Thursday was a cloudy day, mild at the very start but cooling off quickly overnight with occasional light showers (0.06″) and light drizzle and fog at times. The Thursday maximum temperature from the VP2 (67.2°) was recorded very early at 0000 while the minimum temperature (41.6°) was recorded very late at 2358. The AM Min was 50.8° at 1110 and the PM Max was 52.6° at 1325. Dew point temperatures ranged from a high of 61° at 0000 down to a low of 35° at 0801. Relative humidity values were high most of the day (94% – 51%). Barometric values rose significantly today compared with yesterday, ranging from a low of 30.39″ at 0000 up to a high of 30.63″ at 2230. 

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. I contribute daily to cocorahs as Rockville 2.8 WNW, Station ID MD-MG-115. Please remember that Weather Underground does not report snow data, and reflects what is recorded automatically through the tipping bucket VP2 gauge.

We had a small gas leak in my apartment building so while the system is being repaired, no heat or hot water. I made it into the shower, then gave up when the water never warmed up past lukewarm at best.  I managed to make a quick GLOBE observation just prior to leaving for trivia, well past the usual solar noon time. Today’s feature image was taken for this observation around 1515. We mostly report on the nature and quality of the cloud types at observation, and try to take pictures up at the sky to coincide with Satellite flyovers – a “ground truth” for the Satellites. When no satellite flyovers, a time of solar noon (around 20 mins after our actual noon) is preferred. Fascinating, much more to it that will be brought out in the coming months. I got a lot of DC-AMS Chapter Science Fair work done, mostly data-base updates but also another update email out to all the DC-AMS members under the chapter email address I can use now for that purpose. Time is getting short for the fairs of early March, and I only have a few volunteers lined up so far. I only hope that this “Update 2” message I sent out will prompt some volunteer judge signups. I also got some more work done fine-tuning and embellishing my January 2018 master spreadsheet data file which will result in a NJWO published monthly summary. 

We have remained much cooler, cloudy and damp all day Thursday and in the overnight into Friday morning, with the dew point temperature dropping off significantly as well. On Friday conditions should be cloudy with a 100 POP for mostly AM rain, highs remaining in the mid-upper 40s all day. On Saturday we should have more clouds and rain showers (60 POP), with highs in the mid-upper 50s and lows in the upper 40s. Sunday looks to be cloudy and wet once again, with a 90 POP for rain, with high temps in the mid-upper 60s and lows in the mid 40s. The beginning of the last week of February looks to feature increased amounts of sun and seasonably mild temps in the mid 50s to lower 60s, lows of 35° to 40°.

On the Channel 4 weather website at 0826 radar is showing showers passing through my area right now (so far 0.09″ in the tipping bucket since midnight) then a break with no showers to the west till you get to parts of OH and KY which shouldn’t be here till perhaps this evening or tomorrow.

As of 0826, 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 WXBug station are as follows:

Cloudy, cool , and damp

Station Relative Location Temp RH DP    BP     Wind  High/Low temp Thursday
VP2             Ground        39.1  95  38 30.61S    NA     67.2/41.6

The total rainfall in the cocorahs gauge was 0.06″ through midnight Thursday. The VP2 tipping bucket rain gauge under my balcony recorded 0.09″ through midnight Thursday. An additional 0.09″ has fallen through the gauge since midnight.

Thursday’s precipitation 0.06″
February precipitation is 4.00″
February snowfall 2.0″
Snow on ground 0 (reported to the nearest half-inch)
The seasonal snowfall total is 7.5″.
Year-to-date precipitation total is 5.83″

WX Bug Lakewood 4500 ft, 38 100 37 30.58″S ESE 4 G ESE 10
                            140° from station                           67/40

The Lakewood rain gauge recorded 0.09″ of precipitation on Thursday. Since midnight it has reported an additional 0.07″ of rain. It is now reporting 4.51″ for a monthly (February) total and 2018 year-to-date (YTD) amount of 6.75″.

At 2400 obs Wednesday night the temperature from the VP2 was 41.6 RH 89% BP 30.61″S DP 38.6. Cloudy, cool, drizzly, with some light fog.

Good morning from the cloudy, cool, damp/wet Walrus early this Friday.