Topic: VP2 Console Messages and Forecasts List

[SLOweather]

I've always wondered what all of the messages and forecasts were that the VP2 console could generate. When I saw "IT"S RAINING CATS AND DOGS" go by on the display a little while ago, I decided to see what I could find.

Yesterday I updated 2 VP2s to the new firmware, so I just happen to have the flash.bin file handy. I opened it in WordPad and searched on DOGS and found a block of text with all the advisory messages in it.

Then I searched for PRECIPITATION and found all of the possible forecasts.

Here they are, edited out of the rest of the code, for anyone else who might be interested:

WIND WARNING, LOW WIND CHILL ADVISORY, WARNING, LOW WIND CHILL, DRESS WARMLY, FROSTBITE OR HYPOTHERMIA POSSIBLE, DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL,DANGER, EXTREMELY LOW WIND CHILL, RISK OF FREEZING EXPOSED SKIN, HIGH HEAT INDEX ADVISORY, WARNING, HIGH HEAT INDEX, HEATSTROKE OR HEAT EXHAUSTION POSSIBLE, DANGEROUSLY HIGH HEAT INDEX, DANGER, HIGH HEAT INDEX, HEATSTROKE OR HEAT EXHAUSTION LIKELY, KITE FLYING WEATHER, HOLD ONTO YOUR HAT, IT'S RAINING CATS AND DOGS, LAST 15 MIN. OF RAIN, LAST 24 HOUR OF RAIN, 10 MIN. AVG. WIND SPEED, LOW BATTERY ON STATION X, LOW CONSOLE BATTERIES, LOW BATTERY ON REPEATER


MOSTLY CLEAR AND COOLER. MOSTLY CLEAR WITH LITTLE TEMP CHANGE. MOSTLY CLEAR FOR 12 HRS WITH LITTLE TEMP CHANGE. MOSTLY CLEAR FOR 12-24 HRS AND COOLER. MOSTLY CLEAR AND WARMER. MOSTLY CLEAR FOR 6-12 HRS WITH LITTLE TEMP CHANGE. MOSTLY CLEAR FOR 12-24 HRS WITH LITTLE TEMP CHANGE. INCREASING CLOUDS AND WARMER. INCREASING CLOUDS WITH LITTLE TEMP CHANGE. INCREASING CLOUDS AND COOLER. CLEARING AND COOLER. CLEARING, COOLER AND WINDY. MOSTLY CLOUDY AND COOLER. MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH LITTLE TEMP CHANGE. FORECAST NOT READY YET. PRECIPITATION CONTINUING. PRECIPITATION CONTINUING, POSSIBLY HEAVY AT TIMES. PRECIPITATION LIKELY. PRECIPITATION LIKELY, POSSIBLY HEAVY AT TIMES. PRECIPITATION ENDING WITHIN 6 HRS. PRECIPITATION ENDING WITHIN 12 HRS. PRECIPITATION POSSIBLY HEAVY AT TIMES AND ENDING WITHIN 12 HRS. PRECIPITATION ENDING IN 12-24 HRS. PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 6 HRS. PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE AND WINDY WITHIN 6 HRS. PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 6-12 HRS, POSSIBLY HEAVY AT TIMES. PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 6-12 HRS. PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 12 HRS. PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 12 HRS, POSSIBLY HEAVY AT TIMES. PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 12-24 HRS. PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 24 HRS. PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 24-48 HRS. PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 48 HRS. INCREASING WINDS. WINDY. POSSIBLE WIND SHIFT TO THE W, NW, OR N. WINDY WITH POSSIBLE WIND SHIFT TO THE W, NW, OR N. PARTLY CLOUDY AND COOLER. PARTLY CLOUDY WITH LITTLE TEMP CHANGE. POSSIBLE WIND SHIFT TO THE W, SW, OR S. WINDY WITH POSSIBLE WIND SHIFT TO THE W, SW, OR S.

[davey6693]

Ha! I was going to ask about this a while back. Thanks for posting it.

I thought I was seeing things when I saw "IT'S RAINING CATS AND DOGS" on there once. I had a mouthful of coffee at the time and did well not to lose it through laughter. I haven't seen any of the wind chill or heat index ones which is odd for the last little while up here in Ontario..

[gwfrench9]

I was wondering about this, and yesterday during the rain, I got Cats and Dogs.

[Stormtracker]

They need one more message for us high-plains weather enthusiasts: "watch out for blowing tumbleweeds."

[Cienega32]

They need one more message for us high-plains weather enthusiasts: "watch out for blowing tumbleweeds."

Same here. I don't fly kites anymore ("Kite flying weather") but I DO dodge tumbleweeds often enough.

