Davis Instruments Weather Club
April 2002

Dear Weather Club Member,

Welcome to the April 2002 edition of our Weather Club E-News! To read this
and earlier editions on-line, go to http://www.davisnet.com/news/e_news.asp.
To unsubscribe, see the instructions at the end of this message.

======================
Quick Preview of this Month's Contents
======================
Cockatoos Ate My Anemometer Cable!! . . . Moonlight Madness . . . We Want
Weather Wherever We Web Wander. . . Readers Put in Their Two Cents. . . The
(Dust) Devil and Dr. Gilreath . . .You're Brilliant! Answers to Quiz
Questions . . . Who You Gonna Call?  Davis! . . . Enjoy!

======================
Cockatoos Ate My Anemometer Cable!!
======================
Or, Baby, It's STILL C-C-Cold Outside, Not Really!  Now this is more like
it. Here it is, dreary old tax season, and our Vantage Pro is reading 71°F,
and a lovely warm breeze is scrubbing the air. We feel like Californians
again! Pale legs are coming out of hibernation, the patio tables are the
lunch time place to be, and the birds are chirping and revitalizing the
earth by dropping quasi-digested berries onto it via our windshields.

The birds and the bees-and the spiders and ants and worms-have noticed the
change in the air, and will soon be showing their appreciation for the
lovely high rise accommodations we weather station owners have installed for
them. Unfortunately, most of us don't much like the cocoons, webs,
carcasses, chewing damage, and uh, poop, our antennaed and feathered tenants
leave behind. (Don't worry, Stockholm, [-1°C]; St. Cloud, MN [27°F]; and
poor Winnipeg [-4.2°C]; your turn, and your birds, will come.) 

In a journalistic coup, the Davis Weather Club E-News has scooped the
National Enquirer on a story of bizarre bird cheekiness. Wayne Williams, of
New South Wales, Australia told us this scary tale: "Cockatoos are a large
white and sulfur-crested bird that live all over Australia. They seem to be
getting cheekier in their escapades around my town. I live in Campbelltown,
about 35 miles (55 km) southwest of Sydney, New South Wales. Recently my
Weather Monitor II stopped showing wind speed and direction. A climb onto
the upstairs room was the only way to find out what's going on." Clinging to
the roof, Wayne discovered his anemometer cable had been completely chewed
through by cheeky cockatoos. "I bared the ends of the fine red wire and
twisted them together, then duct-taped the whole cable back to the pole." 

Wayne wonders if anyone else has had such problems with birdlife and what
preventative measures they came up with. Our technical support manager,
Brett, tells that, unfortunately, there is no magical cure to prevent birds
or bugs from chewing on those delicious cables. The best you can do is to
isolate and secure the cables in such a way that they are not accessible to
the hungry (or cheeky) pests. If you'd like to offer up your own solutions,
you know the address! (news@davisnet.com)

Since we mentioned it, Brett added that now is a good time to put your
weather station through a bit of spring cleaning to remove any winter muck.
In general, all external components will benefit from a dusting. Wipe each
component down with a soft damp cloth, taking care not to touch the top
surface of any solar sensors you may have.

Of all the sensors, the anemometer and rain collector will need the most
attention. Clean all the cobwebs off the anemometer and make sure no bugs or
debris are lodged between the cups and the anemometer head. You should
remove the rain collector cone and, with a soft damp cloth, clean any mud,
bugs, or other debris from the tipping bucket mechanism. Also make sure the
large cone is completely clean of any winter debris.

While you're out there, check your cables and connections. Make sure that
all of your cables are securely attached and not loose and rubbing against
anything sharp. Check and re-seat any outdoor connections.

Weather Check Quiz Question 1: Here's one for the up-and-coming weather
persons in your house. Spring, and all seasons, are the result of A.)
Earth's distance from the sun; B.) Earth's tilt on its axis; or C.) Earth's
24 hour rotation on its axis. (Answer at the bottom of this page.)

====================== 
Moonlight Madness
====================== 
"The moon was but a chin of gold, a night or two ago, and now she turns her
perfect face, upon the world below." - Emily Dickenson.

If you have a Davis Vantage Pro, you know what the current moon phase is. On
April 12, the moon was "new" - with "her perfect face" turned all the way
away from us. But in just a couple of weeks, that "perfect" face will be
better described with one of our favorite earth-space science terms: waxing
gibbous. At that point, the moon will appear more than half full, but less
than fully illuminated, on its way to a full moon on the 27th. On the way
back to a new moon, we'll see another gibbous stage - the waning gibbous.
(FYI: the word "gibbous"comes from the Latin for "hunchback.") 

During each full moon cycle, or lunation, the moon moves from new moon
through waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning
gibbous, last quarter, and waning crescent. With a lifespan of an average
29.5 days, the moon's phase can more precisely be described by its "age:"
the number of days since the new moon. A lunation is also known as a synodic
month.

The moon, while not contributing heavily to our earthbound weather, is of
course in charge of tides. (It exerts the same pressure on our solid ground
as well, but with less noticeable effect.) It is, however, one of the very
few constants for sky watchers:  when we see a waxing gibbous moon here in
California, so will you, wherever your observation point is. And we all see
the same lunar hemisphere that Gallileo first illustrated back in 1609.
Because the moon rotates on its axis during the same period as its orbit
around the earth, the "back side" of the moon is forever out of our view. 

But the moon does contribute heavily to human culture. It is a source of
endless mythology, superstitious, and artistic inspiration, to say nothing
of romance-inciting! The ancient Mayans saw a leaping rabbit in the moon,
carried, they said, as the pet of the moon goddess. The Islamic calendar, as
well as the ancient Hebrew calendar, are both based on the moon cycle. The
Hindu Karwa Chauth fast cannot be broken until the moon is sighted in the
night sky. There is a Tibetan tale about unwise leadership in which monkeys
form a chain to rescue the moon that they can see has fallen down the well.
Astrologists will tell you where "your" moon is, possibly explaining why you
can't stick to a diet or why you love to put things in neat little boxes.
Hospital workers and police officers swear people go crazy when the moon is
full. From the ancient Chinese Moon Festival and Beethoven's Moonlight
Sonata, to Moon Pies and Sailor Moon, the cultural influence of earth's only
natural satellite has been ubiquitous and profound.

As for us, the moon, whether waxing, waning or full, whether ringed by a
blue-tinged corona or peeking brightly through gray clouds or glowing huge
and orange just over the eastern hills, has always been a comforting sort of
companion. This month, if you can, show a child the waxing gibbous moon.
Show her how to tell whether it is waxing or waning. (Imagine you could cup
the moon in one hand; if it fits in your right hand, it's waxing; in your
left, it's waning.)  If you're old enough to remember, tell her where you
were when man first set foot on its surface, and how old she'll be when we
next have a "blue moon" (July, 2004).  Then maybe sing a little "Blue Moon"
for her. Whether she remembers the moon phase name or not, she will always
remember the conversation. (Especially the singing part.)

A terrific website for learning more about the moon is
www.inconstantmoon.com.  For an illuminating story about the how (and when)
the phrase "Blue Moon" came to mean a second full  moon in one month, check
out "Once in a Blue Moon," by Philip Hiscock. It can be found at
http://skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/moon/article_127_1.asp.

And for a great view of the moon and data on its precise "age," check out
http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/vplanet.html on John Walker's fun and
educational homepage (http://www.fourmilab.ch). (Interesting note: the "ch"
means the site is from Switzerland, not China!)  For an answer to the
question, "Why does the moon appear bigger on the horizon than overhead?"
click on http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/moonbig.html.

Weather Check Quiz Question 2: What is the difference between a moon halo
and moon corona?

Bonus Question: What do we call the study of physical characteristics of
moon? (Hint: It's not "Moonology.")

====================== 
We Want Weather Wherever We Web Wander 
======================
One of the best things about weather is that yours is not just like ours. We
all love to see what Mother Nature is doing in somebody else's backyard!
Mike Gardner, of Kokomo, IN wandered over to the Creek family's website in
North Pole, AK, possibly to enjoy seeing somebody enduring even colder
weather than he was. It didn't work. He writes, "Looking out my window at
91/2 inches of snow accumulated over the last 48 hours, I glanced at my
Davis Monitor II display to see that the temperature in North Pole, AK was
actually .9 degrees warmer than here in Kokomo." 

Several interesting new Weather World 'Round sites went up on our website in
March, including Adelaide, Australia; Muurame, Finland; Buxton-Norfolk and
Shoreham-by-Sea, UK; Gothenburg, Sweden; Konneuburg, Austria; and Matamata,
New Zealand. New U.S. locales include Chandler, AZ; Bellevue, Gretna, and
Omaha-Dundee, NE; Middleton, CT; San Francisco, Mill Valley and Granada
Hills, CA; and our favorite new page: Ashburn, VA.

Weather Check Quiz Question 3: This one is a "scavenger hunt. Find the
Weather World 'Round site that introduces its hometown with this
description: "Back in the late 1700's, the first travelers coming up the
Wabash River were looking for adventure and a place to start a new life.
When they came to the big bend in the river where Bonpas Creek enters the
Wabash, they found the place they were searching for. There was plenty of
fish and game to eat, a stand of tall timber for building material, and a
gentle slope of land to build their cabins."

====================== 
Readers Put In Their Two Cents
======================
Thanks for all the nice e-mail about the E-News. It's always fun to find our
mailbox full of kind words and thought-provoking comments.

Don Oliason challenged our thinking on the direction of lightning. We said
that the lightning strikes are positive charges moving upward. "It's
possibly not worth mentioning," Don emailed, "but this is more accurately
described as a stream of electrons moving downwards."  True, but it seems
the light we see is going upward!  We got our play-by-play from Jack
Williams, author of The Weather Book, who describes it as electrons first
moving down, then positive charges being pulled upward from the ground, then
the return stroke of upward moving positive charges causing the light we
see. It's beginning to sound a bit like a tom-a-to/tom-ah-to discussion.
While we're on the subject, another Don wonders how much faster lightning
would be if it didn't zigzag so much. This whole conversation is making us
dizzy.

Richard Jubinville gave us an additional answer to the quiz question about
what Jacob Bjerknes discovered: the North Atlantic Oscillation, "which
pertains," he wrote, "to a low pressure system that sets up in the North
Atlantic and causes havoc with New England in winter. But I love it!"
(Spoken like a true weather nut!)

Weather Check Quiz Question 4: It's only April, and our Barry Bonds has
already hit a bunch of homers. So, in his honor, here's a baseball-weather
question. Why do baseballs fly farther in Denver than San Francisco?

====================== 
The (Dust) Devil and Dr. Gilreath
======================
What's it like inside a whirling dust devil? 

"Very dusty," according the Dr. Jim Gilreath of the University of Florida's
Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Bradenton, Florida. "You don't
want to get in one," he assured us. "The dust is very fine and it gets
everywhere - in your eyes and ears and your nose. If your mouth is open,
you'll get a lungful. Nasty stuff."

Dust devils differ from "dust plumes," which do not rotate, and "debris
clouds" which contain heavier debris and often form beneath a condensation
funnel at the base of a tornado. Unlike tornados, dust devils can spin in
either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction regardless of which
hemisphere they are in. Dust devils rarely cause damage, but occasionally, a
dust devil can produce hurricane force winds exceeding 75 mph.

Dr. Gilreath's work puts him in just the right circumstance to know dust
devils intimately. He and others are looking for alternatives to the soil
fumigant methyl bromide which has been identified as an ozone depleter. It
so happens that one of the crops he studies is caladiums, 95% of which are
grown in Lake Placid, FL. Dr. Gilreath explained that the conditions in Lake
Placid that make for such ideal caladiums also make for ideal dust devil
creation. Dr. Gilreath has seen as many as six columns of dust in one field.
They zigzag across the field gathering up a tube of the light organic dust,
often going right off into the grass at the field's edge.

Dr. Gilreath was not the only one to find out what it's like to stand in the
path of a dust devil. One of his trusty Davis EZ-Weather Monitor II weather
stations was damaged by one, even though the tripod was anchored by metal
spikes reaching three feet into the soil. On this particular day, methyl
bromide had been injected into a field of 30 or 40 acres. After injection,
the field was covered with strips of thin plastic film which are glued
together to form one gigantic sheet covering the entire field. As the wind
blew across the sheet, slow undulations began to form and grow steadily
until huge waves of plastic rose eight feet into the air.

"Suddenly a large dust devil formed, tore across the rippling plastic and
wrapped the poor weather station in a big glob of plastic," Dr. Gilreath
recalled. "Even though the tripod was spiked into the ground, the force of
the wind and the plastic bent the tripod's legs right over."

Of course, the EZ-Weather Monitor II, once its tripod legs were
straightened, went right back to gathering data from the grower's field for
Dr. Gilreath to download and study.

Between dust devils and the snoozing tractor operator who mowed down another
weather station, Dr. Gilreath is one Davis customer who really appreciates
our high quality products. Even his home station should be getting hazard
pay, as Dr. Gilreath's home is in the middle of an orange grove, and there
the problem is not dust devils, it's lightning. But that's another story
altogether...

Want to learn more about methyl bromide?  Visit the Methyl Bromide Phase Out
website at http://www.epa.gov/ozone/mbr/mbrqa/html. This complete story,
with photos, can be found on our website at
http://www.davisnet.com/news/stories.asp.

Weather Wise Quiz Question 5:  Is this a true statement, or did we see it as
a tabloid headline while waiting in line to purchase two cans of dog food?
"Previously Unknown Artist, Dust Devil, Shown to Be Mastermind of Mysterious
Martian Decoration."

======================
You're Brilliant!  Answers to Quiz Questions
======================
Question 1: If you said the cause of seasons is B, Earth's tilt on its axis,
you are right. The tilt causes one hemisphere to lean toward the sun at
different points in Earth's annual rotation around the sun. For an excellent
graphic, check out http://www.usatoday.com/weather/tg/wseason/wseason.htm.

Question 2: While both halos and coronas are caused by the effects of
diffraction of the moon's light, they differ in appearance. Coronas look
like a disk behind the moon, while halos look like a ring around it. Halos
are caused by diffraction of light by ice crystals, while coronas result
from diffraction by clouds.

Bonus Question: The study of the moon's physical characteristics is the
luminous science of selenography.

Question 3: Did you find Grayville, Illinois?  Then you know that "in the
200 years since then, the town has grown and prospered and is surrounded by
rich farmland and oil wells. But the town's richest asset is the
hard-working and friendly people who followed those first adventurers and
made Grayville their home. They discovered that it is a great place to live
and a great place to raise a family. Guess those first settlers really did
find Heaven." Check out the weather in heaven with a click on Grayville!

Question 4: It's because there's more friction in San Francisco. The higher
pressure in San Francisco means there are more air molecules packed into the
stadium. More molecules mean more friction, which slows the ball down. If
Barry hits the ball hit just as hard in Denver, it would go about nine feet
farther.

Question 5: True!  For years astronomers have wondered who the Martian
Jackson Pollack may have been as they observed "decorative" lines and swirls
crisscrossing over the surface of Mars. Geologist Ken Edgett, of the Malin
Space Science System has the answer: it's Dust Devils! The Martian surface
heats the air above it and dust devils form there just as they do in Dr.
Gilreath's caladium fields. As they move across the dry, dusty ground of
Mars, they leave tracks of various shades depending on whether the surface
beneath the thin dust coating is darker or lighter. The Malin Space Science
website at http://msss.com has over 70,000 images of Mars. It also will give
you a daily Martian weather report, if you just can't get enough weather
here on earth! (Source: Weatherwise® magazine, Sept./Oct.2001.)

======================
Who You Gonna Call?
====================== 
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 URLs, 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 in May!
====================== 
 
For more information about Davis Instruments, visit our website at
http://www.davisnet.com. You can also call us at (510) 732-9229 or send a
fax to (510) 732-9188. We're open Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. Pacific Time.
Vantage Pro, Weather Monitor II, EZ-Weather Monitor II, Weather Wizard,
WeatherLink, Weather Echo and Weather Echo Plus, EZ Mount Gro-Weather, EZ
Mount EnviroMonitor, EZ Mount Health EnviroMonitor, and Perception are
trademarks of Davis Instruments Corp.

Davis Instruments Weather Club
March 2002

Dear Weather Club Member,

Welcome to the March 2002 edition of our Weather Club E-News! To read this
and earlier editions on-line, go to
<http://www.davisnet.com/news/e_news.asp>. To unsubscribe, see the
instructions at the end of this message.

======================
Quick Preview of this Month's Contents
======================
Your Test Results Are In . . . It's Starting to Look a Lot Like El Niño . .
. We Want Weather Wherever We Web Wander . . .  Not a Web Do-It-Yourself
Type?  Anything Weather Comes to Your Rescue . . . Davis Perception II
Onboard Volvo Ocean Race Boats . . . You're Brilliant! Answers to Quiz
Questions . . . Who You Gonna Call?  Davis! . . . Enjoy!

======================
Your Test Results Are In
======================
Okay, we have your February E-News Weather Check Quiz scores all done.
(Remember, this will go into your permanent record.)  It is as we suspected,
you are all a bunch of very smart people.

However, we do have to give three A+'s to super-smarties Ron Scheldrup, a
spotter for the National Weather Service on the California coast; Tom
Jensen, a Washington pilot; and Nathan Edington, of Maryland. Without
telling you (actually, without telling ourselves) we included a sneaky
little trick in one of the answers. (You call it a typo, we call it a little
trick.)  Ron, Tom, and Nathan were quick to point out that if lightning
travels at 1/3 the speed of light, it would have to go a lot faster than
"60,000 feet per second" as we stated.

Of course what we meant to say was, "The most common kind of strike is
actually a return stroke, an intense wave of positive charge traveling
upward about 60,000 miles per second (about 1/3 the speed of light)."
According to Ron, "1/3 of lightspeed (in a vacuum) is about 62,000 miles per
second, while 60k feet (~11.4 miles) per second is only 0.0061% of that
velocity. It is still plenty fast - 41,000 mph or about Mach 54 - but
nowhere near the speed of light."  Tom, who says he enjoys the newsletter so
much he hated to even mention it, was so kind as to call the error, "minor,
if 5280 to 1 can be called minor." (Sure it can!)

The quiz generated a few other interesting comments. On the subject of snow
versus rain temperatures, David Thayer of Oregon shared a "rule of thumb" he
developed when he lived in Boulder, CO, and which works only in Boulder: "If
the air temperature was below, or dropped below, 38°F, all precipitation
would fall as snow; if above 38°, usually as rain. In all the 20-odd years
we lived in Boulder, I never once saw this rule fail. By the way, that rule
did not work in Las Cruces, NM, nor does it work here in Salem, OR, where
I've seen rain as low as 34° and snow as high as 42°. Go figure!"

And Charlie Haggarty of New Hampshire, enjoyed our mapley definition of
"sugar snow." He wrote, "I am more familiar with the finer grained hard snow
called 'sugar snow' and the larger grained 'corn snow' that are produced
when overriding cold air and trapped warm air exchange position. Walking on
the resulting snow, 'snish,' or whatever it is called is like walking on
ball bearings." (Snish!  We love that word!)

Thanks, guys.

Weather Check Quiz Question 1:  If your name is Sally, Kyle, Vicki, Teddy or
Omar (but not Ron, Tom, or Nathan) what very special "club" do you belong
to?  (See answer at the bottom of this page.)

====================== 
It's Starting to Look a Lot Like El Niño
====================== 
The federal Climate Prediction Center has warned that we're in for another
El Niño event. Since it is still rather early, how severe the warming will
be is still unknown.

El Niño seems like a very sweet little name for a globally impacting event,
doesn't it?  Peruvian fishermen first noticed in that about one December in
each decade, the Pacific off their coast got warmer than usual and their
fishing was much less successful. They named the event El Niño in honor of
the baby Jesus. The more proper name is the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or
ENSO.

