Columbia Weather Systems

Dr. Charles E. Anderson W e are celebrating the start of Black History Month by highlighting the achievements of Charles E. Anderson, the first African American to earn a PhD in Meteorology.   After graduating from Lincoln University with a degree in Chemistry, Charles career began when he was assigned to the Tuskegee Army Airfield weather detachment in 1943. “My background in math and chemistry seemed to be exactly the kind of background that they were looking for in meteorologists, so I applied,” he said in a 1992 interview for the American Meteorological Society Oral History Project. As a squadron Weather Officer in the Army, Charles trained fighter pilots across the U.S. before retiring from duty in 1948. In 1960, he received a PhD in Meteorology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and became Professor of Space Science and Engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. It was the beginning of a long career in science education and research. Charles is also...

Happy New Year! Our team is back and hitting the ground running to kick off 2021. Get in touch with us for customer support or to find out what professional weather monitoring equipment will best suit your needs. Thanks for your business! (L-R, Clockwise) Cris, Vincent and Alex at the start of a new year at CWS!

Looking for the perfect gift for the meteorologist and weather lover in your life? You've come to the right place. We've put together this guide to make shopping a breeze! Take a look: 1.  Meteorology Patent Art Posters With eye-catching patent drawings of an anemometer, barometer, and weather balloon, this set of meteorology posters will look great on any weather lover’s wall! 2. Glass Storm Cloud   This "glass cloud" contains special liquid that crystalizes different patterns as the air pressure changes - a unique addition to any desk! 3. Thunderstorm Face Mask This lightning bolt/thundercloud face mask is the perfect face covering for meteorologists, rainy day lovers, and thunderstorm fans. 4.  PlaySTEAM Space Weather Station Introduce kids ages 8 and up to the water cycle with this all-in-one weather kit featuring a base to grow plants, thermometer, anemometer, and rain gauge. 5. Educational Weather Flashcards Teach your k...

With the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month this week, we are highlighting NOAA Meteorologist Isha Renta. Born in Puerto Rico, Isha became fascinated with meteorology at the age of eight, when Category 5 Hurricane Hugo caused widespread damage to the island. "I remember asking myself, at such a young age, what I could do to help my people and reduce the damage," Renta told a NSWC reporter. Isha went on to graduate with a Master’s Degree in Atmospheric Science from Howard University, and currently works for NOAA in the Washington, D.C. metro area. “I really enjoy supporting people outside of the office with information by briefing the public, emergency managers, decision makers, other government offices, and the media about the weather and how it is going to impact them,” Isha says in her weather.gov profile. “That is when I see how valuable our job is and that many people depend on and trust our work.” In 2014, Isha founded Semilla Cultural , a non-profit organiz...

With a nod to the seasonal transition from Winter to Spring, Mark Nelsen, Chief Meteorologist at KPTV, presented his Winter Weather Recap at the Oregon AMS meeting last night. Mark summed up the first few months with his comment: “We’re used to being let down here if you like big winter weather.” And then we experienced one of the coldest Februarys on record with multiple snow events. From the initial forecasted snow non-event that was over-hyped by the media and led to outages of kale in Portland-area grocery stores, Mark offered a lesson for forecasters and media: “In today’s social media world, we must be very careful with weather information.” Shout-out to Kyle Dittmer of Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission who nailed the forecast for number of snow events at the Annual Winter Weather conference last October! View Mark’s presentation here.

Many are familiar with the famed Tuskegee Airmen pilots of World War II (initiated into the U.S. Armed Forces on Feb. 19, 1942) –but what about the meteorologists who provided vital weather information for their missions? Watch this clip from The Weather Channel to learn about the “Tuskegee Weather Detachment.”  🛩 # BlackHistoryMonth  

We enjoyed a visit from  Matt Zaffino , Chief Meteorologist at  KGW-TV   yesterday. It's not often that we get visitors, so if you're interested in learning more about us, drop by and we'll show you around!

The new Pulsar™ Weather Station from Columbia Weather Systems is a critical component in the latest Mobile Weather Lab by Integrated Microwave Technologies (IMT), an industry leader in advanced digital microwave video systems. IMT will be showcasing their latest broadcast vehicle technology at the NABShow National Association of Broadcasters event in April. The Mobile Weather Lab vehicle is a functional live broadcasting truck complete with video cameras, large monitor, wireless broadband Internet and digital microwave connectivity. The weather station system includes a Weather Display console from Columbia Weather. The weather lab uses the Pulsar 600 Weather Station with Doppler radar precipitation, temperature, humidity, pressure, and ultrasonic wind measurements. The new Pulsar line of weather stations offers the ease of all-in-one sensor module with various meteorological parameters to choose from. All configurations include an electronic compass for automatic orientation of ...