Mesowest
Encyclopedia
MesoWest is an ongoing cooperative project, started in 1996, to provide access to current and archive weather
observations across the United States
. Weather observations include but are not limited to: temperature
, humidity
, wind speed
, wind direction
, and precipitation
. Data are collected from a variety of organizations. Some stations participate in voluntary weather observing networks. Others are part of mesonet
s that are managed by private firms or federal/state/local agencies. These data are available for a multitude of uses. Over 20,000 weather stations actively report to the MesoWest database.
Parties involved in this project include researchers at the University of Utah
, forecasters
at the Salt Lake City National Weather Service Office, the National Weather Service Western Region Headquarters , and personnel of participating agencies, universities, and commercial firms. Support for this project is being provided by the National Weather Service
.
visualization
. The following is a brief overview of the purpose for each of MesoWest’s available delivery methods:
Current Weather Summary : Quick and flexible access to current weather conditions in a tabular format. Users are able to view weather conditions locally or at larger scales.
Weather Maps
: Map
-based interfaces allow easy access to MesoWest data plotted on surface analyses
and/or specialized topographic depictions.
LDM (Local Data Manager) Delivery: Data from MesoWest are disseminated to NWS Forecast Offices via dedicated communication channels for input into AWIPS. Forecasters are able to superimpose mesonet observations onto satellite
, radar
, and other products. MesoWest data are also available to Universities and government agencies that rely upon the LDM data distribution system.
Website Downloads : MesoWest data is available for download via the web. Please visit the MesoWest website for more information.
events such as winter snow storms, damaging winds, and convective weather events. MesoWest surface observations are integrated into high spatial and temporal resolution
grid analyses across the United States. The University of Oklahoma Advanced Regional Prediction System Data Analysis System (ADAS) has been configured to run over regions of complex terrain, including 3-dimensional
and surface-based analyses. The Utah ADAS relies on MesoWest observations as an important source of local data, modifying initial background fields provided by numerical model analyses.
MesoWest is also available to the educational community for use in the classroom. Students in grades K-12 can observe weather conditions near their school or around the region.
to protect lives and property, the public for general information, and educational institutions for instructional and research purposes. Any other uses of the data from one or more stations must receive written approval from the agencies that installed the weather sensors.
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
observations across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Weather observations include but are not limited to: temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
, humidity
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
, wind speed
Wind speed
Wind speed, or wind velocity, is a fundamental atmospheric rate.Wind speed affects weather forecasting, aircraft and maritime operations, construction projects, growth and metabolism rate of many plant species, and countless other implications....
, wind direction
Wind direction
Wind direction is reported by the direction from which it originates. For example, a northerly wind blows from the north to the south. Wind direction is usually reported in cardinal directions or in azimuth degrees...
, and precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
. Data are collected from a variety of organizations. Some stations participate in voluntary weather observing networks. Others are part of mesonet
Mesonet
In meteorology, a mesonet is a network of automated weather stations designed to observe mesoscale meteorological phenomena. Dry lines, squall lines, and sea breezes are examples of phenomena that can be observed by mesonets...
s that are managed by private firms or federal/state/local agencies. These data are available for a multitude of uses. Over 20,000 weather stations actively report to the MesoWest database.
Parties involved in this project include researchers at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
, forecasters
Weather forecasting
Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a given location. Human beings have attempted to predict the weather informally for millennia, and formally since the nineteenth century...
at the Salt Lake City National Weather Service Office, the National Weather Service Western Region Headquarters , and personnel of participating agencies, universities, and commercial firms. Support for this project is being provided by the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
.
Mission
The primary mission of MesoWest is to "promote and support access, storage, and use of weather observations across the nation.”Access to weather and climate information
Delivery methods have been designed to satisfy varying needs for weather informationInformation
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
visualization
Information graphics
Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics present complex information quickly and clearly, such as in signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education...
. The following is a brief overview of the purpose for each of MesoWest’s available delivery methods:
Current Weather Summary : Quick and flexible access to current weather conditions in a tabular format. Users are able to view weather conditions locally or at larger scales.
Weather Maps
Weather map
A weather map displays various meteorological features across a particular area at a particular point in time. Such maps have been in use since the mid-19th century and are used for research and weather forecasting purposes. Maps using isotherms show temperature gradients, which can help locate...
: Map
Map
A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....
-based interfaces allow easy access to MesoWest data plotted on surface analyses
Surface weather analysis
Surface weather analysis is a special type of weather map that provides a view of weather elements over a geographical area at a specified time based on information from ground-based weather stations...
and/or specialized topographic depictions.
LDM (Local Data Manager) Delivery: Data from MesoWest are disseminated to NWS Forecast Offices via dedicated communication channels for input into AWIPS. Forecasters are able to superimpose mesonet observations onto satellite
Satellite imagery
Satellite imagery consists of photographs of Earth or other planets made by means of artificial satellites.- History :The first images from space were taken on sub-orbital flights. The U.S-launched V-2 flight on October 24, 1946 took one image every 1.5 seconds...
, radar
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
, and other products. MesoWest data are also available to Universities and government agencies that rely upon the LDM data distribution system.
Website Downloads : MesoWest data is available for download via the web. Please visit the MesoWest website for more information.
Usage
MesoWest is used operationally by the National Weather Service to monitor weather conditions around the country in order to protect lives and property. MesoWest is also used extensively by researchers to understand severe weatherSevere weather
Severe weather phenomena are weather conditions that are hazardous to human life and property.- Examples Include :Severe weather can occur under a variety of situations, but three characteristics are generally needed: a temperature or moisture boundary, moisture, and , instability in the...
events such as winter snow storms, damaging winds, and convective weather events. MesoWest surface observations are integrated into high spatial and temporal resolution
Temporal resolution
Temporal resolution refers to the precision of a measurement with respect to time. Often there is a tradeoff between temporal resolution of a measurement and its spatial resolution. This trade-off can be attributed to the finite speed of light and the fact that it takes a certain period of time...
grid analyses across the United States. The University of Oklahoma Advanced Regional Prediction System Data Analysis System (ADAS) has been configured to run over regions of complex terrain, including 3-dimensional
Dimensional analysis
In physics and all science, dimensional analysis is a tool to find or check relations among physical quantities by using their dimensions. The dimension of a physical quantity is the combination of the basic physical dimensions which describe it; for example, speed has the dimension length per...
and surface-based analyses. The Utah ADAS relies on MesoWest observations as an important source of local data, modifying initial background fields provided by numerical model analyses.
MesoWest is also available to the educational community for use in the classroom. Students in grades K-12 can observe weather conditions near their school or around the region.
Restrictions
The data provided to MesoWest arise from cooperative arrangements with many different educational institutions, public agencies and commercial firms. These data are intended to be used by: governmental agenciesGovernment agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
to protect lives and property, the public for general information, and educational institutions for instructional and research purposes. Any other uses of the data from one or more stations must receive written approval from the agencies that installed the weather sensors.
MesoWest staff
| Person | Position |
|---|---|
| John Horel | Overall Coordination |
| Judy Pechmann | Database |
| Chris Galli | Database |
| Yan Zheng | Support |
| Xia Dong | Support |
| Alex Jacques | Support |
| James Judd | Undergrad Support |
| Zach Hansen | Undergrad Support |
| Matt Lammers | Undergrad Support |