What is El Niño, and why is a little warm water such a big deal?  In a
non-El Niño year, easterly trade winds drag the Pacific waters toward
Indonesia. The sun-warmed water actually piles up in the western Pacific,
raising the sea level by half a meter. In an El Niño event, the trade winds
weaken and allow the warm water to migrate eastward toward Peru. The first
effect, noticed immediately by South American fishermen, is a drop in marine
plant and animal life. Globally, however, the effects are even more
dramatic. El Niño can lead to a shift of the jet stream, which in turns
means changes in storm tracks and monsoons. The cooler western Pacific water
creates a milder monsoon season in Indonesia, while the warmer eastern
Pacific water brings rain (and swarms of mosquitoes) to the coastal deserts
of South America. Droughts in southern African, southern India, Australia,
and Mexico result, while Peru, Cuba, and the U.S. Gulf states experience
flooding. Hawaii and Tahiti get hit with hurricanes. A shift in the jet
stream can mean higher than average temperatures and less rain across the
northern tier states from Alaska to the Atlantic coast.

Recent El Niño events such as those in 1983-83 and 1997-98 have been the
best observed, caused plenty of damage, and made the term "El Niño"
internationally known. But the specific effects of El Niño are not always
predictable. The '97-'98 event caused severe flooding in California and
along the Gulf Coast and brought killer tornados to Florida. The '82-'83
event brought a series of storms that caused $200 million of damage just in
California. But an El Niño back in 1976 coincided with a record drought in
California that is still fresh in our memory.

On the other hand, during El Niño events, the folks in the northern United
States save a lot of money on heating bills, those on the Atlantic seaboard
enjoy the quiet hurricane season, and businesses and industry revel in the
lowered costs related to cold weather. According to Jim O'Brien of the
Center for Ocean-Atmosphere Prediction Studies in Florida, "El Niño is a
good dude for the United States."  He says the cold eastern Pacific
phenomenon called La Niña is the real problem child. La Niña events
sometimes, but not always, follow La Niño events. Maybe this time next year,
we'll be talking about the "little girl!" (From Eve to La Niña, females
always get the bad rap. Why does it always seem to work that way?)

The Climate Prediction Center website has lots of technical information
about El Niño <http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov>. Their prediction discussion is
at
<http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/>.
More good information can be found at the US Department of Commerce National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations site at
<http://www.elnino.noaa.gov>. There is a very interesting story by Kathleen
Wren from Science about researchers using ancient fish bones to analyze El
Nino events in Peru thousands of years ago at
<http://www.usatoday.com/news/healthscience/science/aaas/2002-02-21-nino.htm
>.

Weather Check Quiz Question 2: The first meteorologist to identify the
connection between El Niño and the atmospheric anomalies in the North
America was Jacob Bjerknes, son of Vilhelm Bjerknes, one of the founding
fathers of the science of meteorology. What other weather idea did Jacob
introduce?

====================== 
We Want Weather Wherever We Web Wander 
======================
Clyde Royle is a famous model.  Well, his picture has been seen by all the
truly important people (weather enthusiasts) in a very popular magazine-the
1999 Davis Weather Catalog!  In a satisfyingly complete circle, Clyde has
linked the photo used in our catalog to his weather web site, which is
listed on our Weather World 'Round. (It's at
<http://5cities.com/scripts/gb_wr.asp>, click "Station Info" to see the
photo of Clyde).  Watching the weather from Grover Beach, CA, where Clyde
was born and raised, the weather station is just a 100-yard stroll to the
ocean.  He told us that there is a grove of eucalyptus trees along the way
where the Monarch butterflies stop during their migration.  "What a sight,"
Clyde wrote, "what a feeling.  Thousands of butterflies in the air all
around you and the soft touch of the air on your face from the fluttering of
their wings."  (To which we say, sigh.)

We've added a few new Weather World 'Round sites you really ought to check
out.  There is a Davis station on the roof of WMBD TV, the CBS affiliate in
Peoria, IL.  Their web address is <http://www.wmbd.com/weather.asp>.
There's a web cam at the Creek's house in North Pole, AK.  (It looks very
cold...) See it at <http://www.wild-alaska.net/weather/>.  For an
interesting presentation of data, look at Friesland, Netherlands at
<http://www.weerstationgrou.nl/weer/index.asp>.  And finally, if you are
ever curious about the inside temperature in Lorenz's room in Espoo,
Finland, click on <http://www.hut.fi/Units/Radio/weather/> and you'll know.

Weather Check Quiz Question 3: Humid air is heavier than dry air. True or
False? (Answer at the end of this newsletter.)

====================== 
Not a Web Do-It-Yourself Type?  Anything Weather Comes to Your Rescue
======================
While you're clicking around the web, check out
<http://www.anythingweather.com>, especially if the idea of getting your
weather data on the web seems overly daunting.  The folks at Anything
Weather will build you a web site with data from your Davis weather station.
Using any Davis WeatherLink for Windows software and an internet connection,
you can export your data off to them, and voila, your backyard is on the
web!  They offer links to satellite and radar, and lots of other good stuff.
The best part is that they'll do this FREE (unless you are a business).

Anything Weather will sell you a Davis weather station and, for local
customers, even come and install it!  (They are located in Colorado,
California, and Texas.)

====================== 
Davis Perception II Onboard Volvo Ocean Race Boats
======================
A few Davis staffers have been feeling a bit seasick lately, and now we know
why.  Davis is onboard every boat in the 2001-2002 Volvo Ocean Race!  As
part of a wireless gateway box, a Davis Perception II and WeatherLink is
sailing on the current Rio de Janeiro to Miami leg of the race on all eight
boats. This follows a very exciting and dangerous leg across the
iceberg-strewn Southern Sea.  The gateway box was developed and manufactured
by Pilotfish, a company that specializes in wireless solutions for security,
control, and other purposes. Along with the Perception II, the box includes
a wave indicator and spectrometer. The Perception II measures temperature,
barometric pressure, and humidity. Every ten minutes the box sends data by a
SatC satellite link to the race headquarters in England. The data is then
presented on the official website as well as being used in ongoing research.
The race website is at <http://www.volvooceanrace.org>. From that site you
can access the data provided by Pilotfish (direct address is
http://www.volvooceanrace.org/result/pilotfish
<http://www.volvooceanrace.org/result/pilotfish>.)  You can also check out
the Pilotfish website at <http://www.pilotfish.se>.

We put the full user story about this race on our Davis website.  You can
read it at <http://www.davisnet.com/news/stories.asp>.

Weather Wise Quiz Question 4:  Why do icebergs float? (See answer at bottom
of page.)
 
======================
You're Brilliant!  Answers to Quiz Questions
======================
Question 1: Teddy and Sally, you might get a hurricane named after you in
2002!  Those names are on the A-W list approved by the World Meteorological
Organization's Hurricane Committee for storms in the Atlantic basin in 2002.

Question 2: In 1919, Jacob Bjerknes, came up with the now very basic ideas
of warm, cold and occluded fronts. He also described their relationship to
extratropical cyclones. (Source: The USA Today Weather Book by Jack
Williams.)

Question 3: False!  Humid air is lighter than dry air at the same
temperature and pressure because water molecules are lighter than the
nitrogen and oxygen they displace. (Source: The USA Today Weather Book by
Jack Williams.)

Question 4: The quick answer is that ice is less dense than water and so it
floats. But why is that?  Almost every other substance is more dense in its
solid state than its liquid state. Water, that most wonderful of liquids, is
unique in this. Down to 39.2°F, water does become more dense as the
temperature drops. But below 39.2°F, hydrogen bonds, in balance with other
forces, cause molecules to "line up" a specific distance from each other.
They are essentially pushed apart, and become less dense than liquid water.
(Source: Alaska Science Forum's very accessible article, "Water as a Solid
Citizen," by Carla Hefferich, provided by the Geophysical Institute,
University of Alaska, Fairbanks. You can find it at
<http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF13/1362.html>.)

======================
Who You Gonna Call?
====================== 
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>.

Please continue to send your comments, weather URLs, 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 in April!
====================== 
 
For more information about Davis Instruments, visit our website at
http://www.davisnet.com. You can also call us at (510) 732-9229 or send a
fax to (510) 732-9188. We're open Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. Pacific Time.
Vantage Pro, Weather Monitor, Weather Wizard, WeatherLink, Weather Echo and
Weather Echo Plus, EZ Mount Gro-Weather, EZ Mount EnviroMonitor, EZ Mount
Health EnviroMonitor, and Perception are trademarks of Davis Instruments
Corp.

---

Davis Instruments Weather Club
December 2001/January 2002

Dear Weather Club Member,

Welcome to the December 2001/January 2002 edition of our Weather Club
e-news! To read this and earlier editions on-line, go to
<http://www.davisnet.com/news/e_news.asp>. To unsubscribe, see the
instructions at the end of this message.

======================
Late Breaking News Flash!  Vantage Pro(tm) to Ring in the New Year at the
Rose Parade
======================

After the champagne and Auld Lang Sang, but before the first football game
on January 1, 2002, we'll all be watching the 113th Rose Parade from
Pasadena. This year, KTLA-TV's coverage of the "most famous parade in the
world" will include incredible floral floats, high-stepping equestrians,
spectacular marching bands - and the Davis Vantage Pro weather station! If
you are a Los Angeles area resident, or have a satellite dish, you might be
able to catch our Vice President Joan Peterson, with her trusty Vantage Pro
weather station, on KTLA-TV Channel 5 (or KTLA-DT  Channel 31). KTLA's
coverage will highlight the Vantage Pro during a live interview with Joan.
KTLA producers will also be receiving real-time data on wind and (hopefully
not) rain conditions as the parade winds its way down Pasadena's famed
Colorado Boulevard. The Rose Parade is, of course, on New Year's Day, from 8
to 10 am PST.

KTLA-TV's website at
<http://www.ktla.com/entertainment/roseParade2002/index.htm> has more
information about its coverage of the parade.  The parade's official website
is at <http://www.tournamentofroses.com>.

