E PA/NJ/DE Summer 2022 OBS Thread

[CoolHandMike]

1 hour ago, ChescoWx said:

Hi Mike, the locations I mentioned with relative long consecutive data points are Glenmoore, KMQS and Coatesville/East Nantmeal. It looks like inland toward Pittsburgh also experienced near normal summer readings (see below) The key is to get away from the UHI issues at KPHL and other airports along the NE coastal plain. I know the NWS is looking into the PHL sensor problems. Does your 42 days of 90+ make you question how you could have 42 days....while KPHL at sea level has 46 days yet KPTW has only 10 days and KMQS only 9 days? What is your elevation again? Is your sensor sited in the sun? does it have a solar shield and or a fan aspirated system if it is in the sun? If not it should be located on the north - shady side of your house and away from direct sunlight. There is a site in Reading at 1000ft that has recorded not a single 90 degree reading all year. I am guessing you must be below 200 feet to even approach the KPHL heat island numbers?

This is my setup:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085T83Q7F/?coliid=I1UF5VN4PGI38P&colid=2A1ZCW2FEO3RX&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

It sits on a pole on top of my shed. It is not a NIST-certified ASOS, but again, and I feel like I'm becoming a broken record, my readings are consistently inline with other regional obs. I'm at ~370 ASL on a relatively low topographic slope between all the little foothills here in Reading. It's a fully developed bedroom community, so perhaps there's a little bit of UHI going on, but, well, I live here, and so what it says the temp is at any given moment, that's what I feel when I go outside. About the only thing it doesn't really pick up on too great are winds since the houses here are packed in pretty tight.

Of course a station at 1000' is going to record less >90°F days than me. I bet they're probably consistently 2-3° less than what I see. What's important is what they see year-over-year; you didn't mention if they were trending warmer, cooler, or the same as in years past. That would be meaningful data.

Glenmoore, KMQS and Coatesville/East Nantmeal seem like an awfully small subset of available data points to perform any meaningful statistical analysis for the whole of ChesCo, much less for the region of SE PA and NJ represented here in our forum. I also don't see how Pittsburg is geographically relevant. Good for them, though.

Debate is welcome, but I'm tired of having to constantly defend my observations because they don't jive with yours, in a completely different geographic setting. Of course they're different. Stop acting so surprised all the time.

 

 

 

[RedSky]

6 hours ago, ChescoWx said:

Hi Redsky, if we just stick to the climate facts it looks like it might be you too?? (see below for Quakertown)  In addition to the other 2 COOP/ASOS  NWS observation sites available for Western Chester County - they both align well between all 3 summer observations as you can see - this is why it is reliable. Please share your daily observation files from June 1 through August 31 and I will do some analysis. Just a quick FYI for you - I just ran the climate data for Quakertown for the same time period...what do you know the summer ended with an average temperature of 73.7 that compares almost exactly to both the Glenmoore obs also at 73.7 / KMQS at 73.4 and East Nantmeal at 72.1 - where is that heat island in Upper Bucks you speak of?? Just the facts

Paul

Damn that NOAA with their hot conspiracy just look at August lol

 

 

 

 

[ChescoWx]

12 hours ago, CoolHandMike said:

This is my setup:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085T83Q7F/?coliid=I1UF5VN4PGI38P&colid=2A1ZCW2FEO3RX&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

It sits on a pole on top of my shed. It is not a NIST-certified ASOS, but again, and I feel like I'm becoming a broken record, my readings are consistently inline with other regional obs. I'm at ~370 ASL on a relatively low topographic slope between all the little foothills here in Reading. It's a fully developed bedroom community, so perhaps there's a little bit of UHI going on, but, well, I live here, and so what it says the temp is at any given moment, that's what I feel when I go outside. About the only thing it doesn't really pick up on too great are winds since the houses here are packed in pretty tight.

Of course a station at 1000' is going to record less >90°F days than me. I bet they're probably consistently 2-3° less than what I see. What's important is what they see year-over-year; you didn't mention if they were trending warmer, cooler, or the same as in years past. That would be meaningful data.

Glenmoore, KMQS and Coatesville/East Nantmeal seem like an awfully small subset of available data points to perform any meaningful statistical analysis for the whole of ChesCo, much less for the region of SE PA and NJ represented here in our forum. I also don't see how Pittsburg is geographically relevant. Good for them, though.

Debate is welcome, but I'm tired of having to constantly defend my observations because they don't jive with yours, in a completely different geographic setting. Of course they're different. Stop acting so surprised all the time.

 

 

 

Sorry CoolHand! I really do appreciate your obs and all here!! - you seem to have an excellent grip on your siting and no doubt your obs are top notch!! keep those obs coming - thanks!!. I bet with your siting while I will run cooler during the day you will likely have colder nights with your valley type location. I have the same issue with winds as I am a bit down surrounded by some higher hills all around me. Thanks again and take care!
Paul

[ChescoWx]

7 hours ago, RedSky said:

Damn that NOAA with their hot conspiracy just look at August lol

 

 

 

 

What I posted for August is pretty well aligned to that it was a hot one!....now summer....not so much that was the point of the post - plus don't forget the major climate sites (many UHI airports) help drive those NOAA stats

[RedSky]

1 hour ago, ChescoWx said:

What I posted for August is pretty well aligned to that it was a hot one!....now summer....not so much that was the point of the post - plus don't forget the major climate sites (many UHI airports) help drive those NOAA stats

July map was nearly as hot- hot summer

[ChescoWx]

1 minute ago, RedSky said:

July map was nearly as hot- hot summer

Except not in the philly burbs of Quakertown, Glenmoore , Pottstown and Coatesville - where in the burbs are any NWS Coop obs that show it was anything more than a very normal average temp summer??

