Columbia Weather Systems

  The HBEP is one of the cleanest power generation plants in California. Harnessing Weather Data for Energy Forecasting AES is a global energy company that has purchased CWS weather stations for several US project locations since 2012. Ellie Thacker, CWS Technical Sales Engineer, recently got a site tour and sends the following report: The  Huntington Beach Energy Project (HBEP) , located in Huntington Beach, California, began operation in 2020. The HBEP is an 844-megawatt power generation plant that uses a natural gas-fired, combined-cycle turbine and a simple-cycle turbine. The HBEP is one of the cleanest power generation plants in California due to its emissions control equipment. The Challenge Gas-fired turbines run more efficiently when the ambient temperature is lower. When the ambient air is colder, it is denser, which means more air can fit in the given volume that passes through the machinery. Relative humidity also affects the efficiency of the turbines. John Islas, ...

On October 17th, we join communities across the U.S. to recognize Imagine a Day Without Water , a day to highlight the importance of safe, accessible water—our most valuable resource. This resource wouldn't be possible without local water reclamation operations like Bloomington-Normal in Illinois. Committed to protect public health and the environment, they have won 12 Gold Peak Performance Awards from the NACWA and the 2018 Plant of the Year award from the Illinois Association of Water Pollution Control Operators. The plant relies on five Orion™ Weather Stations to monitor on-site conditions at the district’s water treatment locations for regulatory reporting. Learn more about Imagine a Day Without Water HERE Discover how on-site weather data is critical for wastewater system resiliency HERE Photos courtesy of Bloomington-Normal Reclamation District

As Hurricane Milton makes its approach from the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida, Cloud Weather Server screenshots from a utility customer in the Keys show high wind speeds and a drop in barometric pressure. Weather conditions affect their operations and impacts decision making, as shown in a customized screen. Our thoughts are with all who are affected by this powerful storm.

Nader and Martha in Vienna, Austria for 🌐 Meteorological Technology World Expo 2024! It was a valuable time exploring the latest in technology advances and connecting with fellow professionals in the weather world. Here are some photos from the week: CWS President Nader Khoury at #MetTechWorldExpo Martha at the Expo in Vienna, Austria

We are always excited when educators invest in giving their students hands-on knowledge of how weather works, how it’s measured, and how it affects them. South River High School in New Jersey does just that. Last year, the school installed a  Capricorn FLX Weather Station  on one of their buildings. The Climate Change Club uses the data to report hourly weather readings to the National Weather Service. According to their website: “This will make South River High School a weather hub for pilots to collect current weather conditions of our area. The information that the club collects will also be archived for climate change data.” Administrator Kamila Miazio added that the club “provides a weekly forecast, satellite imagery of CONUS, and severe weather updates. The advisor is working to teach students METAR code (the weather code that pilots use to see current weather conditions for the area), report an hourly automatic observation with the weather equipment, record the data and...

Kelly Masell of North Star BlueScope with the Weather MicroServer monitoring screen. When equipment breakdowns happen during manufacturing processes, it’s important for operators to identify the root cause to prevent costly impacts in the future. Kelly Masell is a Package Engineer at North Star BlueScope , a leading supplier in the steel industry based in Ohio. He recently explained how data from an Orion Weather Station installed at the plant is used for their operations: An Orion Weather Station installed at the plant. “The system was configured to transfer data via Modbus TCP to an Allen Bradley PLC. This data is then trended in a historical program for data retrieval at any time. If something major happens in the plant, it may be weather related. We can look at the historical trends of temperature, humidity, winds, barometric pressure and more. Columbia Weather data could pinpoint if a weather-related data point was a contributing factor of why the breakdown occurred.”  Kelly ...

  Did you know that there are currently 88 large active wildfires in the US? ¹ With longer, more active fire seasons each year affecting a broader population, now is the time to boost efforts to protect public health and safety, optimize infrastructure, and plan more strategically. For comprehensive monitoring, our AQM Complete and AQM PM air quality monitoring systems can now detect PM1 concentrations from sources such as wildfires, traffic, and dust-emitting industrial facilities (in addition to PM2.5 and PM10). These robust systems offer best-in-class accuracy, simple deployment, and reliability over a long service life.

Washtenaw County Sheriff Mobile Command Unit When natural disasters and emergency incidents cut power, damage infrastructure, or disrupt communication, Mobile Command Centers step in to serve as critical, centralized hubs for response teams. These command centers are equipped with advanced technology that regularly includes Magellan MX500 Vehicle-Mount weather stations . Riverside County Sheriff's Mobile Command Posts have been deployed to critical incidents, including wildfires, natural disasters, and crime scenes. Monitoring weather data at the scene means: 🚨 Increased Safety: Integrating weather monitoring into critical information systems increases situational awareness. Extreme temperatures and high wind speeds can pose a risk to crews and affect response efforts. 🚨 Seamless Automation: Data is automatically displayed, logged, and reported via WeatherMaster software. Custom alarms can be set to trigger instant alerts.  🚨 Comprehensive Reporting: Accurate data is critical...