If you do spot the Vantage Pro, you won't believe it's constructed entirely
of petunia petals, wheat stems, and cardamom seeds. Our engineers never
cease to amaze....


======================
Here's a quick preview of this month's contents
======================

Baby, It's C-C-Cold Outside...Wind Chill Volunteers: E-News Gets the Inside
Story...Davis's New Soil Moisture Station Leaves Rain Gods
Sputtering...Australian Students Study Air Quality with Davis Instruments
and Innovative AirWatch Program...Who You Gonna Call?  Davis! ...Enjoy!

======================
Baby, It's C-C-Cold Outside
======================
I know Californians have no whining rights when it comes to cold weather,
but my goodness, these days when you have to turn on the heater AND wear a
sweater are just so stressful!  Why, right now, my Vantage Pro console is
telling me that it is only13 degrees outside!  (Yes, that's Celsius, but it
does sound so much better...) A quick scan of a few of our Davis users'
weather web pages (see http://www.davisnet.com/weather/cool/world.asp
<http://www.davisnet.com>) does a lot toward warming me up:  Potrorozu,
Slovenia reports 0.28 ºC; Visby, Sweden is showing -2.2 ºC; and our poor
weather station in Storefjell, Norway is enduring -8.4 ºC.

We like it warm out here. We like to sit on beaches in shorts. We like
spring skiing in shorts. We like to sit at outdoor cafes and sip iced
coffee, preferably in shorts. We put down-filled comforters on our beds when
the temperature drops below 65ºF.

Apparently our love of warm weather may be why Californians are always
happy, but not always the fastest thinkers!  15 years ago scientists
recognized "Seasonal Affective Disorder," or SAD, which affects people who
live where it is cold and dark. Treatment with artificial sunlight proved to
be successful in alleviating the symptoms of depression for many SAD
sufferers.

More recently, Tim Brennen of the University of Tromsø (which, at a few
hundred miles from the Artic Circle is the most northerly university in the
world) tested the theory that "winter blues" would also cause memory and
concentration problems. But his findings demonstrated just the opposite! 

Brennen tested 100 Tromsø residents for attention lapses, impaired memory,
and slow thinking in June and again in December. He found that people did
just as well on the tests in December as they did in June!  In fact, on many
of the tests, people actually did BETTER in December! 

Cold and dark, or sunny and temperate, the weather certainly makes us who we
are - and who our children are. A study in the Journal of Epidemiology and
Community Health back in 2000 reported that where it is warmer, more boys
are born. The farther north and the colder the climate, the lower the birth
rate for boys.

So what does all this prove?  Well, as a life-long warm weather resident,
I'm a bit too slow-thinking to figure it out. But who cares?  Life is
wonderful. Maybe one of my six sons knows.


====================== 
Wind Chill Volunteers: E-News Gets the Inside Story
====================== 

Back in October, the E-Newsletter reported on a change in the method by
which wind chill is measured. We told you that researchers used human
volunteers, with temperature sensors attached to their faces, to determine
the actual effect of wind and cold on the most exposed part of a human - the
face. The volunteers were used in clinical trials to validate data gathered
by using an initial model: a mannequin head covered with a "skin" of
thermoconducting material.

One of the volunteers in that study, Pierre Torigny, along with Joseph
Shaykewich will present a paper on the clinical trials to the 3rd Symposium
on Environmental Applications at the American Meteorological Society's
annual meeting in January. Reading it has convinced me to keep my day job
here at Davis and forego my dreams of becoming a wind chill test volunteer.

Torigny writes that the 12 volunteers, (six men and six women) aged 18 to
50, first submitted to a medical screening and physical before being
selected for the test. Then they refrained from alcohol, aspirin, and
caffeine (I'm out right there) for 12 hours before the test. Two at a time,
the volunteers stood or walked on a treadmill in a refrigerated wind tunnel
for 30 minutes at a time while the testers jiggled the temperature controls
from -10°C to +10°C, sprayed them with water every 15 minutes, and battered
them with wind speeds from 2 to 8 m/s. This was done in military clothing,
with a face full of temperature sensors, and, here's the real deciding
factor, a rectal probe to ascertain core temperature.

On behalf of all of us who have long felt that the wind chill formula didn't
quite match what our own faces reported, I want to thank Pierre and his
colleagues for volunteering. As for me, I think I'll hold off volunteering
until the clinical trials of the "sun-basking on temperate beaches as stress
reduction treatment" study comes along.

A summary of the paper titled "Clinical Trials for a New Canadian Wind Chill
Program" can be found at
<http://ams.confex.com/ams/annual2002/3Environment/abstracts/27725.htm%20>


====================== 
Davis's New Soil Moisture Station Leaves Rain Gods Sputtering
====================== 

There was a time when best soil-moisture technology available to our farming
forefathers consisted of sacrifices to the rain gods and fervent wishing.
Even now in the age of high-tech irrigation systems that can make even the
most temperamental of rain gods irrelevant, modern growers still struggle
with deciding when, how much, and how often to irrigate. And after those
decisions are made, they still have to wonder about the depth of wetting and
the specific pattern of their soil's moisture extraction. Then they can lie
awake thinking about the cost of the water than runs off their fields when
they overwater...

Well, Davis has come to the rescue! With our new Wireless Soil
Moisture/Temperature Stations, farmers and turf managers can just glance at
their Vantage Pro console to get real time readings on soil moisture.

Most soil moisture sensors on the market require the use of a hand-held
meter to obtain readings. While the process is simple, it is labor
intensive, and it can also disturb the soil and plants at the measurement
site. Furthermore, the periodic readings provide just a snapshot of what is
really going on, making it more difficult to track trends over time.

With Davis's new Wireless Soil Moisture/Temperature Station, these problems
simply don't exist. Data transmission is wireless, so the measurement site
remains undisturbed. Readings are sent automatically to the Vantage Pro
display console, so growers are freed from the chore of daily readings-they
can simply view current, up-to-the-minute conditions whenever they like.
They can even use the Vantage Pro console to set high and low soil moisture
alarms, which will alert them to turn the irrigation system on or off.

Growers can set up a number of individual stations throughout their acreage,
wherever conditions (including terrain, soil type, crop, and exposure) vary.
Different crops have different water needs; lawns require more water than
shrubs and ground covers do; and low, moist spots and heavily shaded areas
need less water than those exposed to a full day's sun.

The Davis station comes with a Watermark® soil moisture sensor with a
15-foot cable. To measure soil moisture, the sensor uses an electrode
imbedded in a granular matrix, which is in turn surrounded by a metal
screen. As plants use water from the soil, the soil dries out, water is
drawn out of the sensor, and electrical resistance increases. After
irrigation or rainfall, the sensor takes up water and the resistance
decreases. The reading is displayed on the Vantage Pro console in centibars,
with a range from 0 to 200cb. While the basic Soil Moisture/Temperature
Station comes with a single sensor, up to three more can be added. This lets
growers bury sensors at different depths, placing them at different levels
of the root zone. By having sensors at different depths, the irrigation
schedule can be adjusted as plants grow, seasons change, and the roots
migrate further down into the soil.
The Davis station also includes a stainless steel temperature probe with a
15-foot direct-burial cable for measuring air or soil temperature.

Sorry, rain gods, it seems your days of farmland sacrificial bounty are
numbered. We suggest moving to the Sierra Nevada here in California - our
snow gods are never short on winter worshippers!

Need more facts about soil moisture?  Try these links:
<http://www.greenindustry.com/ij/2000/0600/0500sol.asp>;
<http://www.earthsystemssolutions.com/assets/monitoring.htm>; or
<http://www.sowacs.com/sensors/sensingaug.html>

====================== 
Australian Students Study Air Quality with Davis Instruments and Innovative
AirWatch Program
====================== 

Ask a student in a western Australian school how the weather is, and you
might get a surprisingly precise answer. An innovative educational program
called AirWatch has placed Davis weather stations, along with air monitoring
equipment, in hundreds of Australian schools. The goal of the program is to
encourage students and their parents to change their behavior as it relates
to air quality.

The program for primary school students includes learning what gases air
contains, what air pollution is, and how weather affects air quality.
Students then discover ways they and their parents can improve the air
quality. They use Weather Wizard II weather stations to log current weather
data at their school.

For secondary school students, the program is a bit more involved. Students
are actually able to test the air for levels of carbon particulates and
nitrogen dioxide. They use Weather Monitor II weather stations and air
monitoring equipment that was developed by CSIRO (Commonwealth Science and
Industrial Research Organization) and AirWatch. They study and collect data
on air quality and weather, summer (photochemical) smog, winter smog (haze),
as well as pollen and vehicle traffic counts.

A sponsor, AlintaGas, funded the primary AirWatch program that provides
teachers with a manual and a box of materials free of cost.

"Teachers get a whole box of materials that can be used to implement all the
activities in the manual," said Gabby Robertson, AirWatch Coordinator. "They
find this resource very useful in the classroom--as everything they need to
study weather and air quality is in the box--we believe convenience is the
key to success in the classroom!"

Students post their data on the AirWatch website where it is converted to
graphical representations and is accessible to all the schools.

"Currently, only the schools use this data," said Robertson. "But we have
organizations showing interest in obtaining weather information because we
have so many stations over the Perth metropolitan area that it would help
our Bureau of Meteorology in predicting local storm fronts and rainfall."

Robertson said that teachers and students in the United States or elsewhere
can log onto the website to learn what their counterparts on the other side
of the world are doing. They might even consider partnering with an
Australian school to share weather data. Email contact information for
participating teachers and schools is listed on the page.

In Western Australia and Victoria, AirWatch also runs a program called
WeatherWatch in conjunction with one of the local television stations. About
50 different schools provide weather data for a nightly weather segment on a
weekly basis.

Robertson, who will leave the program shortly to "take on a career in
motherhood," is finding it difficult to hand over the reigns to this
creative and unique program. "Although we are only a small team with grand
ideas, the program has grown substantially in the last two years. I know it
will continue to grow. Other states are chasing sponsorships and may
approach television stations to air weather and air quality data. It's a
very exciting program."

