Columbia Weather Systems

Are noxious odors a problem at your local wastewater plant? A recent Wastewater Digest article* makes some important points about Odor Control: 🔽 1️⃣. It is a common problem: “At some point, every wastewater treatment plant or water resource recovery facility has been subject to comments, concerns or questions about wastewater odor.” 2️⃣. It is a growing concern: “While treatment plants generally are constructed away from residential areas, communities grow and change. Housing developments close in on the proximity to the treatment plants, which then results in more concerns and complaints about offensive odors.” 3️⃣. It can be a public safety issue: “… odor control can be useful for addressing public safety and the health of a wastewater collection system.” A key component noxious odor prevention and mitigation is weather monitoring. Parameters like temperature, wind speed and direction, as well as humidity and rainfall, all impact. Check out our white paper 5 Reasons Smart Water Uti...

The roof was blown off a building in Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, Canada, as high winds battered the area on November 29. The incident was brought to our attention by our customer Marine Atlantic. They contacted us with the data log file to help verify the wind speed at the time of the incident. The company operates the ferry service to Nova Scotia, and has an Orion Weather Station situated on an island not far from the building. The graph below shows a peak of 88.3 mph fo r the 10-minute average gust at about 8:30. According to local news reports, hurricane-strength winds caused widespread power outages and property damage to the region.  “Weather stations are working great and very pleased with the equipment,” they concluded. The company has multiple Orion Weather Stations with MicroServer, Weather Display console and WeatherMaster Software.  Roof Blown Off During Storm in Newfoundland Video

Do you wonder: “Why should we buy a weather station from Columbia Weather Systems?” One reason is exemplified in a recent order slated for Honduras. The customer requested an Orion™ Weather Station with a twist. He wanted to monitor the level and temperature of the water at his lakeside property. These sensors were easily incorporated via the Weather MicroServer™ with all parameters displayed on a Weather Display Console, as well as Weather Master™ Software . CWS offers customized weather monitoring solutions via: 1) a wide range of system configurations 2) with many sensor technologies, and 3) user-friendly monitoring options. What are your requirements? 

“Flying buddy” preps for flight with local pilot at Fairbury Municipal Airport. Courtesy of Chad Sprunk.  Planes take off and land “into the wind” for faster liftoffs and to reduce the length of runway needed, according to Sandi Decker, manager at Fairbury (NE) Municipal Airport. Current weather conditions help determine which of the two runways is to be used for any given flight. The airport chose a Magellan MX500™ Weather Station with Weather Display Console for their requirements. The Weather Display is in the front office for pilots and staff to view. “I’m really pleased with it,” says Sandi. So pleased that she recommended the Magellan MX Weather Station to nearby Seward Municipal Airport. Thanks, Sandi!

The event was held at OMSI in Portland Last weekend Nader and Gary represented CWS at the 26th Annual Winter Weather Forecast Conference hosted by the Oregon Chapter of the American Meteorological Society . Gary talks to attendees at the CWS booth. Over 300 weather enthusiasts gathered at OMSI to hear local experts. Here’s a recap: Mark Nelsen from KPTV and KPDX TV reviewed last winter’s weather, celebrating correct predictions and needling the incorrect ones. Jim Todd of OMSI filled us in on astronomical events of the last year, including launches by SpaceX and Blue Origin. Tyree Wilde from NOAA, Rod Hill from KGW-TV and Kyle Dittmer from the Columbia River Inter Tribal Fish Commission predicted warmer temperatures, with estimates of snowpack and the number of snow events in Portland varied. CWS is proud to participate with our local chapter of the AMS. We enjoy the monthly meetings, and the Winter Weather Conference is the highlight of the year! In case you missed ...

The 26th Annual Winter Weather Forecast Conference is coming up! Save the date for Saturday, October 27th at the  Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)  to hear Meteorologists from across the PNW give their predictions for the upcoming winter. The event is hosted by the  Oregon Chapter of The American Meteorological Society (AMS)  and is open to the public with all ages welcome.

Today is Manufacturing day, a national celebration of modern manufacturing and the opportunities it provides within the U.S. 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. Learn more about our products as well as Manufacturing Day at the links below. “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 industry that offers secure, good-paying jobs” says John W. Kennedy, CEO of the NJ Manufacturing Extension Program. http://bit.ly/ColumbiaWeather https://www.mfgday.com/

We enjoyed a visit from  Matt Zaffino , Chief Meteorologist at  KGW-TV   yesterday. It's not often that we get visitors, so if you're interested in learning more about us, drop by and we'll show you around!

