Where has the Wind Gone

2012-11-15 22:39:11.000 – Steve Welsh,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist

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The past 24 hours has been one of the calmest periods I can remember up here – the average wind speed for the day so far is just under 4 mph and the max gust is only 12 mph. It really feels strange walking out onto the deck and there’s no wind pushing you, no breeze on your face and it’s so quiet – it makes you realize just how much background noise the wind makes as it rushes by the buildings, antennas and rocks. It’s also been very mild for the time of year, in fact due to a strong inversion we are several degrees warmer than the surrounding valleys, and the fog is absent too – makes for a nice change!

After all the excitement over the Aurora sightings the other day I was hopeful of seeing something last night, alas it was not to be. Conditions were perfect too – crystal clear air, no clouds, no moon, warm with very little wind. I’m also standing in for Mike on the night shift this week so it wasn’t like I’d be losing any sleep either. Still it was a very pleasant night, lots of star gazing while taking the observations, the milky way was spectacular and I did get to see a couple of shooting stars. There are a few more clouds around tonight but it is starting to clear so who knows what will will turn up later.

Steve Welsh,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist