That's No Moon, It's a Weather Station!

 

To me, the greatest resource and attribute a severe weather spotter can possess is accurate wind speed measuring. Unfortunately in my history of spotting that attribute has been, to be honest, inaccurate. My existing Davis Instruments Vantage Vue weather station, installed in July, 2012, has been a good unit. Wind speed indications, however, have always appeared slightly lower than other readings reported from other weather stations, TV reports, etc. Part of the problem probably is the fact a hill at Bowman Woods Park, laden with mature trees, rises to almost roof height behind our house. This hill, and the trees probably provided protection to our house from damage during the serious derecho event on August 10, 2020. Because of the continuing wind speed discrepancy, I began to peruse other upgrade alternatives. One of the choices was the ultrasonic wind sensor, which uses 4-6 sensors to determine wind direction and speed, and has no moving parts (wind vane, anemometer cups). Some of these products cost in the $1,000-2,000 range, and that was not in my budget. After some research, I found the wireless Tempest Weatherflow weather station. Resembling a large microphone, the compact station uses the ultrasonic wind technology, and includes many other features such as: temperature, dew point, humidity, air pressure, lightning detection, rain amounts, UV strengths and reading histories. The price for the unit is around $350. My objective for purchasing the new station was not to replace the old one, but to supplement it. I would also mount the new station to the old. My new Tempest Weather station arrived in early January, but obviously with the cold and snow on the roof, installation would have to wait for better conditions. Better conditions came on February 20, with high temperatures reaching 58 degrees F in Cedar Rapids. Above, the installation components are laid out on a table on February 18. They are: A. 1.25 inch X 5 foot galvanized steel mast pole. B. Four foot copper lightning ground spike. C. Tempest Weatherflow box. D. Hose clamps. E. Copper wire connecter (lightning ground). F. Wireless Wi-Fi hub. G. Hub AC cord and plug. H. 50 foot insulated copper wire. I. Pole mount adapter. J. Tempest Weatherflow unit. K. U-bolts and hardware.

Tempest Weatherflow weather station, coupled with existing Davis Instruments Vantage Vue station. February 20, 2022.

View of the pairing from the opposite angle, with the Bowman Woods Park hill seen at background left. 

After a brief lull with 2.4 GHz wi-fi connectivity issues with our internet provider, the Tempest Weatherflow station was finally online and operational on February 22. Above is the first smart phone readout. Wind speeds from this station show slightly higher wind speeds than the Vantage Vue.

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Winter's Broad Brush Stroke

A broad swath of brilliantly colored sky appeared in an otherwise cold winter's realm in Cedar Rapids, Iowa during the evening of Monday, February 8, 2022. Above, the western sky is photographed from Bowman Woods Park at 5:34 pm CST, three minutes after official sunset. 

Similar capture at 5:36 pm. With the sun continuing to dip lower below the horizon, and with clouds moving in, the vivid scene diminished to dimming grays in just a few minutes. Air temperature was 37 degrees F. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Pretty Pillar

A sun pillar is shown at 7:40 am CST, Sunday, January 23, 2022. The image looks southeast from the parking lot at Noelridge Christian Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Air temperature was 7 degrees F. Similar to sun dogs, sun pillars are created by the reflection of light from tiny ice crystals that are suspended in the atmosphere or that comprise high-altitude clouds (cirrus). The phenomenon occurs when the sun is near or below the horizon. Sunrise this morning was at 7:28 am. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Steamin' Cold

 

Friday morning, January 21, 2022 in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it was C-O-L-L-L-L-D1! The frigid air temperature was -11 degrees F, and it was visually enhancing the steam emissions from the area's business plants. Above, I am southbound on Interstate 380 at 5:29 am CST. The steam at background left is from Ingredion (formerly Penford). 

Similar capture at 5:30 am.

The moon shines feebly through the mist of drifting steam emissions from the nearby ADM plant in this view looking southwest from 33rd Avenue at 12th Street SW. Time was 5:40 am. iPhone 11 camera.