All hands on deck - shipping a record-setting order to the Department of Homeland Security. We also got the order out the door ahead of schedule. Great job, team! Shout out to our UPS driver! Celebrating the occasion with sparkling cider.

Is your business prepared? According to the NOAA, the U.S. experienced a historic year of weather-related disasters in 2017. Extreme weather and other emergencies can cause tens of thousands of damages for small businesses. For the last week of National Preparedness Month, access resources from Ready.gov to be better prepared for the future. If your company operations are affected by weather conditions, contact us for professional monitoring solutions.  

It is week three of National Preparedness Month - here are some timely recommendations from FEMA.

Mechanical wind sensors on the test bench. As a component of the modular Capricorn FLX™ Weather Station, these reliable wind speed and direction sensors offer a cost-effective option for professional weather monitoring. The Capricorn’s modular design allows for individual sensor selection and placement, including up to four temperature sensors. A descendant of the flagship Capricorn Weather Station, the Capricorn line of weather stations is popular worldwide with government agencies, military, universities, and companies such as Continental Tires, Boeing, and Walsh Construction. For more info, visit: http://bit.ly/CapricornFlx

Happy Meteorological Autumn! September is National Preparedness Month. So if changing conditions impact your operations, keep an eye on the weather with a Weather Station from CWS.  Click here for tips on how to be prepared: https://www.ready.gov/be-informed Photo Credit: Nader Khoury --- #WeatherReadyNation #WRN #FallWeather #FallSafety #WeatherMonitoring #Weatherdata #WeatherStations

Is solar radiation data important to your company operations? We offer a range of pyranometers to fit different requirements. Click to see comparisons of the solar radiation sensors available with CWS weather stations.

We are updating these Real Time Monitoring interfaces. The new design is rolling out of production effective immediately. One update is the new wind direction pointer which clarifies where the wind is blowing from and points where the wind is blowing to. The design retains the dark background with bright lettering suitable for control room environments. A no-charge firmware upgrade is available for Weather Display consoles purchased since Version 2.4.9434, 04/24/2017. A no-charge firmware upgrade is available for Weather MicroServers purchased since 9/9/2015. Besides the new look, the MicroServer upgrade includes support for some of our newest sensors including the Pulsar 100 Doppler Radar Precipitation Monitor and the new Air Quality Monitors. If your system is prior to the above specifications, please contact us for upgrade options. Click Here for MicroServer Page Click Here for Weather Display Page

It's the longest day of the year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere - hoping for sun and warm weather wherever you may be!

While we might not be able to change the direction of the wind, our weather stations can tell you which way it's blowing! ColumbiaWeather.com

Portland area emergency managers toured an Air National Guard mobile emergency operations center (MEOC) outfitted with an Orion Weather Station at a recent meeting. The trailer can become a command-and-control hub and dispatch to any state for on-scene communications and disaster response. Close-up of the Vehicle-Mount Orion Inside the MEOC (See Weather Display on left wall) Gary was in attendance and says the MEOC “includes all kinds of communications equipment, many computers, and an Orion Weather Station connected to the  Weather Display  inside. It is a pretty impressive piece of equipment.”

Last week Vincent and Nader had an unusual opportunity to participate in the commissioning of a new Orion Weather Station for the Ground Run-up Enclosure (GRE) at the Portland International Airport. The GRE purpose is to reduce environmental noise during aircraft engine testing. Operation is impacted by weather parameters -- primarily wind and temperature. The Port of Portland operates the facility and chose an Orion™ Weather Station with Weather MicroServer to replace their old system. Vincent and Nader inspected the installation and verified the data stream. In addition to everything working smoothly as expected, a highlight of the excursion was observing a couple of military planes taking off close by. FULL STORY HERE

When hazardous weather conditions might threaten operations, Weather Master™ Software users can take advantage of the Alarm Notifications feature. Upper and/or lower alarms can be set on any or all measured and calculated parameters. Notification options include audible, e-mail, and relay control to activate equipment such as pumps, fans or lights. The optional Relay Controller connects to the computer with a USB cable. When an alarm condition is met, the selected relay will  close momentarily and a popup window will be displayed on the computer. The Relay Controller activates a secondary latch relay with a user selectable timer to control the equipment. WeatherMaster Software can be used with all weather stations from Columbia Weather Systems.