Brookville #107 - Hot and dry month overall.

    Centerville 1W #82 (Montgomery County) Robert Flory - I had a nearby lightning strike on 7/27 which took out my temperature and wind sensors as well as the computer that records all my readings.  I've just now been able to get access to the hard drive that had all of my data. From July 27th on, I will be collecting the data manually until I get another computer up and running.

    Cincinnati 5NW #13 (Hamilton County) Ronald E. Rothhaas Jr. - In May I had the highest rainfall total in the OWON so now I'm trying for the lowest!  What a month!  9 days between 90 and 92 and less than 25% of normal rainfall.  Peak 24 hour total of 0.32 meant no meaningful rainfall at all.  While my location had 2 inches in the last week of June parts of the area such as SE Hamilton County and Mason (Warren County) have not had a meaningful rain since the second week of June (8 weeks).  In those areas shrubs are shriveling up and even some moderate size trees are turning brown.  Grass is like straw in those areas but still has a little green here.  Crops?  Some areas are bad.

    Cleves 3NW #55 (Hamilton County) James F Davis - July was the second warmest since station start up.  I had 22 days that hit 90 degrees the over all month was 2.5 degrees above normal, also it was the second driest July with 0.78 inches.  Also my average min. humidity for the month was 40.3% this is a all time low also.

    Lagrange 2SW #87 (Lorain County) James Shedron - July temperatures were some 3.5 degrees above norms and precip was 1.75" below norms.  Since June 1st here in Lagrange precip has been 3.5" below norms.

    Newcomerstown 1S #106 (Tuscarawas County) Don Keating - I had a high heat index of 107 on the 1'st. I observed 1/2" hail at 2:08 p.m. on the 19'th and I measured 0.63" of rain in 10 minutes on the 23'rd. Max. pressure was 30.26 on the 7'th and min. pressure was 29.85 on the 29'th. Average high gust was 16.9 mph. There were 14 days with highs of 90 or higher. Six days with thunder; two with fog and one with hail.

    North Ridgeville 1N #32 (Lorain County) Dave Heideloff - High barometric pressure = 30.27" (6th, 7th)  Low barometric pressure  = 29.80" (29th)

    Ottawa 4E #15 (Putnam County) Phil & Bonnie Higley - A very HOT & Dry Month!  Had only 8 day's that we had thunder.  Had 16 day's that we had 90F or greater for daytime Hi's.

    Ravenna 1E #101 (Portage County) Rich Rabatin - July was a hot month here in Ravenna.  On the 1st, the temp. got to 98 degrees with a heat index of 103.5 degrees, and a heat index of 103.99 degrees on the 22nd.   On the 28th, we were under a TORNADO WATCH and also had a SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING, that produced nothing at this station, but only 2 miles away to my South, there was moderate damage done with trees, limbs and wires down, with a shed and vehicle destroyed.  That only shows how amazing weather is.  Sunny in one area, and 2 miles away, moderate damage being done.

    Toledo 5E (Lucas County) Mike Bielski - The number of 90+ days during July was 13..this makes a season total of 20 thru 7/31/02.a strong thunderstorm line was moving thru monroe co.michigan just to my north... however the line began taking a sharp drop to the south and moved into extreme eastern lucas co..intense lightning and winds gusting to 39 mph and very heavy rainfall of 1.07 in. in 45 minutes...

    Wooster 7N #16 (Wayne County) Jack Sisler - This was the warmest July since 1999 and the second warmest since 1993 with a monthly mean temperature of 74.2 which is almost four degrees above normal. I also had eleven 90+ degree days in July with fourteen so far for the year. In the precipitation department, this was the fourth driest July on record with precipitation being almost three inches below normal for the month and over 2.5" below normal for the year. Had it not been for the rainfall that fell on the 30th, this July would have been the driest on record. Twenty-one out of the 31 days had no precipitation.

    Zanesville 6N (Muskingum County) Tom Ruggles - Hot/Dry/Dull. 

