Columbia Weather Systems

  “With the turning of the wheel of time, let us keep our patience and rejoice in the winter solstice.” Best wishes for patience and joy this holiday season, and through the new year! Columbia Weather Systems will be closing early December 23 and remain closed until January 3. Photo credit: Nader Khoury

You’ve come a long way baby! In the late 1980s, Hinds International developed a device to link the Capricorn II Weather Station to a computer. Now the Weather MicroServer links your CWS weather station to the world wide web and beyond! Today, the recently updated Weather MicroServer is a powerful communication device and data logger that includes a web browser user interface with real-time dashboards, configuration, and data export. The new MicroServer features: — A faster microprocessor — Additional RS-232 serial port and two additional RS-485 ports — All analog channels, rain channel, and mechanical wind speed channel available on the top board Backward-compatible and interfacing with all CWS weather station models, the Cloud Weather Server and Weather Monitor App are free to Weather MicroServer customers. Want to know more? Visit our website here .

“Unfortunately, the world’s infrastructure has been designed and built for weather conditions that are no longer valid,” concludes columnist Gene Wolf in October’s T&D World.* He begins by stating that “Global climate change is taking its toll by making extreme weather events more frequent and intense.” Wolf cites floods, droughts, heatwaves, and wildfires throughout the summer across the northern hemisphere. Bottom line: Climate data – weather monitoring – is critical to updating standards and codes to reflect a more current reality. Check out our CWS Applications to see how utilities like Bear Valley Electric Service and Umatilla Electric Coop use weather station data for real-time decision-making and hazard mitigation, as well as archiving for analysis and modeling.  🠊 Bear Valley Electric Service Application   🠊  Umatilla Electric Coop Application *Reference: Wolf G. (2022, October). Changing Standards for Climate Change. T&D World, p. 10.

This month CWS is celebrating a milestone — Electronics Technician Vincent Iubatti (pronounced You-bahtee) has worked with us for 10 years! Vincent juggles technical support, product testing, and repairs with aplomb. Prior to coming to Columbia Weather, Vincent completed his AS specialty degree in Electronic Engineering Technology at Portland Community College, and had several years of experience in customer service, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree from Wilmington University in Delaware. We are fortunate to have him as a member of the CWS team! Help us congratulate him in the comments below! 

Shout out to Accelerated Media Technologies! For over eleven years, they have integrated CWS Weather Stations with many of their customized, state-of-the-industry broadcast and emergency communication vehicles. Here’s a sample of deliveries from the past few years featuring Magellan MX and Pulsar Weather Stations with Weather Display Consoles . The team from WPTZ (Plattsburgh, NY/ South Burlington, VT) with their "First Warning Weather Lab" featuring Magellan MX600 Weather Station. WKRG-TV (Mobile, AL) "Weather Beast" with Pulsar 800 Weather Station. Fox KMSP (St. Paul, MN) Weather Vehicle with Magellan MX600 Weather Station. Weather data is viewed via Weather Display inside the ABC WTEN (Albany, NY) Storm Tracker Vehicle. ABC WTEN (Albany, NY) Storm Tracker Vehicle with Pulsar 800 Weather Station. For more info on professional meteorological equipment you can trust, visit our website here . Learn more about Accelerated Media Technologies, Inc. here . All photos c...

October 7 is Manufacturing Day and we are proud to continue to provide professional weather monitoring equipment trusted by industry and government agencies worldwide. Every weather station from Columbia Weather is custom-built to the needs of each customer, and testing is performed to ensure quality of the equipment before it goes out the door. Shout out to our fantastic team who makes it all possible! Interested in what we offer? Click here to visit our website .

  Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District has an impressive track record. In addition to 12 Gold Peak Performance Awards from the NACWA, they won the 2018 Plant of the Year award from the Illinois Association of Water Pollution Control Operators. The awards recognize the plant’s commitment to safety, permit compliance, cleanliness and maintenance, and operations staff knowledge. Among their efforts to improve plant efficiency and maintenance, the district purchased five Orion™ Weather Stations to monitor on-site conditions at the district’s two water treatment sites. One of five Orion™ Weather Stations installed at the plants . “In the past we would manually record and enter weather data,” Director of Operations Jake Callahan explained. “We first learned about Columbia Weather Systems in a featured article in one of the Operator magazines. This is where we originally learned about the equipment and its capability of interfacing with SCADA systems. We wanted to have w...

