Administrator's Guide Version 3.2 August 2015

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A Web-Based Entry System for National Weather Service Cooperative Observers

Administrator’s Guide

Version 3.2 August 2015

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents and Summary of Changes ...... 2 Preface ...... 3 WxCoder Overview ...... 4 The Superform ...... 6 WxCoder Field Office Admin Features ...... 8 Observational Best Practices for WxCoder ...... 16 Key Forms ...... 19 Acronym List ...... 20

Appendix A: WxC3 Internal Consistency Quality Assurance & Control Checks ...... 21 Appendix B: List of Elements for WxC3 (SHEF Symbol) ...... 23 Appendix C: Summary of WC3 On-line Help ...... 25 Appendix D: Smart Phone examples of Daily Form Input ...... 29 Appendix E: Shortcut keys for PP, SF, and SD at closeout ...... 32

Attachment 1: Copy of WC3 User’s Guide ...... 33 Table of Contents and Summary of Changes ...... 34 Users Guide, Appendix A, Common Superform Errors ...... 52 Users Guide, Appendix B, Smart Phone examples of Daily Input Format ...... 56

Summary of Changes

Administrator’s Guide:

1. Written changes are highlighted. 2. Figure 2a adjusted for software version and tab option (page 7). 3. New Figure 4a: E-mail capability to one/all WFO observers (page 10). 4. New Appendix E.

NOTE: Administrator’s guide page numbering runs through User’s Guide. The separate User’s Guide retains normal page numbering.

Attachment 1, User’s Guide:

1. Written changes are highlighted. 2. Figures 10, 11, and 12 adjusted for software version and tab option. 3. Appendix A, Figures A through F adjusted for software version, tab options, and error highlighting. The “Autofill” prompts are intentionally blanked to avoid User confusion.

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Preface

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Weather Service (NWS) Cooperative Observer Program (COOP) remains a critical weather and climate observing network for the United States. Every day, thousands of dedicated volunteers take observations on farms, in urban and suburban areas, National Parks, seashores, and mountaintops. The resultant data are truly representative of where people live, work, and play.

Since 1890, the Cooperative Observer Program has supported the following goals:

• To provide observational meteorological data, usually consisting of daily maximum and minimum temperature, 24-hour precipitation totals, and snowfall necessary to define the climate of the United States and to help measure long-term climate variability and change. • To provide observational meteorological data in near real-time to support forecast, warning, and other public service programs of NOAA.

Volunteer weather observers conscientiously contribute their time in support of vital missions relative to both weather and climate. The data they collect are invaluable in learning more about floods, droughts, heat and cold waves affecting us all. The data is useful in agricultural planning and assessment, engineering, environmental-impact assessment, utilities planning, and litigation. COOP data plays a critical role in efforts to recognize and evaluate the extent of human impacts on climate from local to global scales.

Resulting from many decades of relatively stable operation, high station density, and high proportion of rural locations, the Cooperative Network has become an authoritative source of information on U.S. climate trends for temperature and precipitation. Cooperative stations form the core of the U.S. Historical Climate Network (HCN), other important reference networks, and add sub-regional granularity to measurements taken by the U.S. Climate Reference Network (CRN).

COOP observers traditionally record daily temperature and precipitation on paper and then send the forms monthly to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) via their local NWS office. Observers often provide additional hydrological, meteorological, or phenology data. Observer data input are transitioning to use of telephone or computer vs. paper. WxCoder, Version 3, or WC3, and telephone-based IV-ROCS, are NOAA’s official methods for entering all observations.

WC3, allows climate observers in NOAA’s National Weather Service COOP observing program to enter daily observations for direct transmission into NOAA systems in near real-time. WC3 is a user-friendly interface, accessible through an internet-ready computer using various web browsers: Google Chrome (preferred), Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc. These web browsers display information with entry boxes and pull-down menus allowing for a quick and efficient method to enter observations.

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National in scope, WC3 is available to all COOP observers with routine internet access. With WC3, the volunteer observer enters weather observations, views and edits old observations, and communicates with their local NWS Weather Forecast Office (WFO).

While COOP observers can access WC3 at any time, encourage them to enter their observations shortly after taking their readings. This ensures observations achieve the greatest utility by virtue of timeliness.

WxCoder Overview

WC3 includes enhancements allowing observers to provide data quickly and accurately. These enhancements are for our observers, the NWS, Regional Climate Centers (RCCs), and NCEI personnel who work to collect, quality control, and distribute COOP data. Improvements to WC3 include a user-friendly web interface with help (Appendix C) menus. Monthly forms automatically sum and average temperature, precipitation and snowfall observations. WC3 provides immediate data quality-assurance through several routine functions while providing more space for observer remarks. An advanced WFO administrative interface exists for NWS supervising offices to customize observer inputs and ensure easy and timely two-way communication with observers.

