous station was positioned to the house. That's just an estimate of course but I truly believe the station's under-reporting wind perhaps by half.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[lddaly]

I pulled this from the NWS storm spotter's guide:

Wind Speed Estimation:
32-38 mph - Whole trees in motion. Some resistance when walking.
39-46 mph - Twigs and small branches (1-3" diameter) broken off trees.
47-54 mph - Chimney covers and roof tiles blown off. TV antennas damaged. Lots of twigs and small branches on the ground.
55-63 mph - Roof damage begins to occur. Small trees blown over or uprooted.
64-75 mph - Widespread damage occurs. Large trees uprooted or blown over.
75-112 mph - Severe and extensive damage. Roofs peeled off. Windows broken. RVs and small mobile homes overturned. Moving cars pushed off roads.