A = Airport

MONTHLY REPORT compiled by Jack Sisler

Date: Tue Jul 2, 2002 5:47 pm
Subject: Ravenna 1E High Temp.

Group,
At 247pm today 7-2-02 I recorded a high temp. of 99.8 degrees with
a heat index of 101.67.  At the present time, it's 95, Rh 32%, D.P.60.5 degrees with a NNW wind @ 11.7 mph.

Rich Rabatin
Ravenna 1E
Portage County

Date: Wed Jul 3, 2002 2:57 pm
Subject: Re: Ravenna 1E High Temp.


Streetsboro 2N 2:50pm 07/03/02

Yesterday I recorded a high of 94.3 degrees F. Including today (7/03), I have had 4 90 plus degree afternoon highs in a row. Worthy of note, I noticed my highs have been a little lower than that of Cleveland and some of the surrounding stations (Rich had almost 100 yesterday and he is not to far from me). The vegetation from Tinker's Creek Marsh moderating my afternoon highs? I live right next to the marsh. On NASA's homepage http://www.nasa.gov yesterday there was an article saying that vegetation helps to cool summer daytime highs. An argument for becoming a tree hugger! (lol).

Vance Lunn
Streetsboro 2N
OWON #98

Date: Wed Jul 3, 2002 3:32 pm
Subject: Re: Ravenna 1E High Temp.

Vance and Group,

The highest temp I've had so far has been a 92. Today will make the 6th 90+ max so far for the year, which is already half of all the 90+ temps I had last year. Ones location, exposure and ventilation on your temperature sensors can make all the difference in the world when it comes to having a wide range of temperatures in one particular area.

Wasn't too long ago the grass had a nice lush green to it. Now it's looking like that "summertime brown". Have only had .08" of rain the past 11 days.
Jack Wooster 7N

Date: Wed Jul 3, 2002 8:16 pm
Subject: Re: [OhioWx] High Temperatures

Hello Everyone;
The daily highs here at my station in Newcomerstown for the past few days are as
follows.....
? June 30 ...... 88
? July 1 ......... 91
? July 2 ......... 93 *
? July 3 ......... 92
The * denotes a new record high. Anyone who has been to my weather site and looked at the My Instruments link knows how my radiation shield is set up. It's five feet off the ground, over the grass, at least 50 feet from the road and about 15 feet from the side of the house, which is white. The wood 6x6" post it's mounted on is painted white. The problem I have is not being able to afford the high cost of an additional 50' extension cable from Davis Instruments to place the post further away from the house. I think Davis gives you relatively 'short' cable knowing you'll likely need to reorder additional cable. :-)  At any rate, I'm more comfortable with my readings now compared to a few years ago.  Then I didn't have the radiation shield.
Sincerely,
Don Keating
Newcomerstown 1S

Date: Wed Jul 3, 2002 9:18 pm
Subject: Re: [OhioWx] Re: Ravenna 1E High Temp.

Vance, Rich, Jack and List:

Like Jack the highest temperature I've seen so far this season has been 92 degrees. That was reached on June 25th, July 2nd, and July 3rd. I've had 5 days thus far this season when the temperature has reached or exceeded 90 degrees.

A word of caution concerning temperature sensor location. You really need to use a radiation shield or a LARGE louvered instrument shelter to get accurate temperature readings. Case in point is at my house.  I live on an open lot with not much shade. I have a Taylor Max/Min mounted on a board outside my garage door. The last two days it has registered maximum temperatures of 100 degrees and 99 degrees respectively. Keep in mind that this location is in the shade all day. What's happening is that my house is absorbing infrared radiation and reradiating it onto the thermometer during the day causing my readings on this thermometer to be bias on the high side. On the other hand, the temperature/humidity sensor on my Davis Weather Monitor II is in a radiation shield. The temperature readings reported in the previous paragraph are taken from my Davis and are significantly lower than that reported on my Taylor thermometer. Its not that my Taylor Max/Min is faulty or bogus it just isn't exposed where it is representative of the true air temperature.

