Weather

Who Monitors Weather?  Aviation  Transportation  Construction  Public Safety  Landscape industry  Energy producers  Marine Operations

Monitoring Weather Second Hand radio, television, newspaper, US National Weather Service (NWS) Benefits: –Little or no expense –Someone else is responsible for quality assurance and data management –Problem – you have to live with their locations and breakdowns Where do these forecasts come from? Weather Balloons (2x per day around the world) Thousands of monitoring stations at ground level Reports from ships and airplanes Images from satellites

Map of weather stations currently operating in the state of Florida. Automated stations from the Florida Automated Weather Network (FAWN) are not included.FAWN FAWN site

Weather Stations: Collecting the data yourself  Be consistent – do observations at the same time every day  Be aware of parallax – apparent shift of an object against a background with the movement of the observer  Need regular quality control and maintenance

Weather for Safe Boating  Obtain latest available weather forecasts for the boating area before leaving  Keep an eye out for approaching weather while on the water– know the telltale signs!  Check radio weather frequently  Know what to do if you are caught in a squall or thunderstorm

Weather Warning Display Signals Small Craft Advisory: Winds in the range of 21 to 33 knots (24 to 38 mph) create conditions considered dangerous to small vessels Gale Warning: Winds are in the range of 34 to 47 knots (39 to 54 mph) Storm Warning: Winds are 48 knots (55 mph) and above. If winds are associated with a tropical cyclone, this warning forecasts winds of 48 to 63 knots Hurricane Warning: Winds are 64 knots (74 mph) and above; this warning is displayed only in connection with a hurricane.