The AirWatch web page is at <http://www.airwatch.mrwa.wa.gov.au>. Definitely
worth checking out!


======================
Who You Gonna Call?  Davis!
======================

Each month after the E-newsletter 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 e-mails, 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, or to request a
catalog, contact sales@davisnet.com.

Please continue to send your comments, weather URLs, and story suggestions
to news@davisnet.com. We look forward to getting your comments and any
responses you have to the E-newsletter. Member participation is what keeps
the E-newsletter alive and kicking.


======================
Well, that's it for this edition. You'll be hearing from us again in
February!
====================== 
 
For more information about Davis Instruments, visit our website at
http://www.davisnet.com. You can also call us at (510) 732 9229 or send a
fax to (510) 732 9188. We're open Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. Pacific Time.


---

Davis Instruments Weather Club
November, 2001

Dear Weather Club Member,

Welcome to the November edition of our Weather Club e-news! To read this
edition on-line, go to http://www.davisnet.com/news/e_news_archive/0111.asp.
To unsubscribe, see the instructions at the end of this message.

==========================
Here's a quick preview of this month's contents
==========================
Weather Monitoring at Ground Zero. . . Davis Weather Stations Play Key Role
in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade . . . Vantage Pro Helps Save the Day at
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta...Vantage Pro Under the Christmas
Tree. . . Skiing Guests at Hawk Inn Mountain Resort Check Weather Conditions
as They Check In . . . Enjoy!

==========================
Weather Monitoring at Ground Zero
==========================

Like all Americans, we at Davis were horrified and numbed as we watched the
events of 9/11 unfold. Like every American, we all felt the need to do
something to help. It has been a small comfort to know that our weather
stations are contributing to the ongoing clean up at Ground Zero. As rescue
and cleanup efforts began, Weather Monitor II stations were installed and
have been providing crews with critical, real-time weather data.

Nick Stefano, owner of the Sussex County Weather Network of Wantage, New
Jersey, installed the Weather Monitor II weather stations at five locations
at Ground Zero. One is on top of the Verizon building on the northwest
corner of the World Trade Center site. Another is on the roof of the
firehouse on the southeast corner. Both are set up to monitor the wind loads
high above the ground. Three more are located throughout the site. Stefano
chose the sites that would enable workers in the trenches to track
micrometeorological events by taking readings from different heights at
different locations as well as monitor the weather as it relates to the
topography of the wreckage. Stefano has built many weather networks using
the Weather Monitor II but never before has one of his networks taken on
such an important role in protecting so many from harm.

Every large construction site crew needs to be aware of wind and rain. Every
time a crew moves a large piece of debris, dust and particles are picked up,
and wind can make the situation even worse. Strong winds at higher
elevations can also have the potential to wreak havoc with tall cranes and
heavy-duty equipment, endangering not only the operators but also the people
on the ground.

In the case of Ground Zero, a storm that hit New York City on September 13th
turned the ash into something comparable to wet cement. There were reports
of dust devils and downdrafts. With work predicted to take over a year, it
became clear immediately that constant, real-time weather data would be
essential to the safety of workers and innocent bystanders.

We're always proud to see one of our weather stations "on duty," but a
recent photograph of a Weather Monitor II standing alongside our flag on a
rooftop overlooking the devastation of Ground Zero has tremendous meaning to
us. In spirit and in our hearts, we are there at Ground Zero, standing
united with all Americans.

To see this photo and others, go to
http://www.davisnet.com/news/e_news_archive/0111.asp. For more information
about the construction industry and its role in the World Trade Center
cleanup, check out the Civil Engineering Magazine website at
http://www.pubs.asce.org/; the Engineering News Record website at
http://www.enr.com/; or http://www.construction.com/.

==========================
Davis Weather Stations Play Key Role in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
==========================
Only weeks after 9/11, New Yorkers are showing their invincible spirit by
preparing for the 75th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Macy's
signature larger-than-life helium character balloons will proudly take
flight in the skies high above New York City on November 22. The symbolism
of this year's parade won't be missed by anyone. We're rising up, giving
thanks, forging on.

For the second year, Davis weather stations will play a key role in the
parade. This year the parade route will be packed with thousands of New
Yorkers willing to brave the cold and wind. Many will even come the night
before to watch the amazing inflation process. Personal safety should be the
last thing on their minds.

But it is easy to understand the problems wind can create with huge
balloons. In 1997, a woman was injured during the parade when the gigantic
Cat in the Hat balloon caught in a 40 mph wind gust and knocked a light pole
into her. After that incident, the City set up requirements that the
balloons be grounded if winds reached 23 mph or gusts reached 34 mph. They
also installed new light poles that don't arch into the street, and required
more controllers for each balloon.

This year Nick Stefano, who installed the weather stations at the World
Trade Center, will install a series of Davis weather stations along the
parade route. The stations will continuously monitor temperature, wind
speed, wind direction and precipitation for balloon safety.

So this year when the 57-foot-tall Curious George - who will weigh in 433
pounds and contain over 11,000 cubic feet of helium - leads off the parade,
one thing he won't have to be curious about is whether the wind will take
him off course.

Be sure to check your local TV listings to catch the parade. (And for those
early risers in the Omaha, Nebraska, area, you can catch our own Russ Heilig
showing off Davis weather stations on "3 This Morning," KMTV-TV Channel 3,
6:20 am, Tuesday, November 20.)
 

==========================
Vantage Pro® Helps Save the Day at Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
==========================
In our last e-newsletter, we reported that Davis' Vantage Pro would be the
official weather station of the Kodak Albuquerque International Balloon
Fiesta, held last month. The Wireless Vantage Pro and a few lucky members of
the Davis crew were all onsite and wide awake, despite the fact that the art
of ballooning begins with predawn preparations. Our intrepid travelers came
home with stacks of photographs of fantastically shaped hot air balloons.
Can you imagine a balloon shaped like a tree - complete with a bird's nest?
A shoe? How about a flying cow? The mass ascension was stunning, they tell
us, an unforgettable and beautiful sight.

And Davis had a big role to play in getting all those cows and shoes and
balloon-shaped balloons safely up - and, more importantly, safely down! For
the past 30 years, pilots at the Fiesta depended upon the "Dawn Patrol" - a
group of seasoned balloonists that launch prior to sunrise - to identify
flight conditions within the Balloon Park's microclimate. They also counted
on Fiesta meteorologists to launch Piballs (small balloons filled with
helium) in order to identify wind direction. But this year, Fiesta
meteorologists had the added advantage of the Vantage Pro weather stations
to tell them wind speed and direction, temperature, barometric pressure, dew
point, and precipitation.

While the Vantage Pro documented that flight conditions were nearly perfect
for most of the Fiesta, conditions turned questionable on the eighth day.

"Saturday morning was extremely challenging," said Randy LeFevre, Fiesta
meteorologist. "Winds reached about 30 knots at the 500 to 1000 foot level,
but we were more concerned about conditions on the ground. We used the
Vantage Pro as our primary weather-monitoring instrument for surface winds
for launch and used it to keep tabs on weather conditions in real time. For
most of the morning, we left the decision to fly up to pilot discretion. At
nine a.m., we closed the field. Because of the atmospheric mix, the high
winds from above dropped down to the surface and we lost our bubble of
protection. It simply got too strong at the surface."

For the pilots who did fly, the upper level winds created havoc for many.
Eight hot-air balloons blew into restricted airspace at Kirtland Air Force
Base. Three people were hurt when one balloon became entangled in power
lines and another balloonist suffered a broken wrist during a hard landing.

"That night, we were very worried about the last scheduled Balloon Glow,"
recalled LeFevre. "The winds remained strong all day. The good news was that
by being able to track current and past weather variables over a period of
eight hours with the Vantage Pro, we knew that there was a high pressure
system approaching. We predicted that the strong winds would end abruptly
sometime around dusk. At six p.m., a 20-knot wind hit my face as I was
standing outside. By six-thirty, the winds died down to three knots. It
turned out to be a spectacular evening for the event."

While our fearless reporters didn't get the opportunity to hop in a basket
and take off into the Albuquerque sunrise, they did get to appear on a few
local television stations that featured the Fiesta and the Vantage Pro. In
one such appearance, Frank Velasquez, our Sales Manager, was so engrossed in
describing the wonders of the Vantage Pro console that he failed to notice a
rapidly inflating balloon behind him. He kept his on-camera composure
surprisingly well when the balloon gave him a gentle, but firm, shove into
the camera. He even managed to keep his hat on.

We've posted some of photos of the Fiesta on our website at
http://www.davisnet.com/news/e_news_archive/0111.asp, including several of
the beautiful New Mexico sunrise. And, in an informative article by Tom
Harris on http://www.howstuffworks.com/hot-air-balloon.htm, you'll find
everything you ever wanted to know about how and why hot air balloons fly,
including the fact that the first hot air balloon passengers were a sheep, a
duck, and a chicken.

==========================
Vantage Pro® Under the Christmas Tree
==========================
The receptionist at Santa's workshop has already relayed several phone calls
from good little weather buffs everywhere who have put our new Vantage Pro
weather station on the top of their holiday wish list. We have to admit,
this is one terrific gift. The Vantage Pro features an extra-large,
multi-function LCD screen, on-screen forecasting, extensive graphing
capabilities, and a jazzy new moving ticker-tape display.

The Vantage Pro wireless weather station costs just $595. Various
options-including a comprehensive data logger and software package to link
your weather station to your PC and website-let you customize the station to
suit the needs of your favorite weatherperson.

Our website at http://www.davisnet.com/weather/products/vantage.asp has more
information. Or give us call at (800) 678-3669. Tech-elves are standing by.

==========================
Skiing Guests at Hawk Inn Mountain Resort Check Weather Conditions as they
Check In
==========================
Out here in the San Francisco Bay Area, our skiing buddies are just
celebrating the first big winter storm. They may not be able to see the snow
starting to fall in the Sierras from here, but they can feel it! Ski resort
operators in California and Nevada are always anxious about our fickle
winter weather, but all ski resort operators are eager for current, local
weather data. One resort in Vermont has turned their Davis weather station
into an added perk for guests by keeping the console at the check in
counter.

