Ticker for October 5, 2001

                
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October 5, 2001    October 5, 2001    October 5, 2001    October 5, 2001


El Reno: Where the Wind (Finally) Came Sweeping Down the Plain

A look at El Reno's minimum tmperatures during the past two weeks or
so revealed a strong tendency to be colder than its neighbors.
Sometimes, the temps were as much as 10-15 degrees cooler than
stations just one or two counties away.

The sensor was working fine, so what happened?

El Reno often experiences in situ cooling during the overnight periods.
To gloss over a lot of meteorology that the Ticker staff only vaguely
remembers anyway, this occurs when sheltered locations undergo rapid
radiative cooling when warmer air just above isn't mixed down.  This
phenomenon occurs quite a bit at the El Reno Mesonet site and the
El Reno cooperative station (both are in the North Canadian River
valley).

This year, wild sunflowers are growing ... well, wild ... in the
vicinity of the El Reno Mesonet station.  Perhaps these tall plants
(6 to 8 feet tall) have been adding to the in situ effect.

In any event, this morning's strong, gusty winds dominated the situation
(or, is that "in situ-ation"?) at El Reno.  As a result, the El Reno
minimum temperature of 48 F was right in line with what its neighbors
reported.


Ticker Goes on Vacation

The Ticker staff is taking next week off!  We'll be huddled along some
Oklahoma pond with a fishing pole in one hand and "The Complete Guide to
Really Awful Puns" in the other.  See you October 15th!  Boomer Sooner,
beat Texas!