 Matt Higgins Lodi 2S

Date: Thu Jul 4, 2002 7:14 pm
Subject: High Temperature

High temperature today reached 95 degrees. Thunder began at 6:10 P.M. and lasted for about one-half hour. However, no rain ... not even a drop. Last rainfall was on June 28.

Larry Huff
Munroe Falls 1SW
Summit County

 Date: Fri Jul 5, 2002 10:54 am
Subject: HOT TOLEDO!!!!!

Here are the stats. on Toledo’s 2 six day
heats waves....toledo has been the hot spot in the 5 state area....
==================================
date high low
====== ===== ====
6/10/02 91 61
6/11/02 91 71

6/20/02 95 60
6/21/02 90 66
6/22/02 93 64
6/23/02 94 73
6/24/02 94 69
6/25/02 94 67

6/29/02 91 59
6/30/02 92 65
7/01/02 96 75
7/02/02 96 68
7/03/02 97 72
7/04/02 96 72

10 days over 90 in June and the first
4 days in July.......
these readings are from the toledo express airport........

mike bielski
toledo 5 ne
lucas co.

Date: Mon Jul 8, 2002 6:21 pm
Subject: #7

Today’s high of 90 at 3:09 p.m. was the seventh time this year of 90+ highs. June
had 2 days while July has had five.
Don Keating #106
Newcomerstown 1S

Date: Mon Jul 8, 2002 8:38 pm
Subject: Rain (Or Lack Thereof)

Lack of rainfall would appear to be the main topic at the moment.  I've only had .08" in the last 17 days and all that occurred in one day.

Jack Sisler
Wooster 7N

Date: Tue Jul 9, 2002 12:30 pm
Subject: rainfall

finally so much needed rainfall in the parts of the toledo area this morning....moderate to heavy rains fell this morning.  I recorded .47 thru 930 am....

mike bielski
toledo 5 ne
lucas co.
point place

Date: Wed Jul 10, 2002 2:24 am
Subject: rainfall

Streetsboro 2N 07/10/02 2:22am

This station received 1.09 inches of rainfall today (07/09/02). All but a trace fell in a couple of hours in the early afternoon.

Currently: T=68.4F wind @ 4mph WNW

Vance Lunn
Streetsboro 2N
OWON #98


Date: Wed Jul 10, 2002 6:21 am
Subject: June CORN Report

I have just posted Bob Davis' June report for the Central Ohio
Raingage Network at  <http://members.tripod.com/~OhioWx/2002corn.html>

Larry Huff

Date: Thu Jul 11, 2002 6:35 pm
Subject: Dry, Dry, Dry


I've only had .13" the past three weeks. Rainfall is 1.2" below
normal so far for the month
Jack Sisler
Wooster 7N
Wayne County

Date: Thu Jul 11, 2002 7:18 pm
Subject: Re: [OhioWx] Dry, Dry, Dry

Hi Jack & List;
July 1'st ....... .09
July 9'th ....... .11
July 10'th ..... .08
Total for July ...... 0.28"
Don Keating #106
Newcomerstown 1S

Date: Thu Jul 11, 2002 8:20 pm
Subject: Re: [OhioWx] Dry, Dry, Dry

Hi Don &List;
You lucky here in Ottawa. Our rainfall is like this July 4 .02 then on July 9
TR.  That is all the rainfall we received for the month of July.
Ottawa -4 E

Date: Fri Jul 12, 2002 9:12 am
Subject: Record Low

At 5:43 a.m. Newcomerstown reached a low temperature of 48 degrees. This broke
the previous record low of 51 established just last year in 2001.
Don Keating #106
Newcomerstown 1S

Date: Mon Jul 15, 2002 12:46 am
Subject: June weather summary

 comment
June was quite wet up to the 18th with three days seeing one inch or more per day. The 19th-30th was dry with some light rain only during the period of the 26th-28th. Five days saw 90 plus temperatures, but many mornings and a few afternoons were cool with the afternoon high temperature of the 6th reaching only 59 F. Other weather: 4 days with thunder, and 6 days with fog.