 "What people want to know, first," said Tom Dillon of Hawk Inn Mountain
Resort in Plymouth, Vermont, "is if it will be cold enough to snow or just
rain? Then they want to know how cold it will be and if they are going to
freeze their ears off while skiing!"

Located between the Killington and Okemo ski resorts, Hawk Inn is right in
the middle of Vermont's winter playground, where current weather conditions
are matters of great importance. 

"We have our little Weather Wizard console set to scroll. Instead of looking
at a television while checking in, our guests check the outside temperature
and wind speed and direction," Tom told us. "Guests love it. We've even had
a few guests who were so impressed they've purchased Davis weather stations
through us!"

Tom is excited about the possibility of setting up a wireless system at the
Inn and giving his guests even more weather information, especially wind
chill, which in a Vermont winter, can be a very hot topic.

For more information about the beautiful Hawk Inn Mountain Resort, you can
find their website at http://www.hawkresort.com/.


==========================
Well, that's it for this month. Will be checking in again in December. Until
then - stay warm and dry!
==========================
 
For more information about Davis Instruments, visit our website at
http://www.davisnet.com/. You can also call us at (510) 732 9229 or send a
fax to (510) 732 9188. We're open Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. Pacific Time.


---

Davis Instruments Weather Club
August, 2001

Dear Weather Club Member.

Welcome to the August edition of our e-news!  We're back with stories and
insights into our weather stations and weather-related items. To read this
and earlier editions on-line, go to http://www.davisnet.com/news/e_news.asp.
To unsubscribe, see the instructions at the end of this message.

===================================
Here's a quick preview of this month's contents
===================================

Vantage Pro Update . . . How to Participate in the NOAA Citizen Weather
Observer Program . . . Integrating your Weather Station with Home Automation
. . . Shark Week 2001: Air Jaws . . . New Additions to Weather World 'Round
. . . Enjoy!

===============
Vantage Pro Update
===============

We're happy to report that we've been shipping our new Vantage Pro stations
fast and furiously for the past few months. Here's what a few of you who've
received your stations have had to say:

"Even though it took longer than expected, I am delighted. It really was
worth waiting for and works great. Congratulations for another great
product." Gerry Muller, Texas.

"I had it set up and running within an hour or so with no trouble at all. We
just had a couple of inches of badly needed rain and it was fun to watch the
rain totals visibly while sitting comfortably indoors!" Michael Owner,
Bermuda.

"You folks really scored a "Grand Slam" with your new Vantage Pro. It's
totally compatible with my wireless Weather Monitor II and the re-transmit
for my Weather Echo works great." Bill Kaye, California.

"The system worked right out of the box. I haven't had a lot of weather
changes here yet to evaluate all the readings/displays, but it sure is
slick." Glenn Phelps, Ohio.

We're always glad to hear from happy customers! The good news is that we're
up to date on orders for the USA version of our wireless Vantage Pro
stations. The bad news? Well, we're not quite out of backorder on the other
stations yet. We're still whacking away at our orders for the cabled
stations, the Vantage Pro Plus models (with UV and solar radiation sensors),
and our overseas models. Models with fan-aspirated radiation shields are at
least another month away. If you've ordered one of these stations, please be
patient a little while longer--we know it will be worth the wait!

================================================= 
How to Participate in the NOAA Citizen Weather Observer Program
=================================================

In our September, 1999 issue,
http://www.davisnet.com/news/e_news_archive/9909.asp, we ran a spotlight on
volunteer radio station W4EHW (Watching 4 Early Hurricane Warnings) and the
National Hurricane Center in Miami. Now that Hurricane Season 2001 is well
underway (the official hurricane season begins on June 1), we thought it's
time for an update.

Joe Schmidt, Internet Coordinator for W4EHW, recently told us about a new
program with the NOAA Forecast Systems Lab in Boulder, Colorado. According
to Joe, "NOAA is interested in obtaining observations from home weather
stations. The information will be incorporated into several weather
prediction models and appear on their new web page:
<http://www-frd.fsl.noaa.gov/mesonet/>."

Many amateur APRS stations have already signed up for the program. But don't
think you need to be a ham radio operator to sign up. All you need is access
to the Internet.

Making your data available is simple and free. If you'd like to participate
in the program, here's how: Just visit the W4EHW website,
http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/w4ehw/CWOP-Main.html. Once there, you can download
the free Internet software and obtain your personal Citizen Weather (CW)
Number. Approximately two weeks after completing the registration, your data
will appear on the NOAA surface observation map. That's all there is to it!

We hope that many of our Davis weather station owners will sign up for this
important and worthwhile program.

If you'd like to know more about hurricane-preparedness, a good place to
start is the American Red Cross site,
http://redcross.org/news/ds/hurricanes/01060101season.html. And if a
hurricane does pass your way, be sure and let us know how you and your
station hold up!

=========================================
Integrating your Weather Station with Home Automation
=========================================

We're always interested in hearing how people have integrated our weather
stations into other technologies, and thought you would be, too. We recently
heard from Kimberly Harms of Advanced Quonset Technology, Inc., who wrote
the following:

--------------------

Without a doubt having your own weather station is a very cool thing.
Collecting data over time gives you the ability to do local forecasting and
see weather trends over time. And that's quite a lot of fun. But wouldn't it
be nice to do something else with your weather data?

Like what? Well, how about turning on your sprinkler system only if it is
not too windy and hasn't rained the night before? Or open a skylight if it
gets too hot inside, but keep it closed on cool rainy days? And for those of
you in the cold climates, turn on pipe heaters if the average temperature in
the last 24 hours is less than 40 degrees?

With the help of Advanced Quonset Technology's Home Control Assistant (HCA)
software and some inexpensive hardware, you can do all those things and
more.

It all works with the help of a home automation technology called X10, which
allows signals to be sent from your computer to a lamp or appliance over
your home wiring. Instead of plugging the appliance directly into a wall
outlet, you plug it into an X10 module and then plug the module into the
wall. All together, you'll need four things: a computer, some software that
runs on the computer, an interface that allows the computer to send and
receive signals over the wiring, and the X10 modules.

Is home automation expensive? No! The computer interface is available for
under $100 and software is around $90. A module's cost depends on its
function, but they're usually around $20. Is it hard? No, again. You don't
need to be an electrician to install the X10 gear, and the software is easy
to use.

HCA is a Windows-based program that is extremely easy to use. Using HCA, you
can create a schedule that will control when things in your house go on and
off.  For those new to home automation, there's even a quick start wizard
that will suggest where you can use home automation in your house.

What's all this got to do with Davis weather stations? Well, there's a
weather station interface! You can set up HCA to capture data from the
weather station sensors every few minutes (you choose the interval). Based
on the weather station data, you can then have the system do things like
turn your sprinkler system on or off, open or close a motorized skylight, or
turn pipe heaters on or off.

So what's the first step? If you're interested in home automation, check out
http://www.smarthome.com for information on the available X10 hardware. For
a no-cost trial version of HCA, go to http://www.AdvancedQuonsetTech.com.
The software is fully functional, but is time-limited to 30 days.

--------------------

Thanks, Kimberly, for letting us know about your company's software. As
Kimberly says, "While it's fun to talk about weather data, the trick is
doing something with it!"

And here's a note for our readers: if you're already using a Davis weather
station in a home automation application, we'd love to hear from you. Send
your comments to news@davisnet.com.

And a final note: HCA works with the full line of Davis weather stations,
except our new Vantage Pro stations. But that's in the works, too! We'll be
sure to keep you posted.

===================================
Discovery Channel's Shark Week 2001: Air Jaws
===================================

Don't miss "Air Jaws: Sharks of South Africa" on the Discovery Channel this
Sunday, August 12. Dr. Rocky Strong of the University of California at Santa
Barbara used a Davis EZ-Mount Energy EnviroMonitor system in his study
correlating shark behavior with weather patterns. You'll see lots of
exciting footage of shark attacks, and some pretty thrilling (we think so,
anyway!) footage of our weather station in use. For a quick preview of Shark
Week, check out
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/sharkweek2001/sharkweek2001.html

=============================
New additions to Weather World 'Round
=============================

In our September, 1998 e-news,
http://www.davisnet.com/news/e_news_archive/9809.asp, we published a
suggestion from one of our Weather Club Members. In Kevin's words, "it would
be nice to add a page to your website containing links to various URLs that
have weather data generated by your products." Well, we took Kevin up on his
suggestion, and created a section we call "Weather World 'Round."  There are
now over 200 links on that page, representing 41 U.S. states and 22
different countries.

If it's been awhile since you've visited there, here's a brief list of some
of our newer additions:

Cromdale, Scotland www.speysideweather.co.uk

Des Moines, Iowa,  http://members.home.net/toubes1/weather/myweather.html

Dunwoody, Georgia, http://www.dunwoodyweather.com

Groton, South Dakota, http://www.grotonindependent.com

Pleasanton, California, www.robertsroost.org

Quatre-Bornes, Mauritius, http://pages.intnet.mu/maufox

To see all the links, visit Weather World 'Round at
http://www.davisnet.com/weather/cool/world.asp.

If you'd like to add your weather station, just send an e-mail to
news@davisnet.com. Be sure to include the location of your station, and a
brief note about how you're using it.

If you're not already posting data from your weather station to your
website, check out our WeatherLink Toolbox at
http://www.davisnet.com/weather/products/weather_product.asp?pnum=7802.

==============

Well, that's it! Hope you found this edition interesting, useful, and
entertaining. See you next month!

============= 
More Information
============= 
For more information about Davis Instruments, visit our website at
http://www.davisnet.com. You can also call us at (510) 732 9229 or send a
fax to (510) 732 9188. We're open Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. Pacific Time.


---

Davis Instruments Weather Club
May 2002

Dear Weather Club Member,

Welcome to the May 2002 edition of our Weather Club E-News! To read this and
earlier editions on-line, go to http://www.davisnet.com/news/e_news.asp. To
unsubscribe, see the instructions at the end of this message.

