Columbia Weather Systems

Warm or cold, Columbia Weather has a professional weather monitoring solution for you! Please note our facilities will be closed December 25-January 1. Photo by CWS President Nader Khoury

Traveling for the holidays? Plan ahead before hitting the road with these tips and by equipping your vehicle with the following safety supplies: - Blanket - Road Salt - Shovel - Scraper - Jumper Cables - Drinking Water - Repair Kit - Flashlight, Flares - Snacks As Weather Ready Nation Ambassadors, we are committed to educating about the importance of weather preparedness. For more winter weather safety tips, visit weather.gov/winter.

Customization is key ... every system we build is custom-engineered, from the sensor integration to packaging. This Magellan MX™500 sensor module is destined for a Portable Weather Station system. In this video, Alex is trimming the liner for the transportation case with his ingenious hot-wire foam cutter. The foam insert keeps the sensitive electronics, including the meteorological sensor module, and other components from shifting during a potentially rugged deployment. ➡️ Click here for more information about Magellan MX Weather Stations .

We had some special visitors in the office! These second and fourth graders are studying weather in school and stopped by to learn how our meteorological instruments are built and used to monitor the weather. 🌦 Nader explains the bird spikes. A quick look at the sensors mounted on the roof of our office. The girls shared a photo of their homemade anemometer. Nice work! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Thanksgiving from Columbia Weather! Please note that we will be closed November 28-29.

Larissa, Natural Resources Director for the Shoalwater Bay Tribe, came by to pick up their new Air Quality Monitoring System. Vincent gave her a run-though of the components. The tribe plans to monitor environmental conditions in the area and share data on their website. Their system configuration includes: Orion AQM Plus with measurement of particles (PM2.5 and PM10); gaseous pollutants NO2, SO2, CO, and ozone O3; humidity, air pressure and temperature Orion 533 for rainfall, wind speed and direction Two radiation sensors (Combined UVA/UVB and pyranometer) Monitoring via Weather MicroServer™ with WeatherMaster™ Software| For more information about Air Quality Monitoring systems, which can be integrated with additional meteorological parameters, visit our website . (If video does not display,  click here .)

Happy Veterans Day with gratitude to all who have served! Photo is our company founder Gene Hinds, in training at Joint Base Lewis-McCord during WWII. Columbia Weather Systems is proud that our weather stations help improve military training and operations around the world. Founder Gene Hinds at Joint Base Lewis-McCord.

Get a head start on holiday gifts for the weather enthusiast in your life! Here are some ideas: 1. A Cloud A Day - Gavin Pretor Pinney  Cloud spotter and bestselling author Gavin Pretor-Pinney delivers a moment of calm atmospheric contemplation in this new book featuring stunning cloud images, facts, and inspirational quotes.  Order it here . 2. Interactive Wood "Weather Station" by Odin Parker With moveable temperature, wind, and humidity dials and sliders, this interactive “weather station” toy is perfect for budding meteorologists. It is made of beech wood from sustainable forests and non-toxic paint. Order it here . 3. American Meteorological Society 2020 Weather History Calendar 2020 is just around the corner, and the AMS Centennial Weather History Calendar is now available! Each month features a beautiful photo and details fascinating facts, dates, and records from 100 years of weather, water, and climate history. Order it here .

💧 Can you imagine a day without water? This is a day each year to bring awareness to the value of water, appreciate what makes it possible, and commit to preserving it. Ongoing access to clean, safe water is critical to our economy, health, and way of life.⁣ ⁣ Click here to discover how a CWS weather station is used in operations at the Albany-Millersberg Water Reclamation Facility.⁣

When Modesto Dairy Solutions was looking for an accurate, durable weather monitoring solution to optimize production and manage milking operations, they chose Columbia Weather Systems. “We use Temperature, Humidity, Wind Speed, Wind Direction and Wet Bulb for our cooling control. We also trend and record other weather data for the customer to see,” automation engineer Bill DeWitt says. Modesto Dairy’s custom, proprietary technology incorporates CWS weather stations and temperature/humidity sensors to help manage production efficiency and cow comfort. Read the full case study here .