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Potent Winter Storm Less in Eastern Iowa

Snow began to fall in Cedar Rapids from a powerful winter storm approaching from the northwest just after 9:00 am on Friday, January 14, 2022. Forecasts for Central Iowa were in the 10 inch range, but less in the eastern part of the state. Above, I am northbound on Interstate 380 in downtown Cedar Rapids at 10:07 am. Light snow was falling and beginning to stick to the ground. Air temperature was 32 degrees F.

Similar image.

Radarscope frame capture at 10:08 am. The heaviest areas (yellows and greens) were tracking to the southeast.

10:09 am. Continuing northbound on I-380 near St. Luke's Hospital.

10:10 am. Winter storm notice, northbound on I-380 near the H Avenue NE exit. iPhone 11 camera.

2:40 pm radar screen capture. Storm in central Iowa has intensified, but stays west of Cedar Rapids.

2:57 pm. While snow of medium intensity was falling, I set out on foot for nearby Boyson Park, at the border of Marion, Iowa and Cedar Rapids. Shown above is the old Marion waterworks reservoir located in a field where many of its surrounding trees were ravaged by the August 10, 2020 derecho. Air temperature was 28 degrees F.

3:02 pm. One of a couple of natural springs in the area that fed the old waterworks. The bubbling of the spring can be seen at bottom right. The springs have helped create this small tributary of nearby Dry Run Creek. Note the lush green grass in the spring water that remains in that state way year-round.

 

3:02 pm. Similar capture. This spring is located just a couple of yards from the reservoir.

3:04 pm. Looking southeast down Dry Run Creek, located a short distance from the springs. When the storm ended early the next day, a total of four inches fell here. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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I'll Be Dogged!

Sun dogs (parhelia) appeared in frigid Eastern Iowa skies both in the mornings and evenings from January 5-6, 2022. Above, a sun dog peeks over a line of businesses looking southeast from 33rd Avenue at 12th Street SW in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at 8:05 am CST, Thursday, January 6. Air temperature was -7 degrees F. 

8:52 am. Sun dog spectacle climbs higher above the horizon. Air temperature was -6 degrees F. iPhone 11 camera.

3:35 pm CST, Thursday, January 6. Looking southwest from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids. Air temperature was -1 degree F, with winds out of the northwest at 5-10 mph, making for bone-numbing photography fingers! 

Panoramic version of the same time setting at 3:35 pm. 

3:38 pm. Sun drops lower in the southwestern sky at the park. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Sun dogs flank the Sun within a 22-degree halo and are caused by the refraction or scattering of sunlight through hexagonal ice crystals that are suspended in cold cirrus or cirrostratus clouds high in the atmosphere, or drifting in freezing moist air at low levels as diamond dust. The crystals act as prisms, bending the light rays passing through them with a minimum deflection of 22 degrees. As the crystals gently float downwards with their large hexagonal faces almost horizontal, sunlight is refracted horizontally, and sun dogs are seen to the left and right of the Sun. 

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Frigid Air Phenomena

Driving to work early Monday morning in Cedar Rapids, Iowa I beheld a curious sight ahead of me. It was a stretched illuminated area, low along the horizon that gave the impression of a sunrise. But not at 5:30 in the morning in January! As it turned out, frigid air (-10 degrees at that moment) was interacting with water vapor expelled from the nearby ADM plant in Southwest Cedar Rapids, and that cooled water vapor was being illuminated by city lights. It also resembled noctilucent lights, which are rare, and do not occur at this latitude or month. Above, the camera looks east from 33rd Avenue at 12th Street SW at 5:33 am CST, Monday, January 3, 2022.

Another view of this curiosity, looking northeast at 5:42 am. iPhone 13 camera.

3:43 pm CST, Wednesday, January 5, 2022. High winds were blowing snow and ice crystals aloft, creating sun dogs both in the morning and again in the evening. This image looks southwest from Alburnett Road near Flight Drive in the Bowman Meadows housing development of Marion, Iowa. Air temperature was 12 degrees F, winds were out of the northwest at 10-20 mph.

Similar view at 3:48 pm. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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