Vance Lunn
Streetsboro 2N
OWON #98

Date: Tue Jul 16, 2002 6:58 pm
Subject: How Dry Is It


I've only had .13" of rainfall so far this month with 14 out of the last 16 without any rainfall. This makes the rainfall for the month 2 inches below normal and close to 2 inches below normal for the year.

Could have used some of that rain we had back in May when precipitation was 1.5" above normal by the end of May.

Jack Sisler
Wooster 7N

Date: Thu Jul 18, 2002 11:56 am
Subject: Re: [OhioWx] Dry Conditions

Hello Jack & List; I'm close to breaking a record for the least amount of rain for ANY month! The least amount of liquid I've ever recorded in a month is 0.67" in August of 1991. To this point in July I've recorded 0.28". Three days have had rainfall. Today is the 18'th. I just checked radar and satellite and it looks to me that the cold front is still in central Michigan, correct? I haven't checked the surface map.  I doubt I'll record less than 0.67" of rain this month. That's a tough record to beat.
Don Keating #106
Newcomerstown 1S

Date: Fri Jul 19, 2002 3:45 pm
Subject: Beneficial Rains and Hail

Hello List;
Funny how things work, huh? I mentioned on this list less than 24 hours ago our record low rainfall for any given month was 0.67" and I also noted that I thought it'd be a difficult record to break. Indeed, it will not be broken this month. Since 6 p.m. last night (July 18) I have recorded 0.87" of rainfall. With a line of storms that passed through here at early afternoon I observed 1/2" hail. Lots of cloud to ground lightning as well. Knocked the power out for about 30 seconds down here.  So, now the rainfall total as of 3:43 p.m. for July has been 1.15". More on the horizon. Wish we could share this with places like Toledo in desperate need of it.
Don Keating #106
Newcomerstown 1S

Date: Sun Jul 21, 2002 4:56 pm
Subject: Strong Thunderstorm


toledo, Ohio...
point place area, ne lucas co, 3:00 pm
==================================
Thunderstorms that were moving southeast thru northern Monroe co. mich.
began dropping due south and moved into the north and ne corner of lucas co....winds 40-45 mph, very heavy rains, street flooding and intense cloud to ground lightning.......I received 1.07 inches of rains from 3:00 to 3:45 pm....the temperature reached 93 degrees at 2:38 pm and fell to 73 degrees at 3:30 pm.....

mike bielski
toledo 5 ne
lucas co.
point place

Date: Mon Jul 22, 2002 12:44 pm
Subject: Ohio Weather Observer Network (OWON) Invitation to CWOP


Hi everyone,

The note below was sent to me this past weekend. For those of you
interested in participating, it looks like a worthwhile project!

Scott Sheridan
Kent State University

---------------
Re: Ohio Weather Observer Network (OWON) Invitation to CWOP
Greetings,

I'm working with the NOAA Forecast System Lab in Boulder, CO, to gather weather mesonet observations in an ad hoc national data base called the Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP) to see if these uncalibrated data can be used with the calibrated NWS observations (ASOS) to improve analysis and short term forecasts.

For individuals who want to help contribute to a national near real-time mesonet, the Citizen Weather Observer Program is a way to participate. CWOP people fall into two groups: 1) Ham Radio enthusiasts who use packet radio, Automatic Position Reporting System as a WX NETwork (APRSWXNET), to send their data to the central server, and 2) Internet broadband users who use TCP/IP to send their data to the central server. The common values we have is an interest in weather watching, especially in very high temporal resolution and the sharing of these data.

