Ticker for May 20, 2002

                
MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ...
May 20, 2002       May 20, 2002       May 20, 2002       May 20, 2002


Solar Radiation Blips Leave Signature

A quick look at yesterday's meteogram from Kenton shows a warm, dry,
windy day, which is not uncommon in the western panhandle during May:



A closer look at the meteogram reveals the vital role of incoming
solar radiation to supporting surface temps in this regime.  Two
noticable dips from the surface temperature trend (about 2:30 pm and
about 6:00 pm) occur coincident with dips in solar radiation (i.e.,
during some cloud cover).

This isn't news to most folks, but the meteogram provides a nice
illustration.