Weather Display Live Explanation

This page will explain the different dials, graphs and other information shown on the Weather Display Live page. The layout may change from time to time, so the actual display may look different from what is listed below.

Data Transfer Indicator

This displays the date and time of the most recent update. The data is scheduled to update every ten seconds. However, during heavy data transfer times, it could take a few minutes. This mainly occurs at the top of each hour. The circle to the left will flash different colors showing:
Green - Data displayed is current.

Yellow - Data is being transferred.

If the data is not transferred with in two minutes, an alert message will appear stating the last time a successful transfer was completed.

Current Conditions

This displays the general current weather condition and general time of day.

Cloud Base

The cloud base is the distance from the sea level to the base of the clouds. It is estimated using the current temperature and humidity to indicate an altitude where the air could be cold enough for clouds to form. There may or may not be clouds at that altitude (or at any altitude).

Dew Point & Humidity

The dew point is the temperature to which air must be cooled, at constant barometric pressure, for water vapor to condense into water. The condensed water is called dew. When the dew point temperature falls below freezing it is called the frost point, as the water no longer creates dew but instead creates frost.

The dew point is associated with relative humidity. A high relative humidity indicates that the dew point is closer to the current air temperature. If the relative humidity is 100%, the dew point is equal to the current temperature. Given a constant dew point, an increase in temperature will lead to a decrease in relative humidity.

Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. The term "humidity" refers to relative humidity. Relative humidity is defined as the amount of water vapor in a sample of air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor the air can hold at any specific temperature in a form of 0 to 100%. Relative humidity is important in forecasting weather. Humidity indicates the likelihood of precipitation, dew, or fog. High humidity makes people feel hotter outside in the summer because it reduces the effectiveness of sweating to cool the body by preventing the evaporation of perspiration from the skin. This effect is calculated in a heat index table explained below.

Barometer

A barometer is an instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure. A barometer is commonly used for weather prediction, as high air pressure in a region indicates fair weather while low pressure indicates that storms are more likely. When used in combination with wind observations, reasonably accurate short-term forecasts can be made.

31 Day Graphs

These graphs show the last 31 days of weather information. Graphs shown are Wind Speed, Temperature, Barometer, and Rainfall. To move the "Box" on the Wind Speed graph, simply "click & drag" it to a different location.

Wind Direction

The main needle indicates the direction the wind is currently coming from. The little red triangle indicates the average direction.

Wind Speed

There are two needles on this gauge. The blue needle indicates the current wind speed and the red needle indicates the gust speed. Likewise the little blue triangle records the highest wind speed and the little red triangle records the highest gust for the day.

Beaufort Scale

The Beaufort scale is a measure for describing wind speed based mainly on observed sea conditions. In the United States, winds of Beaufort 6 or 7 result in the issuance of a small craft advisory, with force 8 or 9 winds bringing about a gale warning, 10 or 11 a storm warning and anything to 12 a hurricane warning.

Moon Phase

The Moon phase is shown along with the rising and setting times of the moon and sun.

Fire Weather Index

The Fire Weather Index System consists of six components that account for the effects of fuel moisture and wind on fire behavior. The first three components, the fuel moisture codes, are numeric ratings of the moisture content of litter and other fine fuels, the average moisture content of loosely compacted organic layers of moderate depth, and the average moisture content of deep, compact organic layers. The remaining three components are fire behavior indices, which represent the rate of fire spread, the fuel available for combustion, and the frontal fire intensity; their values rise as the fire danger increases.

Rainfall

Rainfall is shown in Daily, Monthly and Annual totals. The scale of the gauges changes automatically as the amount increases.

Temperature

The first gauge is the Heat Index. The heat index combines air temperature and dew point in an attempt to determine the human-perceived equivalent temperature - how hot it feels. The human body normally cools itself by sweating, which evaporates and carries heat away from the body. However, when the relative humidity is high the evaporation rate is reduced, so heat is removed from the body at a lower rate causing it to retain more heat than it would in dry air. The second gauge is the Temperature shown in Fahrenheit. Under the gauges is the high and low reading for the day.

Graph Button

The "Graph" button brings up a list of available graphs. The list includes:
Barometer - last 24 hours, 7 days or 31 days
Humidity - last 24 hours, 7 days or 31 days
Indoors temp - last 24 hours
Rainfall - last hour, 24 hours, 7 days, 31 days, or 12 months.
Temperature - last hour, 24 hours, 7 days or 31 days
Wind Chill - live
Wind Direction - live, last hour, 24 hours, 7 days or 31 days
Wind Speed - live, last hour, 24 hours, 7 days or 31 days

Records Button

The "Records" button brings up a list of available records. The list includes records for the month, year and all time. This station started collecting data on 1/1/2008, so all records are from after that date. The red dot indicates a new record. A yellow dot is a recent record. The green dot is an older record.

Units Button

The "Units" button allows you to change the units that are displayed for heat, altitude, wind, rainfall and temperature. Both metric and English units are available. If you check the "Save Settings" box, the chosen units will display on your next visit.