The tower is thought to be the first weather station. CWS President Nader shared this photo of the “Tower of the Winds” from a recent trip to Athens, Greece. The 2,000 year-old tower sits on Athens' ancient Acropolis hill and is said to be the first weather station constructed. In its prime, the building featured a wind vane, sun dials, and a large water-clock. While we don’t have quite the legacy of this historical meteorological station, we have shipped professional weather monitoring equipment around the globe for over 35 years! Visit our website for more information — and don’t worry, our weather stations are much smaller.  😉

The University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Team is racing “EOS II” in the 2019 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge with the help of the Magellan MX500™ Weather Station mounted on their lead vehicle. The real-time weather data is used to optimize speed and energy consumption. Good luck to the team – we’re cheering you on from Oregon! Click here if video is not shown . Watch  the full vehicle wrap video from Wrap City Graphics here .

It's Fire Prevention Week, and this year’s theme is “Not every hero wears a cape.” Be a help to firefighters and first responders on duty by practicing these fire safety tips: ⏰  Test smoke alarms 📋  Plan escape routes 🏡  Choose a meeting place outside the building 📅  Practice a regular fire drill at your home or office Get more tips and learn more about fire prevention at NFPA.org .

October 4th is  Manufacturing Day , a national celebration of modern manufacturing and the opportunities it provides. We are proud to be an American manufacturing company, providing professional weather monitoring equipment for over 35 years and trusted by industry and government agencies worldwide. “Manufacturing Day showcases how important the sector is for economic growth and job creation. We are able to show what manufacturing is all about — a high-skilled, technology-driven indu stry that offers secure, good-paying jobs” says John W. Kennedy, CEO of the NJ Manufacturing Extension Program. Learn more about our products and Manufacturing Day at the links below: ColumbiaWeather.com Mfgday.com

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

⛈  A massive thunderstorm rolled through this past Tuesday and was captured on the Weather Master™ trend graph screen, which revealed over an inch of rainfall in a 30-minute time period. While Oregon is known for its rain, this amount is pretty unusual for us! Click here more information on Weather Master software .

🗓️  September is  National Preparedness Month . Watch this video and share for important reminders on how to be prepared for natural disasters and emergencies. Do you find it difficult to set aside time to prepare? Start with what you could accomplish in just 5 minutes  at this link .  Don't see the video? Click here . 

🔥 The Portland metro area experienced record-setting temperatures yesterday. Here's a screenshot from  WeatherMaster™  with a 95.9°F reading at our office. What is the weather like where you are? Temperatures spiked well into the nineties this week in Oregon.

# ThrowbackThursday  to Bring Your Daughter to Work Day with Nader and Julia!  Looks like Julia was pretty excited to be at CWS! Julia and Nader, Circa 1998

Each weather station purchased from Columbia Weather is custom-built to order. This Magellan MX500™ Portable Weather Station is headed for the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre in Belize. The organization provides “forecasts and analyses of potentially hazardous impacts of both natural and man-induced climatic changes on the environment” to promote sustainable development. Popular with environmental research applications, as well as HazMat teams, CWS portable weather stations provide sensor and electronic components housed in a rugged polyethylene carrying case with foam padding and roller wheels, allowing for safe and rapid deployment. The tripod mast comes in an easy-to-carry bag. For more information on our portable weather stations: https://columbiaweather.com/prod…/weather-stations/portable/ (If video is not shown, click here .)

Check out this impressive Mobile Command Center from LDV for DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency featuring an Orion Weather Station and display. 🙌🏽 Photos courtesy of LDV

DP World-Vancouver is located in the inner harbor of downtown Vancouver, BC, and is a key gateway port for the Trans-Pacific Trades between Asia and the Pacific Northwest. In addition to serving the local market, they provide direct daily intermodal rail connection to Eastern Canada and the US Midwest markets. DP World deploys an Orion Wind-Only Weather Station with Weather MicroServer for SNMP interface. They requested one-minute average and one-minute minimum sustained wind speed measurements to comply with an alarm requirement for a union-operated container terminal. We were able to accommodate their request and added this custom, calculated parameter to the standard reporting measurements. The Orion Wind-Only Weather Station is a cost-effective ultrasonic option for wind speed and direction requirements, particularly those with specialized measurement or calculation specifications. It is compatible with any CWS weather monitoring option including Weather MicroServer , We

🐶  Welcome to the “Dog Days” of summer! What exactly are the “Dog Days” of summer you ask? When the weather is too hot for even dogs to stand the heat? The slow, lazy days of the summer months? This article from National Geographic looks at the history of the term with its roots in ancient Greek astronomy and mythology. Hint: It has to do with the brightest star in the sky. So…How are YOU measuring the heat?