======================
Quick Preview of this Month's Contents
======================
Be a Beta Tester for WeatherLink 5.2! . . . Cockatoos, Parrots, and the
Stuff Their Colleagues Drop . . . Our Weather Refuses to Cooperate with
Editorial Deadlines! . . . '97-'98 El Nino Had a Water-Tight Alibi. . .
Hurricane Awareness Week, May 19-25. . . Become a National Hurricane Center
Volunteer. . . Andrew Might Have Been a 5 After All . . . Most Folks Run
AWAY From Storms. . . You're Brilliant! Answers to Quiz Questions . . . Who
You Gonna Call?  Davis! . . . Enjoy!

======================
Be a Beta Tester for WeatherLink 5.2!
======================
Want to test drive the new WeatherLink 5.2 for Vantage Pro? Our WeatherLink
5.2 Beta Test Program is now in full gear and you can help! The new features
in WeatherLink 5.2 include data logging and graphing for the UV, solar
radiation, extra temperatures, extra humidities, leaf wetness and soil
moisture sensors as well as the ET value. We've also added the following new
reports: Daylight Hours, Leaf Wetness Hours, Total ET, Fuel Demand and
Sunburn Risk.

Note: The data logger on your Vantage Pro has data that can't be seen using-
earlier versions of WeatherLink. WeatherLink 5.2 allows you to download that
data

To participate in the WeatherLink 5.2 Beta Test, you must have a Vantage Pro
or Vantage Pro Plus weather station. You also need WeatherLink 5.0 or 5.1 on
a PC running Windows 95/98/NT/2000/ME or XP, and a serial port to connect to
the weather station.

Click on this link to download WeatherLink 5.2:
http://www.davisnet.com/support/weather/download/WLink52Beta.exe (file size
= 1.27 MB). We recommend that you install the WeatherLink 5.2 Beta version
in a different folder than your existing WeatherLink software. Also, please
be sure to e-mail all suggestions, feedback and bug reports to
beta@davisnet.com

======================
Cockatoos, Parrots, and the Stuff Their Colleagues Drop
======================
Wayne Williams's question about cheeky Australian cockatoos ruffled a few
feathers of beleaguered weather station owners who have dealt with similar
issues in very creative ways.  Rob Crawford of Perth told us that parrots
and cockatoos seem to savor all kinds of cable.  He's had them chew
completely through 3/8" cable! His solution is to sleeve cables in black
polypropylene irrigation hose, which is a bit tougher than the cable
coating.  He finds the 1/2" diameter to be a good, inexpensive fix. "It is
best if you can cut the connector off the end of the cable," he wrote, "feed
it down the required length of hose and crimp a new connector on the end
(ensuring it is fitted the correct way round). If you don't have a tool to
fit a new connector to the end, and then slit the hose lengthways, push the
cable inside and tie it up at regular intervals with cable ties or something
similar." (Rob added a fun addendum to his e-mail on the subject of dust
devils.  "In Australia, we call dust devils, 'Willy-Willy's,' an Australian
Aboriginal name!"   Personally, we like that name better!)

Another Western Australian, Dave Holt of Wickham, has had the same
experience with cockatoos.  He enclosed his cable in plastic reticulation
pipe and found that it has worked so far. "The anemometer cable is easy
pickings," Dave told us. "These birds also chew through my RG8U coaxial
cable as well as power lines!" 

Those are some tough cockatoos! Here in the States, we don't see many wild
cockatoos, but that doesn't mean we don't have our share of birdy-woes. 

David Sidbury, who lives within the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge in
Awendaw, SC, has had both his anemometer cable chewed through and his rain
collector remodeled into a bird nest.  His solutions: "I drilled a 3/8" hole
through the pipe my anemometer was bolted to and put the cable inside the
pipe. (The end connector will easily fit through a 3/8" hole.)  The fix for
the rain gauge was to install a piece of galvanized hardware cloth over the
top of the rain gauge. I have a manual glass tube rain gauge which I
compared to the new incorrect readings from the Davis gauge because of the
restricted anti bird covering, and using the PC Link software rain gauge
calibration 'tricked' the software into thinking the gauge was perfectly
calibrated without the cover."  (Our Technical Support Manager, Brett,
admires David's creativity but wouldn't recommend trying to "trick" our
software.) And if birds were not enough of a headache, David's house has
also sustained a lightning strike, which burned up the protected junction
box, but did not do any damage to any of the other instruments or his
computer. "The Protected Junction Box accessory saved me several thousand
dollars," he e-mailed, "and looked and smelled like it had been in a fire
after the event.  Your equipment is the best."  (Well, we all certainly
agree with that.)

And then there's Steve Sands, an NWS Observer in San Marcos, TX, who got
weary of having his rain gauge clogged with bird droppings.  "I ordered a
set of stainless steel 'bird spikes' on a flexible strip of metal and
installed them near the top lip of each rain barrel. It is effective and
installed so that it does not interfere with accurate rain collection or
measurement. I have not had any further trouble from bird droppings clogging
up the rain barrel, but I do have to be careful taking the lid off - those
spikes are sharp." (See photos on our website at
wwwl.davisnet.com/news/e_news_archive/0205.asp#bird.)

Walter Quinn, of Westport, MA chimed in with a similar story. Living near
the Westport River and Buzzards Bay, he noticed that his Monitor II reported
very little rain even after a heavy down pour.  Since his station sits on
top of a telephone pole across the road from his home, he couldn't just take
a look inside. "Finally, a power company truck came by with a cherry picker
and I asked for help, and they were glad to oblige. When the lineman brought
it down, I emptied it and found the hole in the bottom was blocked with sea
gull droppings. I cleaned it out and up it went - back on top of the pole.
It has worked perfectly since then. Surprisingly, a direct hit from a sea
gull flying overhead had put my rain collector out of business, at least
temporarily."

Finally, Dick Jubinville suggests using an ultrasonic frequency unit - birds
and fleas alike seem to hate them.

Cockatoos or sea gulls, Davis weather station owners can outsmart 'em all!

Weather Check Quiz Question 1: True or False? Before we invented Davis
weather stations, you could use a sea gull as a weather forecaster.

======================
Our Weather Refuses to Cooperate with Editorial Deadlines!
======================
Last issue, we typed the E-News while basking in a warm sunbeam from the
skylights above, glancing wistfully at our Vantage Pro console that taunted
us with outside temps in the mid 70°'s and light breezes.  By the time we
went to "e-press," the temperature had plummeted to 54° in the sunshine.
Chains were required if you wanted to drive up to the mountains to enjoy the
latest fresh snow.  High gusty winds knocked out power and we went to sleep
to the cheerless sound of pouring rain. 

Apparently, St. Cloud, MN, which we had pitied for still being down in the
wintry 20°'s, had stolen our nice weather.  Greg Cruze, of St. Cloud wrote
to tell us that, "believe it or not, in St. Cloud, MN, we hit a record high
of 91°.  This record high was hit just two weeks after a record 8" snowfall.
Minnesota, gotta love it!" 

Weather Check Quiz Question 2: If we compare the highest and lowest
temperatures on record in California and the highest and lowest temperatures
on record in Minnesota, which state will have the largest difference?

======================
'97-'98 El Nino Had a Water-Tight Alibi
======================
Jan Null, one of our favorite weather-guys, challenged us on several key
points of the last issue. (He did so very sweetly, first calling our E-News
an "excellent resource!")  Being a Certified Consulting Meteorologist, he is
not somebody we want to argue with.  He wrote that we were mistaken in
attributing severe flooding in California to the '97-'98 El Niño event.

"In 1997-98 there was minimal flooding in the state," Jan told us. "We had
lots of rain (i.e., about 200% of normal), but that was spread out over 200%
the normal number of days of rain.  I go into this topic in some depth in
http://ggweather.com/nino/calif_flood.html.  Also it is ill-advised to
attribute any single event (i.e., tornadoes in Florida) to El Niño or La
Niña as it is impossible to ascertain if those events would have occurred
anyway.  We have to keep in mind that, even during an El Niño, there are all
the regular things happening in the global atmosphere-ocean interaction."

Jan couldn't let our baseball-and-weather quiz question slide home either.
"From the research I have done, a baseball in Denver would travel about 10%
farther than at sea-level.  Thus a 400-foot homer would travel about 440
feet.  See the third Q&A from my column about 'Weather and Baseball' in the
SJ Mercury at http://ggweather.com/archive/weacornermay09.htm."  (Well, when
we said nine feet further, maybe we were talking about the kind of homer
that arcs way up before coming down. But if Bonds is up to bat, we'll take
the extra 31 feet.)

Weather Check Quiz Question 3: According to Jan's Q & A page (see above link
if you want to cheat), humidity has little effect on baseball.  It that true
for temperature as well?
 
====================== 
Hurricane Awareness Week, May 19-25
====================== 
Hurricane Awareness Week comes just in time to get us in the mood for
hurricane season which sweeps in with June's warm days, and remains through
November. According to the National Hurricane Center, in an average
three-year period, five hurricanes strike the US coastline, killing 50-100
people from Texas to Maine. This season is looking like it will be no
exception, and with the effects of El Niño, it will probably be worse than
usual. Hurricane prognosticator William Grey has predicted 12 named tropical
storms this season, with seven of those becoming hurricanes and three
growing into major hurricanes. (The NOAA will issue its own prediction
during Hurricane Awareness Week.)

In honor of the season, Joe Schmidt of the National Hurricane center
contributed the following story.

====================== 
Become a National Hurricane Center Volunteer
====================== 
By Joe Schmidt

Max Mayfield, Director of the National Hurricane Center, recently said,
"Surface observations from home weather stations can be of great value,
assisting in determining the strength, size and location of hurricanes."

Here are a few tips on how you can help Max and his crew of talented
hurricane forecasters.

If you are fortunate enough to live in South Florida and have a radio
amateur license, join the volunteers at the National Hurricane Center and
become personally involved in gathering data at the Center. 