[RedSky]

2 minutes ago, ChescoWx said:

Except not in the philly burbs of Quakertown, Glenmoore , Pottstown and Coatesville - where in the burbs are any NWS Coop obs that show it was anything more than a very normal average temp summer??

Lots of 90's in July and August, in the north hills that are cooler than the lower elevation airport. Pools have been 84-86F since mid July- absolutely impossible if it was normal highs.

[Birds~69]

6 hours ago, RedSky said:

July map was nearly as hot- hot summer

2nd hottest in Philly...

https://www.fox29.com/news/july-2022-was-second-warmest-on-record-in-philadelphia-nws

[RedSky]

2 minutes ago, Birds~69 said:

2nd hottest in Philly...

https://www.fox29.com/news/july-2022-was-second-warmest-on-record-in-philadelphia-nws

Just 30 miles north and I was building snowmen how could it be

[Birds~69]

6 hours ago, RedSky said:

Lots of 90's in July and August, in the north hills that are cooler than the lower elevation airport. Pools have been 84-86F since mid July- absolutely impossible if it was normal highs.

Ocean 84.7F...groundskeeper could boil wieners out there.

[Kevin Reilly]

30 minutes ago, Birds~69 said:

Ocean 84.7F...groundskeeper could boil wiethere.

National Weather Service says hold on the instruments were broken that is why it was 84.7 degrees saw that article last week Philadelphia Inquire. 

[ChescoWx]

1 hour ago, Birds~69 said:

2nd hottest in Philly...

https://www.fox29.com/news/july-2022-was-second-warmest-on-record-in-philadelphia-nws

This may change later as the NWS is aware of the sensor problem at PHL...

[Birds~69]

4 hours ago, Kevin Reilly said:

National Weather Service says hold on the instruments were broken that is why it was 84.7 degrees saw that article last week Philadelphia Inquire. 

Unless you have a different source I didn't see anything confirmed and it's considered preliminary.

The water sensor at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City was taken down by the National Ocean Service Friday for inspection after record an all-time high water temperature of 84.7 degrees.

This is due to a possible faulty sensor.

At this time the 84.7 degree all time record is considered preliminary said Dean Iovino, Lead Meteorologist for The National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey. 

https://pressofatlanticcity.com/weather/preliminary-all-time-water-temperature-record-set-in-atlantic-city-aug-25/article_f9436d7c-24a2-11ed-b577-eb8a3732a453.html

[Birds~69]

6 hours ago, ChescoWx said:

This may change later as the NWS is aware of the sensor problem at PHL...

There is just about 0% of this happening even if there was faulty sensor.

Nothing confirmed from anything I read. (I may have missed it?) I think they want to check for any malfunctions because it set a record. Any normal day they wouldn't give it a second thought. 

All and all, the ocean temps are really warm so if anything tropical is out there it will probably intensify rather quickly.  

 

[Hurricane Agnes]

On 9/1/2022 at 8:42 PM, CoolHandMike said:

This is my setup:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085T83Q7F/?coliid=I1UF5VN4PGI38P&colid=2A1ZCW2FEO3RX&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

It sits on a pole on top of my shed. It is not a NIST-certified ASOS, but again, and I feel like I'm becoming a broken record, my readings are consistently inline with other regional obs. I'm at ~370 ASL on a relatively low topographic slope between all the little foothills here in Reading. It's a fully developed bedroom community, so perhaps there's a little bit of UHI going on, but, well, I live here, and so what it says the temp is at any given moment, that's what I feel when I go outside. About the only thing it doesn't really pick up on too great are winds since the houses here are packed in pretty tight.

Of course a station at 1000' is going to record less >90°F days than me. I bet they're probably consistently 2-3° less than what I see. What's important is what they see year-over-year; you didn't mention if they were trending warmer, cooler, or the same as in years past. That would be meaningful data.

Glenmoore, KMQS and Coatesville/East Nantmeal seem like an awfully small subset of available data points to perform any meaningful statistical analysis for the whole of ChesCo, much less for the region of SE PA and NJ represented here in our forum. I also don't see how Pittsburg is geographically relevant. Good for them, though.

Debate is welcome, but I'm tired of having to constantly defend my observations because they don't jive with yours, in a completely different geographic setting. Of course they're different. Stop acting so surprised all the time.

 

 

 

I had moved to the new thread for obs and hadn't come back here until now because I knew if I did, I would end up "accidentally" continuing my obs in an old thread!

BUT... what you could do with your station, which is what I have done with mine over the years, is actually buy a NIST-traceable thermometer (Amazon sells some) and then calibrate your station's temp sensor to correspond to that.  These should come with a NIST certificate that shows when it was tested/certified and you can double-check it with ice water and boiling water to make sure it's not way off (it shouldn't be but always good to check anyway and absent a NIST thermometer, that is usually how people do a gross calibration).  The less expensive models are usually good for about +/- 1° C or 1.8° F and the more expensive industrial/lab-grade ones will get you into the tenths of a degree resolution (with more certainty than the cheaper models).  If anything, it would give you a little piece of mind. Plus NWS and COOPs report to the nearest "whole number" for temp, so rounding will happen regardless (even with the actual sensor data reporting the tenths).

I have mine up on a mast mounted on a fence post of a NE-facing portion of my little 6ft privacy fence, with the bottom of its temp sensor raised to 7.5 ft off the ground (i stuck it adjacent to and just above my old one that is on its own mast with sensor 6.5ft off the ground and that is in the process of "decommissioning itself" ).  Both PWSes were bubble-leveled and positioned to point to magnetic north.