Columbia Weather Systems

We are pleased to welcome Vincent Iubatti as our new Technical Support Technician. A recent graduate of Portland Community College’s Electronic Engineering Technology program, Vincent also has a bachelor’s degree in television and video production from Wilmington University in Delaware. Vincent was selected because of his knowledge and experience with electronics and technology, as well as his written and verbal communication skills. Vincent’s primary responsibilities will be to provide technical support to customers, and will also include product development, documentation and testing. We have also officially added two members to our manufacturing team -- Julius, who has been working with us a as a temp for several months, and Grace, who was a long-time employee of our parent company, Hinds Instruments.

We are pleased to be co-sponsors of the upcoming Climate Change Forum at Marylhurst University near Portland on October 6. Additional sponsors include the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and the Oregon Chapter of the American Meteorological Society . Keynote speaker is Anthony Strawa, a microphysicist at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. Presenters will include Washington state climatologist Nicholas Bond and Andy Harris of the Oregon Health & Science University Medical School. Other speakers from Oregon State University will address topics ranging from climate change models to resiliency needed in coastal communities. "We're bringing together some wonderful, engaging experts who come at climate change from unique perspectives," says Greg Dardis, interim chair of Marylhurst's Department of Science & Mathematics. "Our goal is to create a day that gets many more of us thinking more broadly about the impacts...

Fifty years ago, the Pacific Northwest experienced the Columbus Day Storm with winds of up to 130 mph in the Willamette Valley and 170 mph along the Pacific Coast. The Oregon Chapter of the American Meteorological Society holds a commemoration event on Saturday, October 13, 10:00 a.m. at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry . "We will take a look deep inside the storm, as seen through the eyes of the public and the Meteorologists who tracked it. We will present rare audio and video recordings from the night of the storm featuring late KGW Meteorologist Jack Capell and those who were present when the 600ft tall KGW transmitter tower fell to the ground." Click Here for a link to additional information about the Columbus Day Storm 50th Anniversary Commemoration event. Columbia Weather System s is proud to be a member of the Oregon Chapter of the American Meteorological Society.

CWS is releasing a new alarm feature on the Weather Display. For all real and calculated parameters, users can select upper and lower limits which trigger audible and visual alarm. A visual green circle graphic turns red when alarm conditions are present. An audible beeping alarm sounds. The audible alarm can be manually dismissed or will automatically shut off when a secondary user defined limit is reached. This feature has been developed in conjunction with CWS customer the Dalles Dam on the Columbia River. The weather display is located in the control operator’s office. Monitoring wind speed is critical. When a certain limit is reached, some operations are curtailed. Alarm triggered when Temperature 1 exceeded 72 degrees Fahrenheit .  

In collaboration with customer Joule Unlimited, Columbia Weather Systems has added a quantum sensor option to measure photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) – solar radiation in the spectral range 400-700 nm. The sensor can be added to any CWS weather station with a Weather MicroServer. The quantum sensor is useful for applications such as greenhouse management in agricultural operations. Joule Unlimited has developed a technology platform to produce diesel and ethanol fuel from sunlight, non-potable water and waste CO 2 . To help monitor their process, they are using a Weather MicroServer with the quantum sensor, as well as a modular Capricorn 2000EX Weather Station measuring wind speed and direction, air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, solar radiation, and rainfall. With its technology now proven and operating at pilot scale, Joule is advancing towards commercial fuel production expected to begin in 2013.

Weather View 32 software for PC and WeatherSnoop for Mac (shown below) now operate with any Columbia Weather System weather station. Previously available only for the modular Capricorn 2000 line, these popular third-party software packages now interface with the Weather MicroServer, making them compatible with our all-in-one stations including Orion, Magellan and Vela professional weather monitoring systems. Weather View 32 operates on the MS Windows platform while WeatherSnoop utilizes the Mac operating system. Both software packages offer display, graphing and database options, as well as Internet capability. Professional weather monitoring systems from Columbia Weather Systems provide instantaneous meteorological data to industry and government agencies for operational decisions affecting profit and safety. Weather Monitoring Software Connect on Google +

The Oregon Chapter of the American Meteorological society (AMS) is proud to announce that it will host Dr. Cliff Mass, Author and Professor of Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington on Saturday, May 12th. Dr. Mass is affectionately known by many as the "Godfather of Pacific Northwest Weather."      Dr. Mass has put together an amazing presentation for us entitled, “The Future of Northwest Weather Prediction.” If you have ever used the University of Washington's WRF-GFS and MM5-NAM weather models located at: http://www.atmos.washington.edu/mm5rt/ you will not want to miss out on this special presentation. Dr. Mass will give a detailed look at how computer weather models have revolutionized weather forecasting. He will also detail new modeling enhancements that will be coming online in the not-so-distant future.      This meeting is free and open to all ages of the general public. Please feel free to share this notice others via your favo...

Columbia Weather Systems has launched a new website featuring enhanced customer applications and more detailed product information. When a visitor is looking at a weather station model, the new format walks them through the decision process for options of sensors, monitoring, communication, mounting and accessories. Site visitors will have the most current information as the new CMS format enables easy updates. We would appreciate any feedback. The address remains the same: www.columbiaweather.com

Two ISO second-class compliant solar radiation sensors are now available as options for the Weather MicroServer. This improvement in our product line comes in direct response to customer requests. The Kipp and Zonen (top) and Hukseflux thermopile-based sensors can be mounted horizontally for global radiation measurement or at plane of array (POA) for PV solar applications. With better performance and stability than our standard radiation sensor, these are specifically well-suited for monitoring solar panel arrays. The Weather MicroServer offers Internet and Industrial protocols for applications including XML, FTP, Modbus/OPC, and SNMP. Optional sensors include visibility, solar radiation, and temperature (ambient, panel, soil, or water), as well as ultrasonic wind speed and direction. Click for more information on the Weather MicroServer .

  The Orion LX Weather Station stands guard atop the Verizon Mobile Command Center. The trailer supported the Indianapolis Department of Homeland Security during the recent Super Bowl weekend. When not in use, the 51-foot Featherlite trailer resides in Texas. WeatherMaster Software is displayed on all the monitors inside the trailer and the exterior big screen. Thanks to customer David C. of Saab Sensis for spotting the photos in an online article and calling the story to our attention. Quoting from the article: "Having this trailer allows Verizon to operate in a very adverse environment in the case of disasters," Price said, "as well as in situations where there are limited facilities to provide a base of operations, as in the Super Bowl." Richard Price is Chief Business Continuity Officer for Verizon. Click to read more: Super Buzz article: Mobile Command Center Aids Homeland Security Orion Weather Station Weather Master Software Photos cou...

This recently came to our attention: KDRV-TV, the ABC affiliate in Medford, Oregon is accepting applications for the position of Meteorologist for our weekday morning newscast. We are looking for someone eager to test his or her skills in a dynamic weather environment. Ocean beaches, mountain ranges and sprawling agricultural land are just a few of the microclimates in our coverage area. In addition to preparing and presenting forecasts for our morning newscast, the successful candidate will generate content for kdrv.com, Facebook, Twitter and our 24/7 news channel NewsWatch 12+. A college degree in meteorology or atmospheric sciences is required. KDRV-TV has been the ratings leader in the Medford/Klamath Falls market for more than two decades, and we are looking for someone who wants to help continue our ratings success. Our station is just a short drive away from the ocean, skiing, whitewater rafting, and the Tony award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Please send cov...

We recently received this photo and comments from Robert at Conestoga-Rovers & Associates: “Thought you’d like to have this photo of the weather system we recently purchased from you. We had a rare December snow, so I took the opportunity to take this picture. "The system has performed flawlessly. It’s easy to set up, easy to use, and easy to get data from. I’m very pleased.” Founded in 1976, Conestoga-Rovers & Associates offers engineering, environmental, construction, and IT services worldwide. Nice installation using the tie-down kit. Thanks for the photo!

Engineering firm Smith-Root has installed an Orion 420 Weather Station at the Chicago 2A Fish Barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal which feeds the Mississippi River into the Great Lakes. The weather station provides real time measurements of average wind speed, wind gusts, wind direction, air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, rainfall, and solar radiation. Using a Weather MicroServer, data is automatically uploaded to the Weather Underground. Read more...