Columbia Weather Systems

  T he first day of fall is September 22! Ever wonder how weather conditions affect autumn colors? As days get shorter and trees are exposed to less sunlight, the chlorophyll pigment that produces the dominating green color begins to fade, revealing the other colors beneath. According to the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS), a succession of warm and rainy days means less intense hues, while warm days paired with cooler evenings without frost produce the most brilliant fall colors.  Photo credit: CWS President Nader Khoury

Air Quality map from Air Now   T hanks to the many firefighters and responders who are currently facing challenging environmental conditions (low humidity, high temps and winds) while battling dozens of wildfires all across the West Coast. This map from Air Now shows current Air Quality indexes in the Pacific Northwest. Use this link to check conditions in your location . If you live in an affected area, make sure to pay attention to local alerts – stay safe!

F or Emergency Preparedness Month, we are sharing this mobile emergency operations center built by LDV for the Calcasieu, Louisiana Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (OHSEP) complete with a Magellan MX500 ™ Weather Station, WeatherMaster ™ Software and display. Located in southern Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish is an area vulnerable during the hurricane season. The mobile center arrived just in time for Hurricane Laura. Magellan MX Weather Stations offer GPS and compass readings, an ideal choice for vehicle and mobile applications requiring real-time met data on the go. Contact us for information on the best weather station for your operations, or visit our website here . For a virtual walk-through of Calcasieu Parish’s mobile emergency operations center (catch a glimpse of the weather display at 1:37), watch this video . A Magellan MX500 Weather Station is mounted on the roof of the  mobile emergency operations center. This screenshot by the NOAA shows