[d_l]

A more formatted version of all the Davis messages:

HIGH WIND WARNING
LOW WIND CHILL ADVISORY WARNING, LOW WIND CHILL, DRESS WARMLY, FROSTBITE OR HYPOTHERMIA POSSIBLE
DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL DANGER, EXTREMELY LOW WIND CHILL, RISK OF FREEZING EXPOSED SKIN
HIGH HEAT INDEX ADVISORY WARNING, HIGH HEAT INDEX, HEATSTROKE OR HEAT EXHAUSTION POSSIBLE
DANGEROUSLY HIGH HEAT INDEX DANGER, HIGH HEAT INDEX, HEATSTROKE OR HEAT EXHAUSTION LIKELY
KITE FLYING WEATHER HOLD ONTO YOUR HAT 
IT'S RAINING CATS AND DOGS 
LAST 15 MIN. OF RAIN
LAST 24 HOUR OF RAIN
10 MIN. AVG. WIND SPEED
LOW BATTERY ON STATION X
LOW CONSOLE BATTERIES
LOW BATTERY ON REPEATER X

MOSTLY CLEAR AND COOLER. 
MOSTLY CLEAR WITH LITTLE TEMP CHANGE. 
MOSTLY CLEAR FOR 12 HRS WITH LITTLE TEMP CHANGE. 
MOSTLY CLEAR FOR 12-24 HRS AND COOLER. 
MOSTLY CLEAR AND WARMER. 
MOSTLY CLEAR FOR 6-12 HRS WITH LITTLE TEMP CHANGE. 
MOSTLY CLEAR FOR 12-24 HRS WITH LITTLE TEMP CHANGE.     
INCREASING CLOUDS AND WARMER. 
INCREASING CLOUDS WITH LITTLE TEMP CHANGE. 
INCREASING CLOUDS AND COOLER. 
CLEARING AND COOLER. 
CLEARING, COOLER AND WINDY.   
MOSTLY CLOUDY AND COOLER. 
MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH LITTLE TEMP CHANGE. 
FORECAST NOT READY YET. 
PRECIPITATION CONTINUING. 
PRECIPITATION CONTINUING, POSSIBLY HEAVY AT TIMES. 
PRECIPITATION LIKELY. 
PRECIPITATION LIKELY, POSSIBLY HEAVY AT TIMES. 
PRECIPITATION ENDING WITHIN 6 HRS. 
PRECIPITATION ENDING WITHIN 12 HRS. 
PRECIPITATION POSSIBLY HEAVY AT TIMES AND ENDING WITHIN 12 HRS. 
PRECIPITATION ENDING IN 12-24 HRS. 
PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 6 HRS. 
PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE AND WINDY WITHIN 6 HRS.   
PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 6-12 HRS, POSSIBLY HEAVY AT TIMES. 
PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 6-12 HRS. 
PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 12 HRS. 
PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 12 HRS, POSSIBLY HEAVY AT TIMES.   
PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 12-24 HRS. 
PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 24 HRS. 
PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 24-48 HRS. 
PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE WITHIN 48 HRS.   
INCREASING WINDS. 
WINDY. 
POSSIBLE WIND SHIFT TO THE W, NW, OR N. 
WINDY WITH POSSIBLE WIND SHIFT TO THE W, NW, OR N. 
PARTLY CLOUDY AND COOLER. 
PARTLY CLOUDY WITH LITTLE TEMP CHANGE. 
POSSIBLE WIND SHIFT TO THE W, SW, OR S. 
WINDY WITH POSSIBLE WIND SHIFT TO THE W, SW, OR S.

[paradigm]

I love these messages!  Definitely need more of them.  It would be nice if you could set different language modes i.e. Pirate mode.

"'tis rainin' cats an' dogs"
"arr me bri'ches be a tostin"
"ye' old wind be pickin' up"

Just some ideas.

[Sigdigit]

I noticed the only time mine showed heat or chill warnings was when the graph view icon was next to that particular reading (chill or heat readout display).  I usually keep my heat/chill display set to THSW, and the graph icon on the temperature readout, so I don't see the chill/heat advisories unless I switch things up.

[moehoward4]

It will show 'It's Raining Cats and Dogs' when the 'rain rate' hits .30 inches/hour and above.

[chief-david]

Some of my messages don't have a period at the end.   

I may teach science but grammar is important to me.

[Skywatch]

The ticker tape is probably the most amazing thing of any weather station. The past few nights when the fronts moved through my North Texas area, the VP2 has predicted all of them, "Increasing clouds with little temperature change, precipitation possable within 12 Hrs, possably heavy at times, windy with possable wind shift W, NW, N). Every time the station has said this, it's happened.
For new VP2 owners, correctly set the data into the console regarding rain season, longitude, latitude, altitude durring the setup process. Call or email your local NWS office to find out your area's rainy season. Once the info is put into the console the first 2 weeks the forecasting system in the VP2 will change it's mind frequently. This is when the console is in the process of learning and adjusting to the climate and weather patterns. After a few weeks, the forecasting will be almost on the spot accurate.

[Sunfish]

Well, I have to say that the forecasts, generated by the Cumulus software, are pretty good.

