Station Info
Research-grade microclimate monitoring in Chesapeake, OH
Station Identifiers
Citizen Weather Observer Network
NOAA Data Assimilation System
Community Rain & Snow Network
Personal Weather Station Network
The Story Behind the Station
What started as a simple passion project while recovering from my most recent back surgery quickly grew into something much bigger. Needing a focused task during my recovery, I began looking closer at how local weather data was being reported for our area.
Most weather apps and broadcasts rely on official station observations taken at regional airports miles away and hundreds of feet higher in elevation. Here in Chesapeake, OH, atmospheric conditions, temperature inversions, and precipitation totals often differ drastically from those hilltop airport readings. Driven by a desire to bridge that gap, I built this station to provide genuine, hyper-local microclimate monitoring that reflects the actual conditions down here on the ground where our community lives and works.
Equipment & Data Pipeline
The KE8FSY weather station is a high-precision weather observation site located in Chesapeake, OH. The core of this station is a wireless Davis Vantage Pro2 Plus Integrated Sensor Suite (ISS), providing hyper-local telemetry critical for situational awareness across the tri-state area.
Multi-Stage Data Telemetry & Web Synchronization Pipeline:
- Integrated Sensor Suite → Console: The exterior sensor suite transmits raw telemetry via 900 MHz Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) directly to the indoor WeatherLink console every 2.5 seconds for rapid wind gust, temperature and precipitation tracking.
- Console → WeatherLink Cloud: The console aggregates these high-frequency observations and securely pushes cached data packets over TCP/IP to Davis WeatherLink cloud servers on a 60-second sync interval.
- Cloud → Web Server API: Our self-hosted IIS web server queries the WeatherLink v2 REST API to fetch updated atmospheric metrics as soon as Davis releases new cloud packets.
- Web Server → Live Dashboard: To ensure instant presentation without page refreshes, our web dashboard actively polls local data scripts every 2.5 seconds, immediately rendering new observations the exact second fresh cloud updates become available.
Integrated Sensors & Siting Specifications
To ensure high-quality data that meets Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP) standards, sensors are professionally sited to minimize environmental bias:
Anemometer & Wind Vane
Siting: Positioned at a meteorological standard height of 33 ft (10 m) to capture unobstructed wind flow and minimize obstacle turbulence.
Operating Range: 0.1 to 200 mph (1 to 173 knots, 0.5 to 89 m/s)
Accuracy: ±2 mph (±3 km/h) or ±5%
Update Interval: 2.5 seconds
Temperature & Humidity Sensors
Shielding: 24-Hour Fan-Aspirated Radiation Shield pulling air at 500 ft/min to prevent heat buildup on calm, sunny days.
Temp Range / Accuracy: -40°F to +150°F (-40°C to +65°C) | ±0.5°F (±0.3°C)
Humidity Range / Accuracy: 1% to 100% RH | ±2% RH
Tipping Bucket Rain Collector
Siting: Mounted in an open area with a level opening for exact precipitation "catch".
Resolution: 0.01 inches (0.2 mm) per tip
Precipitation Range: Up to 96 inches/hr (2438 mm/hr)
Accuracy: ±3% of total or ±0.01"
Solar Radiation & UV Index Sensors
Siting: Mounted at the highest point of the ISS with a clear 360° horizon, leveled precisely to eliminate shade bias.
Solar Radiation: 0 to 1800 W/m² (±5% accuracy)
UV Spectrum: 0 to 16 Index (280 to 360 nm erythemal action spectrum)
Digital Barometer
Siting & Tech: Precision solid-state pressure sensor integrated inside the WeatherLink Live console indoors, delivering stable, elevation and temperature-compensated barometric pressure readings.
Community Data Partnerships
Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP): By sharing data through CWOP, KE8FSY contributes directly to NOAA's Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System (MADIS) database. This information is utilized by the National Weather Service (NWS) for ground-truthing radar and improving local forecast models.
CoCoRaHS Network: As part of the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (Station OH-LW-8), this station provides vital precipitation reports used by hydrologists, farmers, and meteorologists to track storm intensity and drought conditions.
Weather Underground: Operating under station ID KOHCHESA21, our hyper-local feeds transmit real-time atmospheric measurements directly into Weather Underground's global PWS network.