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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
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Who Monitors Weather? • Aviation • Transportation • Construction • Public Safety • Landscape industry • Energy producers • Marine Operations
Monitoring Weather Second Handradio, 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 site http://fawn.ifas.ufl.edu
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
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. Weather Warning Display Signals