"It's the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!" -Winnie the Pooh Happy First Day of Autumn! Cooler temperatures and colorful changing leaves are upon us. What are you looking forward to the most this season? 🍂

“During my research, I found Columbia Weather Systems offered detailed yet simple information about their Weather Monitoring solutions.” Christopher Gayle, Environmental Specialist at Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited, gave us insight to how recently installed Capricorn FLX™ Weather Stations are an important element of operations at the terminal. Capricorn FLX Weather Station installed at Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited in Jamaica. Situated at one of the world’s largest natural harbors, Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited operates as the largest container handling facility in the Caribbean, facilitating the import and export of goods to and from Jamaica with over 1,000 containers delivered weekly according to their website.  Monitoring on-site meteorological parameters is valuable on several levels.  “The experience so far has been great, we are still in the early phase of usage and will engage with the CWS team to ensure we are maximizing on the full potential of the syst...

President Nader Khoury Nader Khoury started at Columbia Weather Systems 25 years ago , spinning a new company from the weather station division of Hinds Instruments, Inc. Capricorn, the reliable weather station, had been in production since 1981. While we have added additional models, the Capricorn FLX represents the fourth generation of our flagship Capricorn line of modular weather stations. Nader came to CWS with a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Oregon State University and 10 years of experience in test and measurement technology. With his leadership, Columbia Weather Systems has become one of the most recognized brands in the industry. Nader with daughter Julia in the early days.

“Weather has a huge impact at wastewater treatment plants,” Patrick McGrath, Water Resource Recovery Facility Supervisor at City of San Luis Obispo (CA) recently shared with us. “Rain impacts the flows we receive but is hard to account for within our database.” When considering a solution, he said, “We wanted something that would be automatically collected that we could point to and say, ‘this is why flows were elevated during this time.’” “The better we can track temperature, the better we can forecast/respond to changes in weather,"  Patrick continued.  “ Air quality and safety are a high priority. Knowing which direction and how strong the wind is blowing can ensure adequate response in the event of an emergency.” The City of San Luis Obispo’s Water Resource Recovery Facility treats 4.5 million gallons of wastewater daily in central California. A Pulsar 700 Weather Station was recently installed at the plant as part of a major facility upgrade that will help improve over...

Some of our customers really take weather monitoring to the next level! In the video below, WKRG News 5 in Mobile, Alabama debuts The Beast, their new mobile weather lab with the Pulsar 800 Weather Station : “From hurricanes to tornadoes to flash floods, it’s safe to say the Gulf Coast has some of the wildest, most active weather in the country. Reporting on these life changing weather events is top priority for WKRG News 5.” If you take weather monitoring seriously, check out our professional weather stations at Columbiaweather.com or give us a call! If video does not display, click here .

Take a look at this “Storm Center on Wheels”! Built by LDV for Delmarva Power in Delaware, this Mobile Command Vehicle is equipped with a Magellan MX500 Weather Station and a Panel Mount Weather Display. According to a CBS Philly article , “Delmarva says crews have been improving the electrical grid to provide safe and reliable service. State and county emergency management officials say now is the time to prepare for severe weather. ” The Panel Mount Display (center) is shown in the interior of the vehicle. Delmarva Power’s social media posts also highlight the vehicle being dispatched to storm-hit areas in the wakes of Hurricanes Irma and Dorian. Curious how professional weather monitoring equipment can benefit your operations? Visit the links below: →  5 Reasons Incident Response Needs a Weather Station → Vehicle-Mount Weather Stations   → Emergency Management Application   Photos courtesy of LDV Inc.

“(This is) the best technology when it comes to data collection for weather” — Paul Deanno, Meteorologist at KPIX San Francisco. Raising weather monitoring to a new level, Pulsar Weather Stations combine the convenience of all-in-one configuration with the flexibility of high-accuracy sensor options. Wind speed and direction utilize ultrasonic technology. All wind models include an electronic, flux-gate compass for auto-align of wind direction. Easy setup and low maintenance are added benefits! Visit our website for all the details or give us a call for a free quote!

"A big push for utilities in the Pacific Northwest is to attempt to prevent wildfires within their respective service territories. UEC has invested a ton of effort to support this big push, and ultimately stay ahead of it. We installed the Orion at a piece of downline equipment in our more high-risk area, and have the information it provides returned to our system control room...” –Electric System Engineer Ryan Young Thanks to Oregon utility Umatilla Electric Cooperative for sharing with us how they use weather data from an Orion Weather Station for critical decision-making. Read the Application Page by Clicking Here . Thanks for reading, and make sure to s tay up to date with Columbia Weather by following us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , and YouTube !

"It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside." ―Maud Hart Lovelace Happy First Day of Summer! ☀️ Wherever you are, we hope you are enjoying the weather and are keeping safe in the heat! For summer safety tips, check out the National Weather Service’s resource here: https://www.weather.go#summerweather Photo credit: Nader Khoury

  Curious about buying a professional weather station for a project but not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered. Our free Guide to Buying a Weather Station resource makes it easy to help you make the right decision for your requirement. Whether you are a professional purchasing agent, a technical engineer, or the office intern, doing some legwork up front will help you work up better specifications for a better RFQ. Download our Guide to Buying a Weather Station Use this guide to specify the best weather station for your application. The more information you have in hand, the better we can help you make the right decision for your requirement.

