Ticker for September 21, 1999

                
MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ...
September 21, 1999 September 21, 1999 September 21, 1999 September 21, 1999


Phantom Rainfall?

This morning's clear skies and chilly morning were a welcome event,
but where did the trace rain amounts come from?


The answer lies in the Seiling meteogram (as well as several others):


In north-central Oklahoma, temperatures cooled so much in the clear
conditions that the ait temperature trace converged with the dew point
trace.  In other words, a heavy dew formed.  When enough of this dew
collects on a rain gauge and rolls down the funnel to tip the bucket,
a hundredth of an inch of rain is "observed".