WC3 also provides data quality-control features, significantly reducing data errors from manual entry of daily data, keying errors, and incorrect administrative information. Examples of quality control checks are located in Appendix A.

Figure 1 is a flow diagram of key interface capabilities for the COOP observer’s use. Guidance for user entry is found in the WxCoder User’s Guide (Attachment 1).

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Figure 1: Flow Diagram of WxC3 Interface

Figure 1 shows a pathway for ‘quick entry’ of observations by users (bold arrows). A typical daily use of WC3 follows the bold line-path with an example in Figure 2.

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Figure 2: ‘Quick Entry’ Sequence for Typical Daily Entry by COOP Observer

The Superform:

The superform allows either the observer or supporting WFO, to view an entire month of information from a single screen. You can enter individual days, blocks of days, or an entire month. The current day always opens and ready for data. In the example below, the superform can display more data than the normal B-91. What the form looks like depends on the WFO and Observer agreed-upon reporting parameters. Figure 2a is an example of an agricultural station. These types of stations can include soil temperature. All quality control/assurance features remain active with the superform as it has for the daily and monthly entry formats.

Access the superform via “WxCoder >> Home >> Field Office Admin >> Superform. The form opens but needs a short period to load the COOP station list. Once loaded, the drop-down menu lists your stations alphabetically. You can use either the drop-down or the “Next Station” buttons, which allow you to see the stations status at a glance.

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NOTE: When entering data for a coop station, remain as WFO, use the drop-down menu to select the station, enter and save their input. It is not necessary for you to log in as the coop site via the “My Observations” menu item.

Features: 1. Mouse-over a column header to display the individual weather parameter with SHEF code. 2. New data entries, a red triangle displays in upper left corner of a box for unsaved changes. 3. Single-click “Remarks” and a separate window will open. Click “Save” to store remarks. 4. When loading data from mail-in-stations, enter by-day, making liberal use of the “Tab” key. For 10-key users, the “Enter” key works best by selecting the far right tab key option. 5. To move to the next day, simply use the down arrow key to enter the next day. 6. “Save Changes” provides the same QC capabilities. 7. “Closeout” works as expected—be certain of your decision before using this function. 8. Sort individual column values (ascending/descending) by a click on the column header.

Figure 2a: WxCoder Superform

NWS WFO’s manage their COOP observers primarily through the Field Office Admin feature. The site map for this section of the interface, the asterisk in Figure 1, is shown in Figure 3, and provides details about this portion of the interface.

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Figure 3: WC3 Field Office Administration Users/Sites Interface.

WxCoder Field Office Admin Features:

WFO administration of WC3 requires management of two components: USERS and SITES. WC3 treats these components autonomously, allowing for multiple users to a given site (e.g., multiple employees take observations at a public utility, fire station, etc.), or multiple sites assigned to a single user, i.e., multiple COOP sites in a park.

The home page, Figure 4, for Field Office Admin Users show the user name(s), access code, personal information, etc. The WFO selects “Users” in the left-hand navigation bar. “Sites” are also defined with unique of information. Each site maintains its own set of observation elements, to accommodate everything from precipitation-only sites to sites measuring soil temperature, evaporation, etc. The complete list of available elements, including Standard Hydrometeorological Exchange Format (SHEF) code, is found in Appendix B.

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Figure 4: Field Office Administration Home Page

Messages for Users are sent by clicking this menu item. Messages provide information to all observers at login. QC Thresholds allow for the configuration of ‘soft limits.’ If an entry exceeds a threshold, WC3 asks for confirmation from the observer. An e-mail goes to the observer’s WFO for each occurrence. Thresholds default to statistical climate data at the Regional Climate Center’s (RCC’s) Applied Climate Information System (ACIS) at http://www.rcc-acis.org/. Users and Sites allow managing field offices to maintain current information.

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Figure 4a: E-mail Capability to one/all WFO Observers

Mail Observers: For individual or select messages to specific users.

• User Configuration

A two-part section: 1) ‘‘Users’’ (Figure 5) displays existing observers; and 2) the sub-menu, “Create/Edit new user account” (Figure 5a). Existing users are those within a COOP Program Area (CPA), generally analogous to a County Warning Area (CWA). You can sort by clicking an existing user (Figure 5) to update information, or create/edit a new user (Figure 5a).

