Climate and Meteorology, Precipitation Data, Rain Gauge at Cockeysville, MD (CKVL) - Combination package with spreadsheet, documentation, graphs, and photographs. Water year 2006-2007.

Location Lat. 39 29' 47.7", long. 76 41' 20.5" 1. 695 to Interstate 83 North 2. Interstate 83 to Shwan Road West 3. At internsection with oregon grille, procede to parking lot behind resturant 4. Follow the parking lot to the back => park here 5. Walk toward the public gardens, and turn left, the rain gauge is at the end of the gardens. USGS Quadrangle - Cockeysville Potential Hazards - Tall grass and field may present ticks Establishment - November 1999 Datum of Station - about 404' above sea level Equipment - JandS Tipping Bucket Rain Gague with HOBO Data Click Here to see a typical problem History * 19 July 1999 Gauge is established. * 12 July 2002 Bird deterrant device installed on gauge. Device consists of wire fencing cut so that prongs stick up towards sky. Wire is then secured in a loop tight enough to stay on the funnel. Tape is wrapped around device to protect user and allow for easy removal. Height of device does not exceed 1.5cm above gauge lip. * 20 August 2002 Bird deterrant device determined to be ineffective and was removed. This determination was made after consecutive finds of bird feces while servicing. Plans have been made to tray another method. Calibration was checked, 150 mL with 16 tips. Panorama - This gauge is located in a open feild bounded by forest and roads. Calibration Measurements - Calibration of this gauge should be preformed as described in the users manual. Each bucket should hold 8.24 mL of water before tipping. This should occur five consecutive times. Adjust calibration screws as needed. Extreme Events No extreme events have been observed to present. Winter Records - Rain gauge is not heated and is subject to freezing. Accuracy - Data should be processed through a quality control algorithm before use. Cooperation - Baltimore Ecosystem Study, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Oregon Ridge Park Photographs - Print collections may be available. Contact the MD-DE-DC District Office about any collections in the official station records. . See Baltimore Ecosystem Study Meteorology Overview here: http://beslter.org/frame7-page_1p.html . "WY2011 CKVL Data QC'd KTBelt, Jan011 2011" The CKVL rain gage is located just to the east of Oregon Ridge and the BARN/POBR stream gages. "Lat-Long Coordinates: 39.474, -76.621" "Measurments are made with a Novalynx 8"" manual gage, a 260-2510 National Weather Service Type
Rain and Snow Gauge." Narrative observations are also made regarding weather conditions at the time of measurment and general storm and freezing events. All Observations by KT Belt "Snow cover and depth measurements, and rain gage measurements are made twice a day (0600 hrs and 1800 hrs)" "Snow cover is estimated by eye, by observing the % of a flat lawn area (ca. 6 x 10 m) adjacent to the CKVLL the rain gage." Snow depth is measured (to the nearest 0.1 cm) on a snowboard (ca 1 m2) near (within ca 2 m) of the CKVL NL gage. "NL gage measurments include a ""stick"" measurment (as per NWS protocol), and a volume measurement (in ml)" NL gage measurements are adjusted to compsensate for small errors in the area of the rain funnel orifice (5.91 % error) and the snow orifice (2.91 % error). "QC includes comparing results to surrounding gages (mostly MSC, BWI) and examining points on the NL P (in) vs Volume (ml) plot." "QC also includes comparing data to a Novalynx 260-2531 4"" gage (1 m height) that is ca 1.5 m from the NL gage (abbrev NLs)." Abbrev Description Comments MSC NOAA NWS Inner Harbor (Md Science Center) automated station "Daily, hourly and aggregated data from this site used for QC and as an adjunct station" MSA NOAA NWS Martin State Airport meteorological station "Daily, hourly and aggregated data from this site used for QC and as an adjunct station; Note: precip data is inconsistently observed (but site narrative observations are useful)." BWI NOAA NWS BWI-Marshall Airport meteorological station "Daily, hourly and aggregated data from this site used for QC and as an adjunct station" NL "Manual precip gage, large Nova Lynx NWS type gage" NLs "Manual precip gage, small Nova Lynx NWS type gage" TB Tipping Bucket gage S Precipitation Type Code "Type Code: Snow, ice " R Precipitation Type Code R Type Code: Rain TS Precipitation Type Code TS Type Code: Thunderstorm O Precipitation Type Code O Type Code: Sign.TB funnel clog or obstruction to tips GT Data QC Flag Code "Ghost tip in Tipping Bucket gage (artifact, not due to precip)" FzP Data QC Flag Code Potential for ice or other frozen impact on Tipping Bucket gage operation TCk Data QC Flag Code Tipping Bucket time check DLd Data QC Flag Code Tipping Bucket data download E Data QC Flag Code Amount estimated ND Data QC Flag Code No Data Rain Weather Code (instantaneous observation) "Raining (HRain, MRain, LRain); H, M, L modifiers indicate heavy, moderate, light" Snow Weather Code (instantaneous observation) "Snowing (HSnow, MSnow, LSnow); H, M, L modifiers indicate heavy, moderate, light " Cldy Weather Code (instantaneous observation) Cloudy MCldy Weather Code (instantaneous observation) Mostly Cloudy (GT 50% and LT 90% Cloud Cover) PCldy Weather Code (instantaneous observation) Partly Cloudy (GT 10% and LT 50% Cloud Cover) Clr Weather Code (instantaneous observation) Clear (Fair) Hazy Weather Code (instantaneous observation) Hazy fr Gen From NW Gen "NW, as in from the norst etc etc."