The cooler, drier air finally moved in totally on Thursday, with clear, blue skies and dew points mostly in the 50s all day giving our region a chance to continue the drying out process and a chance to cool off. Afternoon temps did not get out of the 70s, with lows in the low 60s. The Thursday maximum temperature was 77.0° @ 1531, while the Wednesday minimum temperature was 61.3° @ 0617. The dew point temperatures lowered a lot more on Thursday, ranging from a low of 52° @ 1056 up to a high of 61° @ 2022. The barometric pressure rose significantly from Wednesday’s values – the lowest value being 29.94″ @ 0005 up to a high of 30.17″@ 2356. The relative humidity predictably lowered from Wednesday’s readings, ranging from a low of 44% @ 1416 up to a high of 88% at 2343.

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 finished up my July monthly summary and spreadsheet, and sent them on their way for final IT checking, further processing and NJWO publication, including the NJWO blog. I hope to post my July summary here on WT very soon.  I followed closely the Hurricane Lane updates from the Weather Channel, which continued past midnight with live reports from Hawaii from Jim Cantore and Mike Bettes. I discovered the following website covering the 13,000+ foot high volcanic peak, Mauna Kea, the highest point in the state of Hawaii environmental conditions in real-time (or near real-time). Fascinating site with all types of weather and other scientific data:                                              http://hokukea.soest.hawaii.edu/forecast/mko/

Sun will dominate for the foreseeable future, with highs starting out in the lower 80s and lows in the lower 60s on Friday up to the low 90s by early next week on Monday and especially Tuesday, lows also warming into the low 70s. Skies should be sunny on Friday and Tuesday, and partly cloudy on all other days.

At 1339, Channel 4 radar is clear in the 4 state region, with the closest precipitation out in sections of the Midwest in Wisconsin and Illinois but steering currents appear to be steering these rainfall areas in other directions and not towards our immediate region anytime within the next several days.

At 1339, 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:

Party Sunny skies (beautiful fair-weather cumulus dotting the sky), comfortable temps just hitting the 80° mark with dew points in the mid-upper 50s – continuing the drying out process.

Station Relative Location Temp RH   DP     BP     Wind High/Low temp on Thur
VP2             Ground          80.3° 47% 58° 30.26″S NA     77.0°/61.3°

The total precipitation in the cocorahs gauge was 0.00″ through midnight Thursday.
The VP2 tipping bucket recorded 0.00″ on Thursday.

Thursday’s precipitation was 0.00″
August precipitation total 7.53″
Year-to-date precipitation total 37.94″

WX Bug Lakewood 4500 ft, 82° 37% 52° 30.26″S   W 2 G W 9
                              140° from station                  Thu. Hi/Lo 79°/60°

The Lakewood rain gauge recorded 0.00″ of rain on Thursday. The August total precipitation now has an updated total of 4.26″ with the 2018 year-to-date (YTD) amount also updated to 49.43″. I definitely continue to believe that at times the disparities 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 Thursday night the temperature from the VP2 was 63.4° RH 88% BP 30.16″R DP 59.8°
Clear, pleasant with dropping temps and dew points. Note: Friday morning min 58.8° at 0702.

Good afternoon from the sunny, pleasant, dry home of the Walrus on this Friday.