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Home My WebLink AboutThe Goderich Signal Star, 1976-01-15, Page 11TP'.`a .M eam t 74. PPub1 O Library ar /.t.55ry2Mont epan +t?R.. y7'�t riC y'. Ont. obertri) , • I'M '2 • • • yd Yi.-...ter .... ...'1.. x • a a THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, , 0. : •; - In • When Rob DeLyzer plans a picnic he isrett -.we 1' P y 1. assured that inCleme.nt • r weather is not his .outing bees job:..not going going: to spoil kJ -laming • .what the weathe use that's his will W."' e• ani b n picics but ' . Rob one of two . , ..._..: w weathe observers 'the• federal °"clouds from:the center' of the gover ment" as posted at the a►rfield ;and • -the observer er . •• S k . Harbor :wether office °f acuses 'a special �' � instrument; located at -..,the GodericF 'called :an alidade; . on the —airport. beam of light and when they Rob and °weather office 'sights ere levelled on the:light manager . George Haylock ii special scale vn the side 'of• • keep a very c•1-osse watch on_. the instrument records, the the. weather conditions i,n and cloud height, The.alidade is around_Goderich:.°Evert hour only good ..in the ..dark so on.. the hour they check the • daylight checks are done with cloud co.n'ditions, tem-, weather baliooiis. The balloon peratures, `,.:precipitation, is put on a speoial 'tap that' ' .humidity, wind speed •'and fills it withheliurn until it hass direction, visibility and the • enough. buoyancy toe lift ,a •cloudceiling'and, send their •' weight placed on the tap. 'observations.. along ' a T•efex • With that lifting, power it will wire to a computer in•Toronto rise. at ,465 feet per minute,;• . ',4•that:immediately.lets the rest The : observer relejles the. of thecountry know -what the balloon'. and times its rise t▪ yeather isllke in:Goderich: until he loses sight of it in the "W'e=re mostly :,concerned • Clouds: If theballoon goes out, with: briefing air and marine, • of sight in two _minutes; t`fi'e traffic," said; , Rob. clo1id.ceilingwill be930.feet..' "Occasionally` someone wilt' The :outdoor:' checks com- :call askng about the Weather,.plete the observer, records the conditions: around -here or if wind speed and' •direction;•. we are 'expecting'a snowfall,.• visibility " and• , larometri,c• u we 11 •'piiane they conty. m' . pressure frothe warmth,of. engineer; so, he .'can get his: his office: A' weather 'vane ploughs ready," �° _and.•wii d cup in the' centre.of• The`Sky Harbor.station has•: the airfield is connected,'.t"o a •:up to -date : Weather: .reports retarding. 'drum • in the office•. for the Lake Huron zone that and a set of gua'ges that mark • extends west to : the; London 7Athe wind`s actions: • • -axea�a id so -. h to -Detroit. .The uanp is spl an • • Cleveland a'ME° oledo The arrow type.apparatustrnthat •::reports •are `sea for a dual points into, the wind while the • purpose to provide up to t}' speed •guage is three cups on minute • statistics, on cbn•-• the end of'spokes.That spin as dition.s here' for : accurate' the ' wind hitt •the 'cups: •The reports. for• - pilots .coming to'. drum is connected. to the wind. Sky Harbor,' motorists gauges to; record nd` the wi•s -driving through' the area or .speed 'and action wt. -1e., the., ships,:, headed' for Goderich. • 'observer is not' able oto: watch. harbor and to provide th:; i» :the gauges, '.weether office With daily ' `The barometric prelssure is., •:figures• o.n..__climactic- don. measuredondevice simlax drtlolrs inGoderith: to'a :th•emercur.'y thermometer: The -.hourly :'checks .the !The:airpreSsure-exerts force weatti>sr-',office personnel do on condiitions. here are'in .an •effort to .as.sure acc,tiracy. weather reports.': W eathe men are generally accused by the •public as being 'anything but accurate `in • their.. predictions, •but. by carefully •. Watching the weather across the entire• province .the computer in Toronto can p.ut the reports received frorn;all•• Bundled against the._chilly Lake Huron winds•Rob takes -his readings from, the special 'the,rlmometers housed outside the weather office•"'The thermometers record the daily high find low temperatures as well; as the relative humidity. (staff -photo) Q i All his checks done,. Rob type`s in the SkyHarbor e8de in his Telex machine and sends his. report off to" Toronto where a eornputer_stares the.inforniation and along with similar ' r iet an accurate urc'of::•. . s bfroiii other �reatiier 'stations complies thi~ material into p report weather conditions across the province, (staff hoto)a, � n ., r .