Of course, hurricanes are not known for good manners and some years there
may be a "storm of the week" with volunteers finding work, family and
vacations taking a back seat.

Major storms become major media events. The ham shack at the Center is a
favorite stop for members of the press.  A collection of videotapes
"Volunteers on Television" will be presented at the Dayton, Hamvention (May
17-19). Volunteer coordinators John McHugh and Julio Ripoll will be on hand
to answer questions.

If you have a short-wave receiver, during storms you can hear the "ham"
operation on the Hurricane Watch Net, 14.325Mhz.

If you don't live near Miami or even on the coast your data can still be of
great value in weather prediction models created by NOAA. Thanks to the
Internet, a new Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP) makes real time
observations available to the Center and to numerous Weather Service
laboratories and offices.  You will see your data displayed on a new NOAA
web site:
http://www-frd.fsl.noaa.gov/mesonet/.

To find more hurricane facts and figures try these two web sites:

You can determine the likelihood of a hurricane striking your town, find out
why hurricanes weaken over land (no, not friction) and obtain details on the
strongest recorded tropical cyclone plus endless other storm trivia from
this captivating address: http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/tcfaqHED.html

When hurricanes are active try this five star URL:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_astorm15.html

Information on how to become a W4EHW National Hurricane Center volunteer
observer or to join the Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP) will be
found at:http://www.fiu.edu/orgs/w4ehw/

Members of CWOP are eligible for a printable, electronic certificate of
appreciation from W4EHW. Notify W4EHW when your station has provided weather
observations to the NOAA Mesonet web site for 24 hours. W4ehw@fiu.edu

Remember to mark your calendar; the 2002 Hurricane Season starts June 1 and
runs through the end of November.

Weather Check Quiz Question 4: What aspect of a hurricane has the greatest
potential for loss of life?

====================== 
Andrew Might Have Been a 5 After All
======================
All weather enthusiasts know about the Saffir-Simpson scale which
categorizes hurricanes by top wind speeds.  The problem is that there aren't
many wind measurement devices that can withstand the 155 mph or greater
winds that define a Category 5 hurricane. For such storms, meteorologists
use measurements from airplanes, storm surge, and historical data to
interpret top wind speeds at the surface. But recent techniques have led
researchers to reevaluate past storms. It seems that Andrew, which slammed
into Florida in the summer of 1992, may be promoted from a Category 4 to a
Category 5. Eliot Kleinberg, of the Palm Beach Post, writes, "For those
whose lives were devastated by the costliest hurricane on record, it might
be an exercise in whether one is hit by a truck or a bus."  His article can
be found at
http://www.gopbi.com/weather/special/storm/getready/andrew_class.html.

====================== 
Most Folks Run AWAY From Storms...
======================
While we might be just entering hurricane season, tornado season is already
off to a late but dramatic start.  The weekend of the 29th of April brought
a series of tornadoes, including at least one F3, which left a 100-mile-long
path of death and damage in 10 Midwest counties from Missouri to Maryland.
The twister killed at least six people, including a 12-year-old boy in
Marble Hill, Missouri.  It whipped 46 full freight cars off their tracks in
Kentucky, leveled mobile homes, injured dozens, and forced hundreds into
shelters. Over the weekend of May 4th, Happy, Texas, became the latest
target of a series of tornados that left two people dead. News like this is
particularly sobering because the long narrow path of a tornado is so
difficult to predict and prepare for. 

Oklahoma City's KWTV Channel 9, sits right in the middle of Tornado Alley,
and they take their responsibility to keep citizens warned of impending
storms very seriously.  Channel 9's Senior Storm Chaser, Val Castor, has
already logged thousands of miles in the last few weeks chasing potential
tornadoes, funnel clouds and hail storms with his Davis Weather Monitor II.

As a meteorologist who spends a lot of his time sitting in front a computer
screen and squinting over weather maps, Val loves to see weather and nature
first hand.  "It's the most exciting part of my job," he told us.  But Val
and his Weather Monitor II don't go looking for storms just for the
heart-pounding fun of it.  "It is very important to the TV station that we
provide accurate warnings to the public to save lives. To do something I
love while helping people is really fantastic." 

Val and his fellow Oklahomans remember May 3, 1999 very clearly. A high-F5
tornado destroyed well-built brick buildings, and carried automobiles ¼
mile.  "44 people were killed by that tornado," Val told us. "But the NWS
calculated that 800 people would die in such a storm in this populated area.
The media was able to provide timely warning and save lives."

An experienced storm chaser in Oklahoma, Kansas and the Texas panhandle, Val
marvels at the tenacity of Davis equipment.  "My Weather Monitor II has
survived 105 mph winds and softball sized hail that smashed my windshield,"
he told us. But Val feels the biggest benefit of his Davis equipment is its
ability to report accurate winds speeds which are relayed back to the
station for immediate airing.  "And another benefit," he added, "is that the
humidity/temperature sensors let us know when we cross boundaries.
Identifying temperature/dew point boundaries is key in tornado prediction."

Other storm chasers know how Val feels in the presence of such power and
beauty.  The hobby of storm chasing, partially fueled by the exciting, but
not terribly accurate, movie "Twister," has been steadily growing.  There
are even several storm-chasing tour companies that will take you out to get
up-close and personal with nature - for fun! Storm chasing is a hobby meant
for pros.  The excitement it brings is closely related to the very real
danger in which the hobbyist is placed.  We at Davis don't suggest that you
follow the next funnel cloud you see - but we do like to hear about the
adventures of those pros who know how to do it safely.

One Davis weather station that goes storm chasing belongs to Jeremy Stickle,
of Manns Harbor, NC.  Jeremy remembers riding in the car with his parents as
a seven-year old.  They were traveling through a swamp area when two bolts
of pink lightning struck nearby, angling in toward each other to form a
diamond shape.  From that moment on, Jeremy had a passion for weather.
Jeremy lists the tropical storms that he has "known" like old friends:
Floyd, Fran, Dennis, Bonnie, and Felix. An amateur meteorologist, Jeremy is
wise enough to model his storm chasing on the legendary storm chaser Howard
Bluestein who keeps his crew and equipment at least two miles away from
storms - three miles from tornados. Jeremy finds as much to learn and see in
the aftermath of a storm, when the immediate danger has passed. He
photographs sunsets and storm damage alike, seeing the sort of terrible
beauty only weather lovers truly appreciate. 

Storm chasers aren't the only ones who put Davis weather stations to good
use during storm season.  Storm spotters, unlike storm chasers, use their
equipment and knowledge to provide warning to citizens of a particular area.
John Van Pelt's truck is a high tech weather instrument on wheels, and he
uses it to spot storms and to educate people about storm safety as part of
Central Carolina Skywarn. John's Storm Study project's goal is to provide
"constant public awareness of severe weather threats to the people of
central North Carolina including threats from tropical weather that may come
inland. We also help gather weather data for the National Weather Service
Forecast Office in Raleigh that's helpful in forecasting and verifying
severe weather, through our affiliation with Central Carolina Skywarn
(http://www.ccskywarn.net/), the volunteer spotter organization in our part
of North Carolina."  When not out patrolling for impending storms, John's
truck and trailer make regular appearances at schools and community events.
You can learn a lot about all kinds of severe weather on the Storm Study
home page at http://www.stormstudy.com.

The web is full of resources on understanding, spotting, (and chasing)
storms. Tornado safety tips can be found on FEMA's webpage at
http://www.fema.gov/library/tornadof.htm.  Storm Track magazine has pages
and pages of interesting and clearly presented materials.  It's at
http://www.stormtrack.org.  One of our favorite finds on that site is an
article written back in 1982 by David Hoadley as an eloquent response to the
question, "Why Chase Tornadoes?"  You can find his article at
http://www.stormtrack.org/library/chasing/whychas.htm.  Chuck Doswell's
"FAQs About Storm Chasing and Tornados" at
http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/~doswell/ChasFAQ.html is another good resource. 

Weather Wise Quiz Question 5:  What is the most dangerous threat to a storm
chaser? A. Lightning; B. Hail; C. Sudden wind downbursts; D. Flash flooding;
E. All of the above;  F. None of the above.

======================
You're Brilliant!  Answers to Quiz Questions
======================
Question 1: True. Sea gulls, like many birds, don't need Doppler radar
technology to tell them a storm is approaching.  Sensing a change in the
weather, they often hunker down on the beach and wait for the storm to blow
over.  Many a sailor or coastal dweller has learned this chant in childhood:
"Sea gull, sea gull, sit on the sand; It's never good weather while you're
on the land." (Maybe this explains why Walter Quinn's weather station was
treated so rudely by one demoted sea gull.)

Question 2: California, by a nose.  California's low record was -45°F in
January of 1937; its high was 134°F in July of 1913 for a range of 179
degrees.  Minnesota's low was -60°F in February of 1996 and its high was
114°F in July of 1936, for a range of 174 degrees.  (Source: The Weather
Book, by Jack Williams)

Question 3:  Jan Null explains it like this: "Temperature and pressure have
a more noticeable effect. Air becomes less dense as it warms, so there will
less wind resistance to a moving ball. And a decrease in barometric pressure
also makes the air less dense. A home run ball would go as much as 20 feet
farther on a 95-degree day with a barometric pressure of 29.50 inches of
mercury than it would on a 45-degree day with a pressure of 30.50 inches."

Question 4: "The greatest potential for loss of life related to a hurricane
is from the storm surge" according to Brian Jarvinen of the National
Hurricane Center. Storm surge, which is water pushed toward the shore by
hurricane force winds, has historically claimed nine out of ten victims.
(Source: National Hurricane Center, http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW/index.htm)

Question 5: Best answer: F. None of the above.  Second best answer: E. All
of the above.  Lightning, hail, high wind, and flash flooding are all plenty
dangerous, but the most severe threat to storm chasers, according to Tim
Vasquez of Storm Track magazine, is hydroplaning in your vehicle. In fact,
hydroplaning caused the only documented storm chaser death. (Source: Storm
Track magazine's Storm Chasing FAQ, at http://stormtrack.org/chasfaq.htm.)

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