The Seattle Tacoma Aerodrome Temperature Sensor Is Running Also Warm: Again

There appears to live on a work amongst the temperature sensor at Seattle-Tacoma Airport:  it seems to live on running several degrees also warm.

This is not the commencement fourth dimension this has happened.   And excessively warm temperatures at aerodrome stations seems to live on a increment manufacture only about here.   In a previous blog I talked nigh the work at Yakima--which has been fixed.   Ellensburg is running also warm equally well.

But this spider web log volition live on nigh Seattle-Tacoma Airport, whose official NWS/FAA temperature sensor is located betwixt ii of the runways.


Why should you lot assist nigh this?  Because the official records volition live on incorrect as well as all kinds of records could live on broken because of the bad sensor.  And since Sea Tac is the most cited temperatures only about here, you lot volition intend it is a warmer than it actually is.  You mightiness fifty-fifty purchase an air conditioner.

Let me present you lot why several of us  (including Mark Albright, yesteryear reason climatologist, as well as Justin Shaw, proprietor of the Seattle Weather Blog).are worried.  First, hither is  a comparing betwixt Sea-Tac's high temperatures as well as those of a real unopen station (SEAT6, located 10 blocks away) for days Sea-Tac got to 90F or to a greater extent than this calendar month (see below).  So far this month, Sea Tac got to 90F 5 times, piece SEAT6 did non produce it once.   On average, SeaTac is 3-5 F warmer than SEAT6 as well as other neighborhood stations.
 A plot of temperatures only about Sea Tac at 5 PM this afternoon indicates a problem.  Sea Tac's temperature (92F) is a clear outlier.

There is some other agency to present the Sea Tac warming--a longer term comparing to some other station.  Let's compare Sea Tac against Boeing Field.  You would await Boeing Field to live on warmer, since it is inward the middle of a to a greater extent than urbanized area, inside the Seattle Urban Heat Island, as well as at lower elevation.

Let's commencement produce the comparing for July 1-25, 2014, later the sensor was replaced next the concluding warm period.  Boeing Field was warmer than SeaTac on most days for the highs as well as nearly all the fourth dimension for the lows.

This year?  Very different.  SeaTac mostly has higher maximum temps than Boeing Field as well as the lows are similar...something has changed.

I could supply to a greater extent than evidence...but at that topographic point appears to live on a problem, amongst Sea Tac beingness also warm...probably a bad temperature sensor.

Have you lot noticed that when at that topographic point are sensor problems, the final result are temperatures beingness also warm?  Often that is due to a broken fan, which is supposed to select fresh air into the sensor unit.  If the fan slows or is broken, the enclosure heats up.

Now, an fault of several degrees tin final result inward Sea-Tac breaking daily records, or monthly records, or tape release of days nigh 90F, etc.   Then the media volition headline the records as well as utter nigh global warming beingness the cause. 

Don't intend this scenario is plausible?   It happens all the time--let me give you lot an example.

Earlier this year, the Yakima aerodrome temperature sensor failed as well as provided temperatures roughly 3F also warm...which is a lot.   The national media noticed.  An AP story yesteryear Seth Bornstein as well as Nicky Forster headlines nigh thirty years of global warming as well as cites the Yakima warm anomaly equally proof of anthropogenic global warming.   But it actually was exclusively a bad temperature sensor.

Anthropogenic global warming IS warming the planet, but the effects are muted hither inward the Pacific Northwest.

How much conduct keep nosotros warmed ?  Let's accept a facial expression at the hateful daily temperature for July for the NOAA/NWS climate sectionalisation encompassing the Puget Sound lowlands (see below).  Around 62.5F earlier 1980 as well as warming to only about 64 F the concluding decade (smoothing out the annual ups as well as downs)-- then nigh 1.5F over the yesteryear xc years--and a lot of the modify occurred betwixt 1975 as well as 1985.  So July's are warming only about here. 

Some of this belike was the final result of human-caused global warming, but non all.  Of detail involvement is the major warming during the belatedly 1970s, when circulation patterns were shifting equally the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) moved into its warm agency (the PDO is a agency of natural variability).  Human caused global warming is occurring, but it does non explicate periods similar this week, when nosotros are 10-15F inward a higher house normal.

The media is already talking nigh Seattle having the warmest July on tape (see below), based on the Sea-Tac Airport temperatures, but is it really?


I called a colleague at the Seattle NWS utilization as well as he said they volition cheque out the SeaTac temperature sensor.

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