+ • • when the barometer is on the rise expect the sun to. shine. "The... rule:'ls not. 100 percent accurate but generally can be relied on. n • The.- 'final ..check :.before sending the ,:report ...tom the .Toron'to -c.ompute-r. . is Visibility. Rob simply- looks out the -Window to determine how far one can see. Several • landmarks• ,provide the •.weather oobserver with iiis • required distances.: . • 1 • • on a .d•rurri of.. mercury, causing: it to' rise through a glass.. tube. .T.lip observer notes. the level' of mercury in the barometer and sub tractingit" from' the air. tem.peratu.re is able to determine ' the. barometric pressure . Barometer readings If he can .see surrounding buildings •at the 'airpo•rt. visibility is 143 Mile;. if he can, see a chimney:pear.the -air port entrance it is t/ mile if he, can see houses o.n. the - airport road he .can see 1 mile; the.•Maiitland River is 3/4 of a mile away; lights ph-the, Salt 1Viine.Road in,Goderith. are a mile away; .church , steeples are i i/2 miles. The Sifto'. salt .plant. is 2'i/2. pliles away end 'a.row of hillsrto the northrare three Miles ad: The visibility check done' • ' Rob types .in. the Sky Harbor .. .cod' and sends. his report off, `•'to .Toronto. When' the coni- puler - is• ready .to receive Rob'srtessage it will read the punched. tape; record', the. .information and; send it off to the 'other weather: offices in • :the province so they ran; tell anyone coming to' Goderich what the weather.ls-.*erhere. provide :a -rule of thumb for, :: • . • e . . Weathermen . Making k. special recording di um,in the weather office records the wind speed and direction, on a raph'. Rob here checksthe wind's action as part orhis.preparations,for ;sending the -Sky • 11 irbor.hourlvreportof weather' to the computer in Toronto. (staff -photo) • the wather stations together t"orecasts..:, WWhen the to.come up with a forecast of. barclmeter : drops stormy • changes expected.': • weather can - be • expected ' • '"We send very' descriptive _ u • reports, : in every hour• that. may ::never change:but . they •enable the. computer to give • .accurate' forecasts;" said The reports are , put. • together in®a very short,•time • starting 'with• the air teat- ,. perature and humidity.•. Bundling up against the ; • . cold, Rob ;takes'his notebook to thy thermometers -housed; in a• small,White box outside :the Sky Harbor; Station. The• ... high -•. and , low temperatures reached :are r'ecoredon two:. . ;thermometers in 'the'' box.:'A • mercury;thermoineter with a • special restrictor;'records`the • -high. . As the • .temperature. climbs .the mercury goes up.'' the 5riiall channel in the t.herniom:eter through•_ . a Special restrictor. 'When the high is: reached.. and• the temperature drops. the restrictor traps the mercury.; -• at its ,high point enabling:the ; ohserver to take a°`read•ing at - that -paint. • The low =temperature- is taken ori•' an .alcohol 'there •.mometer that- has •a. small- ��dumbbell inside it. As the temperature drops a 'friction built :up .between.. the alcohol • • •and the! dumbbeli.•draws the - Marker .,dbw:rt , the they-• Biometer: until the low is reached`. A's the tettiperature. rises, again the alcoltol' flows. ' around the durrrbbell leaving it test marking the day's low. . A,tliird thermometer is it'sed --to check the humidity. The thermomete,r.;_ a Wet hulb type; has a tvet cloth wrapped around ' its bulb and the ' temperature reading .to give the •obserder -the humidity:, 'percentage: • ' . The' •next: . check is fdr. the cloud' ceiling. The observers have't'Wn methods' of checking this.. A. special .projector", ._.lath watches the spacial weight outs.' tap that fills i balloon.. shines a beam. of light on the •with hcrivan for a check on tate .Loud ceiling over Godericih. • • -- A hen the -balloon has enoth ig i; hel9uirr' In it to iift;the weight it -- top,' ii e,$ outdoors at a rate of 435 feet per minute: ' • x; • a..... r.