Should the OWON membership wish to extend their weather observation contributions from a monthly to a daily forum, CWOP may be of interest to them. Once a new participant registers and receives a user ID, they can start sending their data to CWOP. User benefits of this program include graphing and data basing of their information, java plots of CWOP with other mesonet data including ASOS, and representative checking and feedback to CWOP members. Here are some links that offer additional information about this group:

If your OWON members are interested, here's a CWOP FAQ Web Page:
http://dhelms.mystarband.net/cwop.html

Regards,
Dave Helms
CW0351
http://dhelms.mystarband.net/wx.html

Date: Mon Jul 22, 2002 3:40 pm
Subject: Storm - Medina County


3:00 p.m. 07/22/02
Rainfall: 3.59"

We had heavy rainfall at a rate of approximately 0.10" per minute and had a
total of 3.59" rain between 1:20 and 2:05 p.m. this afternoon. We also had
some heavy lightening and local flooding. Highest wind gust was at 1:36
p.m. at 24 mph.

Amber Dalakas
Brunswick 2NE
Medina County


Date: Tue Jul 23, 2002 6:22 pm
Subject: 24 Hour Rainfall

I received rainfall this morning but not enough of it. I received .40" the past 24 hours which all occurred between 8 and 10am this morning with none last night. This puts the total for the month up to .85"; still a little over 2 inches below normal for the month. As of the moment, this July is still the driest July on record.(1.03"
for July 1993 is the record)

Jack Sisler
Wooster 7N

Date: Tue Jul 23, 2002 6:36 pm
Subject: Re: [OhioWx] 24 Hour Rainfall

Hi Jack & List;
I had no rainfall this morning, but had 0.63" in just 10 minutes this afternoon
between 1:35 and 1:45 p.m. I know the NWS asks for reports of 3/4 of an inch or more in an hour, but I thought it necessary to call because it covered all of our street with a good deal of water.  When I called I got the impression the guy thought it was not necessary. He said something like, "wow, that's a lot of rain Don" and pretty much left it at that. I'll reconsider my telephone calls next time. I even called direct this time instead of using the 800 number.  Things that make ya go hmmmm.
Don Keating #106
Newcomerstown 1S

Date: Tue Jul 23, 2002 6:43 pm
Subject: Centerville 1W - 24 Hour Rainfall Total

24 hour rainfall ending at 6 PM for Centerville 1W, Southeast Montgomery
County.....2.26 inches

Robert Flory - KA5RUC
Centerville 1W
Montgomery County
OWON #82
ILN Skywarn OMT405

Date: Wed Jul 24, 2002 7:52 am
Subject: Weather Station

Hi:

In that storm on Monday we took a lightning strike and I'm afraid it got my David Weather Station, among several other things. I will be sending it in for service, so will not be reporting.

I don't know what our 24 hours was for that period, with the original 3.59, plus minimal rain during the night and a fairly heavy amount yesterday morning, I would guess we topped 4" here. I did hear some parts of Brunswick got close to 5" though.

Hopefully things will be quiet until I can get back up and running.

Amber Dalakas
Brunswick 2NE
Medina County

Date: Wed Jul 24, 2002 9:45 am
Subject: Rainfall &Temperatures at Lodi 2S

List,

Rainfall at Lodi 2S yesterday (July 23rd) was 0.15 inch. The total rainfall so far this July has been 0.35 inch. Also, I've had 8 days so far this July with maximum temperatures of 90 degrees or higher.

Matt Higgins
Lodi 2S
Medina County
 
Date: Thu Jul 25, 2002 8:55 am
Subject: Home Weather Stations

Hi List,

The experience Amber just had with a lightning strike damaging her Davis weather station has made me think about the reliability & durability of these "electronic" weather stations on the market. I know over the past 10 years, the market for electronic home weather stations has really taken off. They are now affordable & give you all the "bells & whistles" up front in the convenience & comfort of your own home. I own a Davis Weather Monitor II & have had my unit for over 3 years now. I have no complaints about its accuracy and dependability. But in addition to the Davis I also have an aneroid barometer, a Taylor max/min thermometer, NWS standard mercury thermometer, NWS sling psychrometer, plastic rain gauge, and windvane as part of my weather station. Just recently, I've finally had the time to fix up and paint my instrument shelter & have just moved my Taylor max/min and NWS standard thermometer into it. Much of the equipment I described above I've had for many years (the aneroid barometer is about 25 years old & still works like new).

