The Pot Belly Stove

[Mr. Rainman]

Man, I can't believe it's already mid-March! Seems like just a week ago I stepped on the plane out to New Zealand. The trip is officially half-way complete, and by the time many of you read this, I will have left the seasonal climate of New Zealand and moved to the much more brutal Australia. They are currently dealing with tropical cyclones, wildfires, thunderstorms, flooding, and nasty heat to boot. Forecast for Melbourne tomorrow is 92 with rain. 

Just a month left and I'll be relaxing back in the States with some more lessons learned from hearing about perspectives on our country from Down Under. For those of you who have traveled overseas, have you heard anything about how foreigners view the USA?

[Localonthe8s]

Yes, but that was in France, :p but really not everyone in France is cynical of the USA, they seem to enjoy the diversity in the tourists who come to flock Paris. And everyone in Spain seemed really friendly and outgoing. Never had issues as a foreigner in Barcelona either. They have some really nice beaches and architecture which is a must see

[Zach]

I would assume that Barcelona and Spain shared views, considering Barcelona is a city in Spain

[Localonthe8s]

I would assume that Barcelona and Spain shared views, considering Barcelona is a city in Spain

Yep, but not in Madrid. If you want bull fighting and tomato throwing, then a much laid back Barcelona is not the place for u

[TWCCraig]

This is the current temperature in L'Anse, Michigan. UNBELIEVABLE!

[Zach]

This is the current temperature in L'Anse, Michigan. UNBELIEVABLE!

...

That's an inaccurate reading.. the closest airport to L'Anse (Houghton, MI) is reporting 74°F at this hour. This is one of the reasons that I do not use HiRAD as a primary source for current conditions.. I don't even trust my own weather station at times! Before I check HiRAD or my weather station, I will always make sure that I use a reporting station with an IATA code.

[TWCToday]

This is the current temperature in L'Anse, Michigan. UNBELIEVABLE!

Thats an error
http://forecast.weather.gov/obslocal.php?warnzone=MIZ004&local_place=L%27Anse+MI&zoneid=EDT&offset=14400

That's an inaccurate reading.. the closest airport to L'Anse (Houghton, MI) is reporting 74°F at this hour.

Lol beat me to it!

[WeatherWitness]

What causes these inaccurate readings?

[Mike M]

What causes these inaccurate readings?

It's HiRAD... it's all computer based so occasional glitches can be expected

[TWCCraig]

I checked the local airport observations shortly after seeing it. That's what's unbelievable about it and that's why I posted it. It's the main reason why I hate HiRAD. That's why my IS2 reports inaccurate readings.

[toxictwister00]

I really wish they would get rid of HiRAD, but I know they won't. The sky conditions that get reported on the IS here is usually always wrong too. If it says Partly Cloudy or Fair, it's Cloudy and vice versa, it's very annoying and it's slow about updating when precip moves in. The temp readings here aren't as bad as the sky obs are though, but sometimes they're way off base also.

[TWCToday]

I really wish they would get rid of HiRAD, but I know they won't. The sky conditions that get reported on the IS here is usually always wrong too. If it says Partly Cloudy or Fair, it's Cloudy and vice versa, it's very annoying and it's slow about updating when precip moves in. The temp readings here aren't as bad as the sky obs are though, but sometimes they're way off base also.

I agree. I'm fine with using it for temps but its not too good at sky conditions

[WeatherWitness]

I really wish they would get rid of HiRAD, but I know they won't. The sky conditions that get reported on the IS here is usually always wrong too. If it says Partly Cloudy or Fair, it's Cloudy and vice versa, it's very annoying and it's slow about updating when precip moves in. The temp readings here aren't as bad as the sky obs are though, but sometimes they're way off base also.

I agree. I'm fine with using it for temps but its not too good at sky conditions

Hmm...well this might explain that whenever it's clearly hazy or even dusty outside, the sky obs only report as "cloudy."

[toxictwister00]

Sometimes I think it confuses the differences between haze and fog like the other day it reported light rain/fog. It was raining, but it wasn't foggy just a little hazy at best.

[phw115wvwx]

I took a careful look at that area just to see if an airport nearby malfunctioned and gave a bad reading as it can happen and throw off HiRAD.  I found nothing, so it's all on TWC's end.  It's just another reminder to do your own sky observations and use official information when you really need it.  I have a list of 44 observations that I watch on a program at work.

We've reached the end of winter, so the Pot Belly Stove is now closed until the arrival of fall on September 22, 2012.  Hope you enjoyed your time here!