Wasn't I surprised when I opened my various weather pages to check on what the weather was doing in our area? Weather Underground said it was overcast, The Weather Channel said it was mostly cloudy and N.O.A.A. claims it is fair. Of course, the N.O.A.A. data comes from Waterville, ME, some 50 miles away. The main reason for my surprise is that I could see Orion, Cassiopeia, Ursa Major and a wide variety of other constellations from horizon to horizon. There were a couple of small clouds, but they appeared to be dissipating. The Weather Underground model map was the only site that I visited this morning that showed us in the clear, and, according to them, we will remain so all day. N.O.A.A. apparently missed the dominant weather and the cloud cover overnight. The temperature and humidity for the overnight are tabulated below:
Temperature: 41°F/42°F//38°F/42°F//37°F/39°F//35°F/37°F.
Relative Humidity: 70%/69%//76%/72%//75%/77%//82%/79%.
The forecast temperature and humidity are closer to reality this morning than I have seen them in quite a while, but because everything else is so far out, I will not bother to score them. Someone at N.O.A.A. needs to look at the data coming in from the Citizen Weather Observer Program. Frequently the data from Waterville or Augusta does not apply to Wilton, Rangeley, or Farmington. This data is collected, but apparently, it is not used.
For today, N.O.A.A. forecasts no rain or wintry mix here, but they do predict some of that wintry mix a little north of us. They also predict cloud cover at 62%/61%/60% and 53% starting at 08:00 hours. Their predictions for temperature and humidity are tabulated below:
Temperature: 35°F/43°F/47°F/45°F.
Relative Humidity: 82%/57%/47%/49%.
I will continue to report the projected N.O.A.A. data and the comparison between the actual data from my weather station, and you can draw your own conclusions as to the accuracy of their forecasts. I am not impressed at the present time.
My Weather Stick points slightly down, and that forecast is at least as accurate as N.O.A.A.'s. My remote weather station still forecasts rain, but with an improving barometric pressure. The sensor for that unit is inside the barn, and that may have an effect on the forecast, although it is not raining in my barn. My other two electronic instruments forecast fair skies with improving barometric pressure. I tend to agree with these two instruments, suggesting that this will be a pleasant, albeit cool day. I am not sure how much sun we will have, but I suspect that there will be more than N.O.A.A. predicts. Am I getting cynical?
Low Temperature (°F): 36.6
Current Temperature (°F): 37.4
Relative Humidity: 78%
Dew Point (°F): 31.3
Heat Index (°F): N/A
Barometric Pressure (in Hg): 29.74
Wind Direction: North Northwest
Wind Speed (mph): 6.2
Wind Chill (°F): 30.8
Precipitation: None
Amount (inches): 0.00
Sky-AM: Clear
Cloud Type: None
Weather Stick: Slightly Down

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