West Lethbridge Weather is a real, working weather station on the west side of Lethbridge, run by Gary Wheeler, VE6CV, since 2007. Here’s what’s behind the numbers you see on this site.
The equipment
| Weather station | Davis Vantage Pro 2, wired, with a solar radiation sensor |
|---|---|
| Wind sensor | Mounted on Gary’s ham radio tower at 10 metres, the standard height for measuring wind, so readings compare fairly with official stations |
| Station software | Weather Display, which collects the data and makes the graphs, records and live readings |
| Forecast software | WXSIM, used here since 2007 |
| Camera | The Whoop-Up Drive camera, live since July 2012 |
How the forecast is made
The 5-day forecast isn’t copied from anywhere. It’s made right here by WXSIM, a forecasting program that combines computer model data with this station’s own readings.
Gary times each forecast run to start just after the hour, once the latest confirmed observations are in, so every forecast starts from the freshest data possible.
Where the data goes
Readings from this station are shared well beyond this site, so they help forecasters, researchers and other weather watchers too:
- CWOP (the Citizen Weather Observer Program), through ham radio’s APRS network as VA6YQL-13. CWOP data feeds into national weather databases used by forecasters.
- Weather Underground, as station IABLETHB2.
- Windy, coming soon.
- Lethbridge Weather, which uses these readings for its live conditions and tools.
In the city, not at the airport
This station sits in a West Lethbridge neighbourhood, while the official readings come from the airport out on the open prairie. That’s why the numbers often differ, especially on calm, clear nights. See them side by side on West Side vs. Airport.
Keep exploring
- Current weather · 5-day forecast · Climate report
- Games & Tools, including the Chinook Tracker and Wind Rose, which run on this station’s live readings