Flexibility to integrate new technologies and customer requirements is a hallmark of our business model at Columbia Weather Systems. Our latest integration is an outdoor display for weather station data , offering a daylight bright readout utilizing IP65-rated LEDs in a weather-sealed enclosure.   “Intelligent” readerboards are available in a variety of sizes with customizable messaging for indoor or outdoor use. Data from the weather station sensors is processed through either the Weather MicroServer or Weather Display console and pushed to the readerboard. Applications include transportation, facility management, public safety, and mobile weather labs. For more information, visit our website . Customizable indoor/outdoor Readerboard Display.

Standalone Relative Humidity/Temperature transmitters with 4-20mA interface are now available for easy-to-install indoor and outdoor applications. Both unit options offer two 4-20mA outputs for temperature and relative humidity readings. In addition to relative humidity and temperature, the humidity channel can be configured to output: Wet-bulb temperature Enthalpy Dew point These transmitters combine easy installation and minimal maintenance with accurate, reliable measurement. Customer applications include industrial automation, agricultural, and electrical power generation. Click here for more information or contact us for a free quote.  Relative Humidity/Temperature Transmitters

Have a safe and fun Independence Day!  🎆 🎇

⚡  It is National Lightning Safety Awareness Week.  ⚡ Does lightning affect your operations? Each year, twenty-five million lightning strikes occur in the US , with high voltages posing both immediate and potential risks. The Pulsar 800™ Weather Station with lightning detection is “an all-in-one source for making informed decisions regarding public safety” according to CWS President Nader Khoury. ➡️ Read our application note “ Lightning Detection Important for Safe Electrical Substation Operations ” ➡️ Visit our Weather Stations with Lightning Detection page here

Check out the Tech Talk section of Treatment Plant Operator Magazine’s June issue, highlighting the role of weather monitoring in Smart Water for Smart Cities. The article illuminates how met data from on-site weather stations can be used to support operations and serve the public. Here’s a link to the magazine – article is on page 26 (digital page 28 if you’re searching online.) You might recognize the author!

“Alex did a custom screen in WeatherMaster 5 for 13 WHAM TV – ABC in Rochester NY” Scrolling back through our feed, you can see that the message with this photo encapsulates several highlights of the past few months: 1) New WEATHERMASTER – Customers upgrading to the latest version software. (Software upgrades are free.) 2) CUSTOM – One benefit of the new release is easier customization such as adding customer logos for brand identification like the monitor on this Mobile Weather Lab. 3) 13WHAM – It is fun to work with customers who send us photos and give us the opportunity to promote them as well. See the Case Study here . (We also appreciate customers who keep their secrets more closely guarded whether for competitive advantage or national security.) 4) ALEX – We’re happy to have him on board full-time! If you’re able to share, please keep those photos coming – we don’t mind selfies!  Custom screen for 13 WHAM TV – ABC in Rochester, NY

“Pendleton Firefighters extinguished a semi trailer full of hazardous materials this morning on Interstate 84. Hazmat technicians from our regional team are on scene…” Oregon Fire Marshall Hazmat units are equipped with vehicle-mounted weather stations from Columbia Weather and deployed for incidents like this one. Originally shared by Pendleton Professional Firefighters Local 2296.  Pendleton firefighters and Hazmat units respond to an interstate incident. A burning semi trailer with hazardous materials was extinguished. On-site wind speed and direction data can be critical for incidents requiring hazmat deployment. 

🍩  Happy National Doughnut Day! While we can't supply you with doughnuts, we do offer professional weather stations with instantaneous, on-site weather data -- and friendly customer service to boot. Call us if you need help finding a weather station that is right for your industry. Image source:  http://www.mikesmithenterprisesblog.com/2013/04/sunday-funny-homer-meets-500mb-chart.html

May is  National Wildfire Awareness Month , and as Weather-Ready Nation Ambassadors, we are highlighting the importance of fire prevention and preparedness. Click here to learn more . We believe Incident Response can be safer and more effective with weather monitoring capabilities.  Read our white paper "Five Reasons Incident Response Needs a Weather Station" here.

Yesterday we celebrated Grace Henry, who has been with CWS since 2005 and our sister company Hinds Instruments since 1995. We’re sad to see her go, but grateful for the time she has spent with us. Here’s to a well-deserved, relaxing retirement! Catching up with old friends and colleagues. Jeff, Grace, and Martha with the lovely cake! Nader presented Grace with a wooden, hand-crafted cutting board.

