Friday was another sunny, warm, dry day. There were some clouds at times, breezes on occasion, and definitely rising dew points in the afternoon. Temperatures warmed up higher into the mid 80s and with rising dew points into the upper 60s not as comfortable a day as Thursday. The Friday maximum temperature reached 85.9° @ 1450, while the Friday minimum temperature was 60.2° @ 0602. The dew point temperatures rose as the day wore on after a pleasant start, ranging from a low of 55° @ 0000 up to a high of 68° @ 1820. The barometric pressure lowered from Thursday – highest being 30.15″ @ 0003 down to a low of 29.89″ @ 2335. The relative humidity was a bit high early, but lowered significantly by the afternoon but not as much as Thursday, ranging from a high of 90% at 0627 down to a low of 44% at 1449.

Remember now you can get the VP2 data on Weatherlink. You can access the data through http://www.weatherlink.com/user/walrusman444 I am posting daily to weather underground. My ID is KMDROCKV200 and my station is called “Gardens of Traville.” Data is online, normally just about in real-time. The web address for my data on weather underground is: https://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KMDrockv200#history/ I contribute daily to cocorahs as Rockville 2.8 WNW, Station ID MD-MG-115 on https://www.cocorahs.org/ Please remember that Weather Underground precipitation data reflects what is recorded automatically through the tipping bucket VP2 gauge. I actually use the data I post to cocorahs from my 4″ cocorahs gauge I read manually as my “official” precipitation total each day.

I arose early afternoon to get a few phone calls in to my neighbors to prepare for our 1500 rummikub game that we held in the party room of my building B for a change, since most of the building A people weren’t going to play. We just had a modest turnout of 3 of us, but we had a fun time that actually extended to just about 1730. A side benefit of playing in the party room downstairs is that it brought to mind my VP2 station, situated just outside the party room, needed attention.  I just have to put a chair in the doorway to keep the door open so I can get back in after finishing my tasks. I found an almost full bucket of backed up water which I dumped and then cleaned out the clogged opening, mostly of pollen, using my 7 in 1 pen to finish the job on the small hole. When I put it all back together, I noticed after a few steps back that the whole station is not level, angled at probably 15° to 20° that will affect the readings. So that has to be adjusted, probably moving the mulch base around a bit for now, then final action later on when Marty comes over. But at least I should have something for the weekend’s showers and storms, and it will be fun to at least watch the gauge in action and get rainfall rates once again.

I texted with Marty over apartment and weather station issues, and with Ray over his new flip phone and new phone number. I got more of his expertly clear hand drawn weather maps in the mail on Friday and over the phone, the weekend outlook for rain and the movements next week of newly formed tropical storm Alberto.

Friday was a mostly sunny, slightly warmer day with dew points rising most of the day. Starting out on a cool note around 60° in the early AM, temps rose into the mid 80s by mid-afternoon. Lows overnight into Saturday only got down to the warm, muggy low 70s. At the start of the Memorial Day weekend on Saturday we should see partly cloudy skies with highs up in the upper 80s and lows in the upper 60s with a 60 POP for PM thunderstorms. Sunday increases our PM thunderstorm chances to a 90 POP, temps maxing out in the mid 80s, lows in the mid 60s under mostly cloudy skies. Memorial Day Monday should be a bit cooler, cloudy, with highs in the upper 70s and lows in the mid 60s but with only a 10 POP for rain all day. As we return to work on Tuesday, cloudy skies should continue, highs in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 60s, with only a 20 POP for rain.

On the Channel 4 radar at 1015 is showing developing rain showers and thunderstorms far to my SW over SW VA, eastern KY, western NC and points S and W of there at this time. They will be growing during the heat of the day as they move slowly NE towards our area.

As of 1015, the data from the VP2 (coming from the ground radiation shield about 4 feet off the ground just under and out from the balcony) and the Lakewood WX Bug station are as follows:

Sunny, warm, and dry (but with dew points continuing to rise into the low 70s) at the current time.

Station Relative Location Temp   RH   DP     BP       Wind High/Low temp on Friday
VP2             Ground           81.5°  72% 72° 29.89″S   NA     85.9°/60.2°

The total precipitation in the cocorahs gauge was 0.00″ through midnight Friday.

Friday’s precipitation was 0.00″
May precipitation is 5.91″
Year-to-date precipitation total is 17.65″

WX Bug Lakewood 4500 ft, 83° 58% 67° 29.95″S NW 2 G SSW 8
                              140° from station                        89°/57°

The Lakewood rain gauge recorded 0.00″ of precipitation on Friday. May is showing 7.02″ for the month with the 2018 year-to-date (YTD) amount at 21.82″. I still believe at times the great disparity between the Lakewood WX Bug station precipitation amount total for the month and year and my cocorahs gauge based data is that the Lakewood precip values are estimated/adjusted from radar.

At 2400 obs Friday night the temperature from the VP2 was 76.0° RH 75% BP 29.90″S DP 67.5°
Clear and dry at 2400 Friday

Good morning from the sunny, warm and dry home of the walrus on this Saturday.