About ...

The primary purpose of this Weather (WX) Station is to collect measurements and display
detailed charts about a variety of local environmental parameters in the Creston Valley.

It does NOT provide weather forecasts for coming hours or days. Instead, it
records in great detail what ACTUALLY happens and not what supercomputers
predict MIGHT happen based on theoretical modelling mixed with actual data.

Yes, predicting something as complex as weather is very, very difficult, indeed.     ;-)

If you want to see for yourself the difficulty of forecasting, then go to Environment
Canada's weather forecast web page for Creston (new tab).

Then, because the forecast page changes every hour, make a screenshot of the page so
you can refer to it over the next few days and compare the forecasts to the archived
charts available on this WX Station home page to see the differences which can range
from minor to very, very major. You are told tomorrow is all sun but then it turns out
to be fully overcast all day -- Yikes! -- how could those supercomputers be so wrong?

So, if you want to see for yourself all the complex interactions of temperature, humidity,
barometric pressure, wind, precipitation, and solar effects, then this is the site for you!

Questions or comments?   Email the Creston WXman

WX Station Sensors

The Primary Sensors are a collection of 4 sensors that are included within a
Seeed Studio SenseCAP ORCH S4 unit. You can search the Internet if you
want to know more about this excellent product.

The Temperature, Humidity, and Barometric Pressure are plainly obvious to what they
measure. The Light Intensity sensor is aimed at the northern sky to measure the average
brightness throughout the day, which varies with the seasons.

Each measured value has both a Daily chart but also a Monthly chart so we can follow
the variations of measurement over the course of each Month. In the case of Barometric
Pressure we also have an 8-Day Barometer so we can watch the rise and fall of the
Barometric Pressure and see how it is entwined with storms and precipitation events.
Like ancient Mariners watching for a "falling glass" to indicate approaching low pressure
zones that bring bad weather and difficult times to ships at sea.

The Wind Sensors are a pair of independent sensors that, together, provide accurate
information about wind behaviour throughout the day. Like Barometric Pressure, you
can see the wind veering and backing in direction and getting weaker or stronger as
lows and highs move across the Creston Valley region, bringing warmer or colder,
wetter or drier air into the vicinity of the WX Station.

The Precipitation Sensors are a trio of independent sensors that, together, provide
accurate information about rainfalls or snowfalls throughout the day.

The Rain Detector can detect when even 1 drop of rain falls on it; its main
purpose is to display the intensity of rain for each minute; during heavier
rainfalls, the appearance on the chart is like that of a waterfall. Which, of
course, is true because rainfall is the ultimate waterfall, without the cliff.

The Rain Gauge measures the amount of rain that falls throughout the day. It is
calibrated to measure in 0.1mm increments so is quite effective in drier climates
like the Creston Valley. The Gauge has a built-in heater so will melt snow during
the winter months and will record the melted snow as a rainfall equivalent.

The Precipitation Radar measures the amount of rain, sleet, or snow particles that
are detected in the clouds above the other two instruments. This complements the
ground-based Detector and Gauge by recording the precipitation headed their way.
Multiple charts break out the various particle categories that are seen as active.

The Particulates Sensor measures the PM1.0 and P2.5 particulate categories which are
weighed in micrograms (µg) per cubic metre of air. The Sensor also measures the number
of particles per cubic centimetre (#/cm3). These are known as PN0.5, PN1.0, and PN2.5.

The Total Solar Radiation Sensor measures the amount of energy received from the sun over
a one square meter area every minute. This is measured in watts per square meter (W/m2).
This chart also displays the total energy (insolation), in kiloWatt/hours (kW/hr), received
from the sun over an area of one square meter through the day. Solar panels collect a small
fraction of this energy to charge batteries, even with a considerable amount of clouds in
the sky. The spectrum bandwidth of the Radiation Sensor ranges from 400nm to 1100 nm.

The Solar UV Radiation Sensor measures the amount of UV energy received from the sun in
milliWatts per square centimeter (mW/cm2). It includes both the UVA and UVB bands. The
UVA band gives you a suntan while the UVB band gives you a sunburn. These two bands are
used to calculate the UV index. The current Sensor is limited to a maximum UV Index
calculation of 6, about half the total UV Index range of 11+ that is used in Canada.
The spectrum bandwidth of the Solar UV Radiation Sensor ranges from 290nm to 390nm.