Wednesday was a cloudy, cooler, wet day with just a little bit of lightning and distant thunder during the first hour of the observation day between 0000-0100. Most of the day we had cool, stratiform rain (0.72″ daily total – max rain rate of 0.71″/hour at 0043) with temperatures reaching no higher than the mid 60s all day. We dropped just below the 60° mark just prior to obs at midnight Wednesday. After midnight very early this morning there was light fog.  Dew points were in the upper 50s to mid 60s. Now at 0715 we have clearing skies with temperatures in the mid-upper 50s with dew points about the same. The Wednesday minimum temperature from the VP2 in the shelter on the ground below my balcony (59.6°) was recorded at 2359 while the maximum temperature (67.5°) was recorded at 0048. Dew point temps lowered today, ranging from 67° down to 59°. Relative humidity values were higher than yesterday (98% – 90%). Barometric values rose a bit from yesterday’s values, ranging from 29.79″ at 0444 up to 29.94″ at 2213.

Remember now you can get the ground-based VP2 data on Weatherlink. You can access the data through http://www.weatherlink.com/user/walrusman444

I rose in the mid-afternoon to prepare for another physical therapy session with Rita in the late afternoon. I spoke with Tracy on her way to work just before the session. After the session I had a microwaved processed biscuit with egg, sausage and cheese with coffee. I did some email and facebook work, and ran some recycling down. Later on I made dinner with leftover chicken thighs and yellow rice, with a bit of added mushroom gravy to help the somewhat dried out chicken. I also had 1/2 of a cucumber, sliced. Later on I had a few triscuits for a snack, which since I am just about out of them, insprired me . I had some prune and spicy low-sodium V8 juices right around dinner time, and plenty of water and vitamins throughout the evening.

We now have clearing skies with temperatures in the mid 60s at 0715 Thursday. Thursday through Sunday should return sunny skies to the forecast with only a few scattered clouds at times, highs in the low 70s and lows in the low 50s on Thursday and Friday and 70° and 50° for highs and lows over the weekend. If Irma does pay us a visit here in central Maryland in some form she should not arrive till around Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Stay tuned for updates.

On Weatherbug at 0716 the radar is showing showers over parts of coastal New England and off the Carolina coast, not related to any tropical activity (yet).

As of 0716 EDT, the data from the VP2 (coming from the ground radiation shield about 4 feet off the ground just under and out from the balcony), the Lakewood WXBug station and the USG VP2 station across the street are as follows :

Station Relative Location Temp RH DP BP Wind High/Low temp today
VP2 Ground 56.5 98 66 29.94R NA 67.5/59.6

There was 0.72″ of rain recorded on Wednesday (cocorahs gauge – now located off the apartment property across the street from my initial two locations just off the inactive putting green – near the Montessori School playground. No sprinklers there at all on this county property). My VP2 rain gauge recorded 0.63″ of rain. Max rain rate was 0.71″/hour @ 0043.

August precipitation was 4.39″ (believe this is in error – I will have to research the numbers in the next few days)

September precipitation through midnight obs tonight is 2.44″.

Year-to-date (YTD) precipitation total is 33.74″

VP2 Across the street (USG) 57.1 97 56 29.97R NA 68.0/68.0

There was no rain recorded once again in the USG gauge on Wednesday which is incorrect. There must be a major blockage of some sort in the gauge. Not sure how that is going to get fixed and when, unfortunately.

WX Bug Lakewood 4500 ft, 56 93.5 54 29.93R WSW 3 G WSW 11
140° from station 69/59

The Lakewood rain gauge reported 0.46″ of rain on Wednesday.

Temp on the VP2 at 2400 was 59.6 RH 97% BP 29.92R DP 58.7.

Good morning from the sunny (clearing), cool, still damp Walrus early on this Thursday morning.