I do have the option of the VP2 or Cumulus generated forecasts, but am sticking with Cumulus for now.

We have enjoyed some wonderful hot and settled weather in the UK, but the VP2 hasn't properly reflected that. It totally missed a huge thunderstorm, last night--the first rain here for 3 weeks, with 0.88 inches over 2 1/2 hours. It gave me the "cats and dogs" but, by then, the downpour was torrential.

[Ugly Duckling]

The ticker tape is probably the most amazing thing of any weather station. The past few nights when the fronts moved through my North Texas area, the VP2 has predicted all of them, "Increasing clouds with little temperature change, precipitation possable within 12 Hrs, possably heavy at times, windy with possable wind shift W, NW, N). Every time the station has said this, it's happened.
For new VP2 owners, correctly set the data into the console regarding rain season, longitude, latitude, altitude durring the setup process. Call or email your local NWS office to find out your area's rainy season. Once the info is put into the console the first 2 weeks the forecasting system in the VP2 will change it's mind frequently. This is when the console is in the process of learning and adjusting to the climate and weather patterns. After a few weeks, the forecasting will be almost on the spot accurate.

I'm curious on the Pro2, can you easily read the ticker tape? I had a Acurite that I returned. The ticker on that was nearly impossible to read. The display was very light requiring the instrument to be held and tilted just right to read it.

Many Happy Weather Changes,

Marci Anna



[Aardvark]

with the backlight on the VP2 is pretty clear..  you don't want to keep the backlight on, as it warms the console and you get a higher indoor temperature and a lower humidity, but for the short haul it works out.

I am under the impression that since the VP2 can read the Vantage Vue  transmission,  if it is that big of a deal, you can always get a vp2 console.  you have to shop around for that thing as it is costly.   I have two of them and an Envoy (not the 8x).   I have one by the computer up here, one in the kitchen  and the Envoy by the one up here (that computer is in the basement for the weather as I just don't have the space up here for it.)

One thing you might try is different light angle on the console face to see if that will bring up the readout.  IF it is a problem write Davis tech support and maybe they will generate a firmware update  to intensify the reading and then...

IF you use weatherlink, and go to the summary page, the console message will be on the computer screen, if you want it

[Ugly Duckling]

IF you use weatherlink, and go to the summary page, the console message will be on the computer screen, if you want it

I'm not sure what you mean when you say "IF you use weatherlink, and go to the summary page, the console message will be on the computer screen, if you want it" I don't understand the part 'if you want it'. I see no on and off switch.

Many Happy Weather Changes,

Marci Anna


[neondesert]

I'm not sure what you mean when you say "IF you use weatherlink, and go to the summary page, the console message will be on the computer screen, if you want it"

- On the menu bar at the top use your mouse to single click on the word Window.
- A drop down menu will appear.
- Using your mouse single click on the word "Summary"
- Your screen now be displaying the Summary Page.
- Look at the very bottom of the screen and you will see "Forecast:"
- The console message will be to the right of the word Forecast.

[Ugly Duckling]

I'm not sure what you mean when you say "IF you use weatherlink, and go to the summary page, the console message will be on the computer screen, if you want it"

- On the menu bar at the top use your mouse to single click on the word Window.
- A drop down menu will appear.
- Using your mouse single click on the word "Summary"
- Your screen now be displaying the Summary Page.
- Look at the very bottom of the screen and you will see "Forecast:"
- The console message will be to the right of the word Forecast.

Yes I saw that, thought you meant something else

Thanks,

Many Happy Weather Changes,

Marci Anna

[mbuster]

Right now, I wish I could see "It is raining cat"

[Skywatch]

Right now, I wish I could see "It is raining cat"

I 2nd that.

[bayu]

Cat And Dog rain is because Tipping Bucket is tipping too much, at list  4 time as many as data transmit speed, 4data  per 2.5 S every davis station  transmitting to logger 0.8 mm of rain falls with constant and increase, that happen in 3 to 5 minute..   

[Aardvark]

could be raining weasels

[hswaters]

I just noticed that my vantage vue shows the message Perseid meteor showers.

[SlowModem]

I just noticed that my vantage vue shows the message Perseid meteor showers.

Yep, it's supposed to peak tonight.  They say the best time to look is in the early morning as the moon is setting (because the full moon will interfere with meteor viewing).

[SlowModem]

I went up on the roof here at work for a few minutes to take a peek.  Got to see the ISS flying over plus a few meteors.  It was starting to get hazy, as there is rain predicted for later today.

If anyone's interested, here's a link to see if the ISS is going to fly over your location and when:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/index.html

[Dan Richman]

mcxTXaws wrote: "This is when the console is in the process of learning and adjusting to the climate and weather patterns. After a few weeks, the forecasting will be almost on the spot accurate."

Can anyone shed light on the console's purported ability to "learn"? Does it exist? If so, how does it work?

Thanks.