Common questions and their answers...
Here are the most commonly asked questions:
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Where can I find the Snow Levels/Free Air Freezing Levels?
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Where can I obtain hourly weather data/information?
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Where can I obtain daily/monthly weather data/information?
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Why are the observations missing or bad?
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Why is the elevation for my location in error?
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Can I tell you what I think of the map or forecast pages?
Didn't find your question or answer? Email us at
w-pqr.webmaster@noaa.gov
Where is the Freezing/Snow Level Data?
The freezing/snow level is accessed via the Zone Forecast link. This link is found in the lower right hand portion of the page after the map has been clicked. This illustration demonstrates what you are looking for.
Where can I find hourly weather observations/data?
If you need data from the last
48 hours, you can find by clicking
here :
If the obs did not go back far enough, you still can access 45 days worth of data by following these steps...
- Find the name of your station from the
Mesowest Raws Map
- In the address bar type this URL inserting the station name outlined in red into the red portion of the URL. In this example FOGO is the station name and is inserted into the URL.
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?wfo=pqr&sid=
FOGO
&num=6000&raw=0&dbn=m&banner=off
Quick Link for Portland International airport:
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?wfo=pqr&sid=KPDX&num=6000&raw=0&dbn=m&banner=off
If you need data older than 45 days you will need to go to the
National Climatic Data Center
and order the data for a small fee.
Where can I find daily and monthly summaries?
Go here:
Portland Climate Page
-->Preliminary Climatology Data (CF6) contains daily observations of temp,precip, etc.
-->Monthly Weather Summary (CLM) summarizes temp,precip, etc. for the month.
This page is also useful for local data:
http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/
Why are the observations missing or bad?
Missing weather station observations can occur when an instrument breaks or is removed by the owner. Occasionally, a station will break or is removed and there will be “Observation not available or Not Current” text highlighting the outage. Most of the time they are quickly fixed and back in operation within a few days. However, sometimes they are not fixed and currently there is not an easy way to tell which ones are working properly and which ones are not. So, if a station fails to report for a couple weeks, let us know, and we will try to remove it.
Can I tell you what I think about the map or forecast?
You are welcome to provide us feedback about the Forecasts and formats also. Just reply via the webmaster link, often found on the left side menu, or at the bottom of this or the forecast page.
Why is my elevation incorrect?
When you click on a city or type in your zip code or city name, our computers search for the latitude and longitude of your query and relate the location to a grid square. Since the resolution of the grid square cannot account for every possible elevation within that grid, it only displays the elevation of the center point of the grid. Therefore, some elevations may be different than what they actually are.
Does this affect the forecast that is shown?
Yes, to an extent. The text forecast and the weather images, at the top of our forecast page, are based on the elevation of the center point of a 2 mile square grid. Therefore, if that elevation varies from your location it may affect the forecast. In most cases this will not be noticable, but for instance if a winter storm is on the way and the snow level is 2000 ft and you live at 2500 ft, but the center of the grid is 1500 ft you may think that you will only see rain when in fact you will be in the snow. To circumvent this situation, take a look at the zone forecast instead. The zone forecast is a forecast for a larger area that has similar meteorological characteristics and distinguishes between the foothills and the valley.
What is a POP?
A POP is the likelihood of occurrence of a precipitation event (expressed as a percent) giving measurable precipitation at any given point in the forecast area. The National Weather Service uses numerical and non-numerical terms to indicate the chance of measurable precipitation for a specific area: Examples: For Duration... can use “brief, occasional, intermittent, or frequent, For Intensity... can use very light, light, heavy, or very heavy. If the POP is low, for example 10%, and the forecast precipitation amount is expected to be less than 0.01 inch, the terms 'VERY LIGHT' or 'SPRINKLES' may be used.
Why don't you report Snow?
The Daily Climate Report for places like Eugene, Salem, Portland and Astoria are created using output from the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), located at each of the respective airports for those cities. ASOS includes sensors for temperature, pressure, humidity, wind direction and speed, cloud cover and height, present weather (snow, rain, fog, etc), precipitation amount and visibility. The system does not include a sensor that measures snow amounts, which is why there are no snow amounts on the daily climate reports.
What is the difference between Partly Sunny and Partly Cloudy?
One is used for the daylight hours, the other for nighttime. Mostly cloudy and partly sunny have a slight difference...mostly cloudy means 70 to 94% of the sky is covered while partly sunny/partly cloudy is 32 to 69% of the sky is covered.
What is the Free Air Freezing Level?
When it is not precipitating, it is used to define the height of the 32F or 0C isotherm in height above mean sea level pressure. If it is precipitating, it is referred to as the snow level.
When does the NWS issue a Wind Warning?
With the exception of the Columbia River Gorge and the Cascades, we issue high wind warnings for sustained winds of 40 mph or gusts greater than or equal to 58 mph. In the Columbia River Gorge and the Cascades, we issue wind warnings for sustained winds of 50 mph or gusts to 75 mph.
Can I get forecasts by cell phone or wireless means?
Yes, for more information visit this web site:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/cte.htm
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