RDM

Wxmeddler - Appreciate your insight/suggestions and the comments from the other posters too. I'm more of an enthusiast by curse having started college in Ohio in the 80's with the goal of going to Case Western for a meteorology degree. For a variety of reasons I shifted tracks and opted to become an engineer. Built my first weather station at 11 - a Heath-kit, which I had for years and measured 72mph during the Blizzard of 78. As for the location - have a pole mounted in clear space in the yard well above and away from obstacles. It's not perfect for wind, but unobstructed for rain catchment and temps. Didn't want to mount something on chimney that would A.) serve as a lightening rod or B.) need a ladder for servicing (although I have a 32+ foot ladder - just don't want to go up that high to service it. ) Looked at the Vantage Pro 2. The tech specs for the Pro 2 are impressive. Not sure I want to go with Davis again tbh. The solar array they use tends to craze after a couple of years. (At least the one on the Vue does - I've replaced it 3 times so far). Not sure the price and features of the Pro 2 are worth 2X or 3X the cost of a WS-5000 or even more compared to the price of a 2000. Again, thanks for the input from everyone. Appreciate it. R

Yup - 49 here ivo Vienna.... Feels great outside

Indeed. And the older you get the faster the seasons change. (I'm in my 7th decade now). It's hard to imagine Sept is nearly behind us already. It sucks getting old but its better than the option (tic) Lost track of the banter about whether they are going to "fall back" this year. Hope we keep the daylight as is.

Thanks for the replies. Appreciate it.

Looked all over the Mid-Atlantic forum, plus the Marketplace forum on the main AMX home page. This appears to be the most recent thread about WX stations. Looking to replace my Davis Vantage Vue. It's performed "ok" for 10+ years now. I'm on the 3rd solar array, the rain gauge has a tendency to collect debris and malfunction, and the overall appearance is dated, especially the display. Looked at the Ambient line of stations online. Considering the WS=2000, 4000 (is the ultrasonic good? more reliable?) or maybe even the 5000 (not sure it's worth the $$$). Saw the Ambient line offers wifi with connectivity to AWN (Ambient Weather Network) and ability to receive data on a smartphone via an app. Is a subscription required to remote the data to a smart phone? Not really interested in having to manage another subscription - have so many already. Welcome input from anyone who cares to share. R

Heard the pouring earlier - managed to pickup 0.73" Not bad...

Here you go neighbor... posted this in the Discobs thread too. Intense. 2026 09 03 - Inbound Electrified Storm.MOV

One of the more electrified storms in our area for a while... 2026 09 03 - Inbound Electrified Storm.MOV

We got a good hit this time - unlike several other misses recently where the split was in true form. Managed to get 0.97" from the 20+ min deluge. Needed it with the heat inbound the next few days. The ground was rock hard again.

Lucked out here with this one .84" Most we've had in this immediate area for a while...

Odd - hearing a regular bout of thunder rumble from the inbound system approaching NOVA. But the Lightening app shows only a few hits out by Winchester and more to the SW. Wonder if there isn't a bug in the app and/or some sensors that are down?

Yup - it was almost constant for a few minutes, but we got split yet again. Received a whopping .22" from this one.

A quick .52" already here and it's still pouring... Slow moving cells.

Got a good dose with the last round. 1.39" so far for the day. That's the most in what seems like forever...

Congrats. You got the brunt of the heaviest slug (very high-tech weather terms there). We got the fringe here ivo Vienna - .21" so far.

Beat me by 0.12" Not even a trace here... again...

Got hit by the split here ivo Vienna. As the line approached it went N & S of us. Just a few drops. Not even enough of a trace to wet the driveway... sigh.

