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 Post subject: New wind chill calculation
PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 10:47 am 
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Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:49 pm
Posts: 17613
Location: Sanday, Orkney
Weather Station: Davis VP2
Operating System: Windows Home Server 2011
I've noticed a slightly odd effect with the wind chill calculation that I'm now using for Fine Offset stations. It has a cutoff of 10C, at or above which it decides that wind chill is no longer relevant, and so sets the wind chill to the same as the ambient temperature.

Now, while this might be strictly correct in meteorological terms (the NOAA say wind chill is only defined at or below 50F (10C) - see towards the end of this page - http://www.weather.gov/os/windchill/index.shtml) it does make the wind chill graph look a bit odd when the temperature is around 10C/50F.

I'm considering taking the 10C cutoff out of the calculation. Any thoughts?

Steve


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 Post subject: Re: New wind chill calculation
PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:00 am 
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Joined: Tue Dec 09, 2008 1:37 pm
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Location: Dudley, West Midlands, UK
Weather Station: None !
Operating System: XP SP3
Stick with NOAA

But what windchill graph ? or are you thinking V2, in which case you should switch windchill / HeatIndex and have a 'feelslike'.

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 Post subject: Re: New wind chill calculation
PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:05 am 
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Location: Sanday, Orkney
Weather Station: Davis VP2
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beteljuice wrote:
Stick with NOAA


I usually refer to my Davis VP2 and see what that does, but the documentation is a bit confusing as it depends on the firmware. But I think they don't cut off until about 90F (actually, I think the calculation just works out that way).

Quote:
But what windchill graph ?


The one in the latest 1.8.5 builds.

If you look here (which is where it was brought to my attention) - http://www.c.chew.dsl.pipex.com/trends.htm and look at the outside temperature graph, you'll see the effect as the temperature hovers around 10C, with a sudden change in the value.

Steve


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 Post subject: Re: New wind chill calculation
PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:12 pm 
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Location: Dudley, West Midlands, UK
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Had a look at graph outputs from other places and that 'gap' is correct, it is an unfortunate combination of the windspeed and graph scale (both time and amplitude) that makes it stand out so much :mrgreen:

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 Post subject: Re: New wind chill calculation
PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 3:04 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:49 pm
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Location: Sanday, Orkney
Weather Station: Davis VP2
Operating System: Windows Home Server 2011
But don't you think that sudden 'step change' in the wind chill graph as the temperature goes from 9.9C to 10C (and back again) is a bit silly? It suggests that in high wind at 9.9C there is a considerable wind chill, and then suddenly at 10C there is none. Even if it is being exaggerated in this case.

And look at it this way: If I change it to have no cut-off by default, and provide an ini-file switch to turn it back on, I will get far fewer repeated queries in here about it than I surely will if I leave it as it is :(

Steve


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 Post subject: Re: New wind chill calculation
PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 3:10 pm 
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Location: Dudley, West Midlands, UK
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It's the nearest approximation in a complicated formula, just one of those things I'm afraid - just like they say you can't have a 'cooling' wind when it's hot !

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