Weather Stations from Columbia Weather Systems come standard with a one-year warranty included in the purchase price. Occasionally, a customer asks for an Extended Warranty which is available for all weather station models. An example might be a large company purchasing their weather station through a contractor, who might have a service agreement and want to warrant the station for the life of the agreement. Even though our weather stations are reliable – and as one Fire Captain says, “virtually Fire Fighter Proof” – these advanced weather stations contain sensitive electronic components and sometimes it makes sense to purchase longer-term protection for your weather station investment. Factory warranty extensions cover all weather station components and are offered in additional one-year increments up to a maximum total of five years. The Free One-Year Standard Factory Warranty and the Extended Factory Warranty do not cover damage due to normal wear and tear, exceptional operatin

We are happy to welcome Alex Pulido as a permanent, full-time employee. Alex started as a web application development intern from Portland Community College two years ago, and has been working as a part-time contractor since then. His new role will encompass production system integration, as well as software/web development. In his spare time, Alex enjoys disc golf and cooking. Alex Pulido

Just in time for Air Quality Awareness Week... A new self-guided presentation provides an overview of the new Orion AQM Air Quality Monitoring System with details on sensor components and features. Compactly designed to help make our environment a healthier and safer place by measuring, analyzing, and understanding the data of air pollution, the Orion AQM is easily deployable in air quality monitoring networks for urban areas, industrial sites, and transportation hubs. Orion AQM measures the most common gaseous pollutants nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone, with near-reference measurement performance. Incorporating temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure, algorithms compensate for the impact of ambient conditions on the sensor elements. Additionally, Particulate Matter (PM2.5 and PM10) in the ambient air is measured with the AQM Plus. Proprietary algorithms enable ppb measurements at an affordable price using electrochemical sensors. Link to

Looking forward to  Northwest Fire & Rescue Exposition  May 16-17. Admission is free -- visit us at booth #39!

We enjoyed a visit from Robert and Josefa of ShipNet Information Systems, who stopped by yesterday to pick up a recently ordered Orion LX weather station and get a tour of our facilities.  ShipNet is based in Gibsons, British Columbia, and “provides shippers, charterers and shipowners with timely, detailed, accurate and simplified precipitation reporting solutions for weather sensitive cargoes.”  If you are in our the area and want to drop by – we welcome visitors! Visit their website: ShipNet.com Nader gave Josefa and Robert a tour of CWS.

Rain, wind, snow or sun – the crews are out on the streets working to repair, improve, and maintain our transportation, water/sewer, and energy infrastructure. Many government agencies and construction companies use met stations from Columbia Weather to help make decisions about outdoor work that is weather-dependent such as operating equipment and personnel safety. For National Work Zone Awareness Week , this video highlights some tips you may not have considered . Bottom line – this is important work, so take care for your own sake and the safety of the crew. Thanks to those who brave the elements to improve our lives!

New upgrade for Weather MicroServer enhances security. Cyber-security can be a factor when customers consider adding a weather station to their network. A new Weather MicroServer firmware update offers network security enhancements, addressing potential vulnerabilities identified through third-party independent testing.  The National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIS), a division of the US Department of Homeland Security, has issued an advisory reporting that the new version “addresses all the above vulnerabilities found on the Weather MicroServer.” Also of note, “No known public exploits specifically target these vulnerabilities.” As always, if your weather station includes a Weather MicroServer, contact CWS for a no-charge firmware upgrade. For equipment purchased prior to September 2015, a hardware upgrade also may be required. Please contact Columbia Weather Systems via phone (503-629-0887) or email support@columbiaweather.com. If network securi

Maria Telkes was a pioneer in solar energy technology. As Women’s History Month draws to a close, we have the spotlight on Hungarian-American biophysicist, scientist, and inventor Maria Telkes.  Nicknamed the “Sun Queen,” Maria had an early interest in solar energy. She completed her PhD in physical chemistry at the University of Budapest in 1924 and went on to serve 14 years on MIT’s Solar Energy Conversion Project, the beginning of a career spanning 50 years in innovative solar energy technology.  Notable inventions include: The Dover Sun House project, an experimental residence heated entirely with solar power. The solar oven, developed for third-world countries A solar still system that converted seawater into drinking water for use on military life boats during WWII Over the course of her career, Maria earned 20 patents and published more than 100 articles. She received numerous prestigious awards, and became the first recipient of the Society of Women