A portable weather station that only takes minutes to set up? ✅ Absolutely. Trusted by HazMat teams and environmental researchers all across the U.S. and Canada, Portable Weather Stations from Columbia Weather give your team the advantage of rapid deployment so you can quickly monitor accurate, on-site weather data when it is critical. "Having a portable weather monitoring station gives us the flexibility to set up wherever we need and gives us very localized data." -Steve Bilawchuk, ACI Acoustical Consultants Inc. All portable systems include: – A rugged, roller carrying case – Battery power system with charger and backup – Wireless transceivers (2.4 GHz up to two-mile LOS range) – Sensor tripod mast with carrying bag Click here to learn more about portable weather stations from CWS !

With summer just around the corner and the weather getting warmer, remember to stay safe by being prepared. Outdoor workers can be at a higher risk from the effects of excessive heat. When working under hot conditions: Check weather forecasts ahead of time to be better prepared Monitor real-time weather conditions Consume adequate fluids (water and sport drinks) Take breaks in the shade Quickly identify any heat illness symptoms Knowing current weather conditions, symptoms, prevention, and emergency response methods can help prevent heat-related illnesses and death. For more information, visit https://www.osha.gov/heat-exposure

“Most mines can be environmentally challenging to work in. Dust, moisture, water run-off, and outdoor exposure to sunlight, wind and rain can have an impact on the equipment, operators, and the community living nearby.” Environmental monitoring is critical for mining operations according to a recent article about technology advances in the mining industry.* The author specifically mentions the Orion Weather Station from Columbia Weather Systems, citing “a number of examples that need to be monitored on an ongoing basis… [with] the ability to pull data from a number of different monitoring or weather stations that have been employed around mine sites. For example, the Orion Weather Station with the MicroServer will allow interface via SNMP over the Ethernet network to obtain the following data: ➡️ Temperature ➡️ Relative humidity ➡️ Digital barometer ➡️ Ultrasonic wind direction & speed ➡️ Impact rain “These weather stations can be positioned at different points around the mine site...

“We use our (Orion) weather station mainly for wind direction and speed which in return initiates plant odor neutralizer pumps to kick on via SCADA PLC commands. These pumps mix water and perfume and spray a fine mist to keep odors down at the waste water treatment facility. We also calculate rain events and forecast how much we may need to pump final effluent for a given day . . .   no issues with the station, works good!” The Orion Weather Station mounted on the tower at the Union Sanitary District plant in California. A wide shot of the tower with the weather station mounted on top. Union Sanitary District's SCADA system screens display real-time weather data from the weather station. Thanks to Mike Hovey  of the Union Sanitary District for sharing these photos with us! Union Sanitary District is an award-winning wastewater treatment facility that services a population of over 356,000 in the California Bay Area. The plant utilizes an  Orion™ Weather...

  🚰 Do you work in the Water/Wastewater Treatment industry? Whether you are managing water supply, wastewater, or storm water, on-site weather monitoring equipment can be a critical tool in making informed decisions to improve operations. 📔 In our “5 Reasons Smart Water Utilities Need a Weather Station” resource, we’ll tell you how. Click here to read the details of out how on-site weather data can be a valuable asset to your water operations. Weather monitoring equipment can provide data to make water operations more effective. 

On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, the Mount Washington Observatory recorded the highest natural wind gust on the Earth’s surface at 231 miles per hour. Every year, National Big Wind Day is celebrated on April 12 to commemorate the significant day. 🌬 ️ Is wind data important to your business operations? We offer a variety of accurate, reliable wind sensors. Let us help you find what works best for your needs  - Give us a call today or email sales@columbiaweather.com . Photos courtesy of Mount Washington Observatory

 “Extreme weather conditions are becoming more common in more places in the country. These conditions can take a toll on not only the members who operate on the scene, but on the equipment that’s used as well,” writes Michael Daley in a recent issue of Firehouse Magazine .  While winter weather is hopefully winding down across the United States and Canada, it is not too early to begin preparing for next year’s extreme cold temperatures and stormy winds.  As we all know, freezing temperatures and high winds can onset very quickly. Response conditions can go from operational to dangerous in moments. How will you know?  Weather conditions can impact response and on-scene considerations such as driving conditions, access to hydrants, and even fire behavior.  “It’s advisable to stay tuned to the most up-to-date weather reports for your response area. There are many options for immediate weather conditions …” Daley suggests.  There is no substitute for real-time ...

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold, when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade."   –Charles Dickens Happy 🌸 Spring! The Vernal Equinox began yesterday, marking the beginning of astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere. We are looking forward to warmer days ahead! Each season brings its own unique challenges - be prepared by reviewing Weather.Gov's spring weather safety tips here . What's your spring weather like today? Leave a comment below and let us know!