Tornado Warning MDC021-031-VAC107-181845- /O.NEW.KLWX.TO.W.0015.260718T1816Z-260718T1845Z/ BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED Tornado Warning National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC 216 PM EDT Sat Jul 18 2026 The National Weather Service in Sterling Virginia has issued a * Tornado Warning for... Northwestern Montgomery County in central Maryland... Southwestern Frederick County in north central Maryland... Northeastern Loudoun County in northern Virginia... * Until 245 PM EDT. * At 216 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Point Of Rocks, or 8 miles southwest of Harry Grove Stadium, moving southeast at 25 mph. HAZARD...Tornado and golf ball size hail. SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation. IMPACT...For those in the direct path of a tornado touchdown, flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Damage to roofs, siding, and windows may occur. Mobile homes may be damaged or destroyed. Tree damage is likely. * This tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of northwestern Montgomery County in central Maryland, southwestern Frederick County in north central Maryland and northeastern Loudoun Counties in northern Virginia, including the following locations... Dickerson, Doubs, Park Mills, Tuscarora, Adamstown, Barnesville, and Buckeystown. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris. Torrential rainfall is occurring with this storm, and may lead to flash flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways. && LAT...LON 3929 7760 3935 7755 3929 7731 3916 7745 TIME...MOT...LOC 1816Z 301DEG 20KT 3931 7752 TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED MAX HAIL SIZE...1.75 IN $$ KLW

Took our trash out about an hour ago. Our driveway is very long so I use a helmet flashlight to light the way. Could see the smoke and other suspended particulates drifting in the air. Looked like the mist of a dense fog, but with smell.

Received a whopping .06" from all the activity yesterday, followed by another .07" today. T&L all around but only a few occasional drops here. Congrats to all of those who are cashing in on the totals...

101/72/111.5 Not bad. This brings back memories of 3 years in India in the early 90s (when I was skinny and could dissipate heat better!). We had weeks of 113-118F temps with sultry humidity, which put the HI off the normal charts here in the US. Made us wonder why in the migration of homo sapiens did they ever stop there and not keep moving to a more tolerable climate.

Spot on. I worked as a laborer for a construction company in the summer while going to college. Trucks did not have air con. Once you get drenched in sweat there's not much more stink you can pile on. Baled hay too. Helped my brother in Ohio last week move, stack and restack nearly 200 bales. It's one thing when you are young and skinny and can dissipate heat well. It's another when you're in your mid-60's, fat, and out of shape (haha). I feel for the people who HAVE to be out in the heat because it's their work/profession. Those who choose to be in the heat out of their own preference have the luxury to quit when they want. This week is going to put a load on the electrical grid to keep up.

Experienced that in Kuwait several times. It can be dry as a bone and a few hours later the muck rolls in with winds off the gulf (Yes, normally in the mornings but not always). The humidity can be so thick when we'd go from the air conditioned comfort of an office building outside our phones would immediately sweat moisture all over the phone. It became a necessity to use an external cell phone holder to avoid a wet spot on your pants. (It's funny for about 5 mins and then gets to be a royal PITA) The humidity and Heat Index (HI) in India was a challenge also when the monsoon season rolled in (lived there 3 years). The HI was routinely off the charts for most western forecasting. The temps would "relax" from the 118-122 range in late May to a "mere" 108-114 or so with the humidity. Taking 3 showers a day was the norm.

Lost power about 1915 when the line went through. The wind/rain was blindingly heavy for just a few mins, but that was enough to cause havoc. Was a surreal event to see even for an old fart like me who has seen a lot. Power is still out atm ivo much of Vienna/Oakton. Crew hasn't even been dispatched yet on our specific outage, which is impacting 510 customers. Getting a crew dispatched is the first step to get beyond the "pending investigation" status. We'll be lucky if service is restored by sunrise. It was very odd how the power went out this time. Normally the transformers try to reset up to 3 times before kicking off for good (according to the VA Power lineman). In this case, the power went off/on several times and then flickered very bad for several minutes in unison with the typical "boom" from the transformers; before I shut off the service at the main breakers to protect electronics. We've never experienced that sort of service shutdown before. We're still on generator power to run the basics. Still trying to convince my wife it's time for a whole-house auto-start system. With the frequency in how often we lose power I'm about ready to invest in a proper system. We're on well and septic and the surge of 220VAC well pump is the main drain on our 9500 watt generator. Currently 35,000 customers out on Dominion's outage site.

Spectacular evening out there now. Crisp air and a stellar sunset. Could take a few more of these...