The truth is that the "old fashioned" self registering "non electronic" equipment is probably the most durable, reliable equipment in my weather station. For record keeping purposes, they are probably the best choice to use for accurate, long-term use. What happened to Amber can happen to anyone who owns an electronic station. If you are a serious weather observer it would be a real pain & disappointment to have your weather station bit the dust with a momentary bolt of lightning or a power surge. How reliable & durable are these weather stations?

Makes me think...maybe I should start using my old thermometers, barometer, and rain gauge again for my daily records..

What is your opinion?

Matt Higgins

Date: Thu Jul 25, 2002 9:05 am
Subject: Re: [OhioWx] 24 Hour Rainfall

Don (and List),

It’s been bone-dry up here. We had generous rains up until mid-June then the atmospheric spickets turned off. Only 0.35 inch so far in July. Even with this paultry total it’s not going to be the driest month I've ever observed. Back in the mid-1980's I was living in Norwalk (Huron county) & in February 1987 I recorded a monthly precipitation total (rain & melted snow) of 0.26 inch. This stands as the driest month I've ever observed. We have less than a week left in July & the forecasts are calling for slight chances of showers/thunderstorms beginning Friday & carrying into early next week. We will see..at least it's an opportunity for rain. We could use your 1.90 inches of rain up here!!

So much for the grass seed I've put down this past
spring!

Matt

Date: Thu Jul 25, 2002 8:51 am
Subject: NWS Calls

List:

Amen to Matt and apologies to all those who have ever called the NWS and got
a
"not interested" attitude. We often get so overwhelmed with weather during a big event that we might give off the attitude that we do not care but in reality we care very much. We may be trying to do 5 things at once and our minds our often not fully on your phone call. We do get some trivial calls (such as the clouds are really dark here) and that may put us in a bad mood. Also, there are a few people here that do not have the best phone etiquette  Or one could just be having a bad day. Keep those significant reports coming in! 0.63 inches of rain is significant, especially if you observe flooding with it.

Jim Kosarik, NWS CLE

Date: Thu Jul 25, 2002 2:59 pm
Subject: Re: Home Weather Stations

Matt and group,

I think it a good idea to always have some sort of backup when using electronic and computer anything, including weather stations. I've got gaps in my weather record that were caused when my data simply didn't transfer to the right file path or when my computer needed repair and I screwed up when dealing with the backup files. Point is, much can go wrong even if the station itself works properly (my Davis always has). I wish now that I had some manual records to fill in those few short gaps.

One issue with manual equipment is that you can't fit a max-min thermometer inter the little sensor shelter. You've got to procure a Stevenson screen shelter (I believe that's what they're called), and those are hard to find, must be mail-ordered (high shipping costs), and expensive as far as I know. Does anyone have any tips or leads on getting one of these?

Vance

Date: Thu Jul 25, 2002 3:32 pm
Subject: Thermometer Shelters

Hi Vance (and List),

There are small type network instrument shelters available for about $150 to $200. Check out the following links for an idea of what I'm talking about:

http://www.robertwhite.com/cgi-local/shop.pl?type=item&item=SMALLINSTRUMENT&cate\g=rw_professional_instruments&cart_id=dea77f1c0142620024a18c87c5e49792&na_bar=w\eather

The shelter I have & use is as follows:

http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/View_Catalog_Page.asp?ID=6495

These shelters work well for housing U-shaped max/min thermometers, regular thermometers, and electronic temperature & humidity sensors. They will NOT house an NWS-type max/min thermometer with Townsend support, thermograph, or hygrothermograph. You will need a larger (and much more expensive) shelter for these.

Hope this helps!

Matt Higgins

Date: Tue Jul 30, 2002 8:52 am
Subject: Storm

All:

Good storm in beautiful Parma, wind gusts estimated at 55 mph with a large branch and a tree down in the neighborhood and frequent bolts - some very close to the house! Only 0.27 inches of rain though but 1.15 inches Sunday evening.

Jim Kosarik, NWS CLE


 

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