Figure 5: Existing Users Page

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Figure 5a: Edit User and New User Page

User accounts consist of the following fields:

Complete all fields before clicking the “submit” button. The access code/confirm access code boxes allow you to reset an access code for a user. A user can also obtain the access code by using the “Forgot Access Code” page. Sites require official designation in the Station Information System (SIS) before assignment to a user. Usernames should also correspond to official NWS records. Flexibility exists for “unofficial observers.” Use judiciously and in coordination with your Regional COOP Program Manager (RCPM

Under the administration (admin) column, either a red or green check appears. A red check indicates the given user does NOT have NWS admin access to WC3. A green check indicates access. ONLY provide access to NOAA employees, contractors, or associates having a direct need to access the information. You can enable or disable access by clicking on the “enable/disable” word next to the same symbol (red or green) as found under the “Admin” column.

Enter “New users” by clicking the “Create new user account” menu link. The same elements from the existing “Users List,” shown above, are necessary to create a new account. Remember

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to coordinate with your RCPM before adding unofficial users. You must assign the user to at least one existing NWS site in order for them to actively enter data.

• Site Configuration

Existing sites generally reside within a CPA, often the same as a WFO’s CWA. Observer- agreed weather elements are either the standard defaults (use defaults) or selectable (select from list). If the selectable list, click on weather parameters unique to the station. Click on an existing site (Figure 6) to update information. Clicking on an individual site under “SITE ID” column, allows you to edit an account. NEW: The “Active” column, displays an active station with a green icon. Open “Sites” and click on the Site ID you want to deactivate from WC3. When the site opens, click the “Deactivate Site” button to right of the SITE ID Name. You are then asked, “Are you sure?” If certain, click “Set Inactive” and you no longer need close out this site at end-of-month. The “Active” button turns red and moves the station to the bottom of the “Sites” list, if you wish to see them displayed. Remember, this function only works for Closed Stations at this time.

A site account consists of the following fields:

Complete all fields before clicking “submit.” Site IDs (and COOP numbers) require approval from your RCPM, ensuring she/he is aware of unofficial COOP sites you elect to establish. Enter the site number in the following format: XX-YYYY-ZZ, where XX is State Code, e.g., 17 for Maine, YYYY, station index number, and ZZ, the climatological division number.

Figure 6: Existing Sites Page

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Current site types fall into one of four categories: COOP, Unofficial COOP, Marine, and Test. Most often, you will use COOP for official reporting through WC3. Observation type is also a pull-down menu with daily, (24-hr values/totals) as the default (there are additional sub-daily options). In almost all instances, go with the default.

Time follows the military 24-hour format (e.g., 7 am = 07:00; 4 pm = 16:00, etc.). Midnight is ALWAYS 23:59 in order for data to be on the correct day. Times are Local Standard Time. The time-zone pull-down menu provides selection of the appropriate zone.

Latitude and longitude are to the nearest degree, minute, and second, with elevation to the nearest foot. Base both on the most current available metadata by going to: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/metadata/metadataresources.html.

Reporting elements are configurable. Appendix B provides a full list of reportable elements. Depending on site type selection, the default list includes elements to populate a B-91 form.

For COOP, the default B-91 elements are:

You may add elements by clicking “Elements: select from list.” A pop-up window displays all the elements. Add/Delete elements as needs change. For part-time, i.e., weekday observers, you might want to add precipitation accumulation (PPA) to the above list. You can select users to associate with this site from the ‘Users: select from list’ link.

To establish “New sites,” click on the “Create new site” menu link. A new site uses the same list of elements as seen in existing sites. Remember to coordinate with your RCPM when adding sites. Assign at least one user to allow them to enter data.

As WFO’s can download submitted B-91/92/83a’s from WC3, observers no longer need mail their forms. The forms’ information (except precipitation time of occurrence) goes digitally to NCEI via the Western Region Climate Center (WRCC).

A WFO must manually close out COOP station data on or before the 26th day after a month ends. If an observer closes out the monthly input, it remains the responsibility of the servicing WFO to close out each station before the 26th. This ensures completion of host WFO Quality Control (QC). After the 26th, missing station information/errors are submitted via DATZILLA (https://datzilla.srcc.lsu.edu/datzilla/relogin.cgi). It is important for a WFO to close each station in a timely manner. If the observer reports via WC3, close out the station promptly rather than wait until the 26th. Also, if an observer mails their data to the WFO for WC3 entry, the WFO closes out the station after entering the data. This ensures timely data arrival to the WRCC and NCEI while improving data availability to our customers.

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WFO’s can re-open any closed COOP station containing no data. The re-open period ranges from the current month and looks back 24 months. Generally, this function proves useful for mail-in stations when data arrives after the 26th. PLEASE NOTE, WFOs must submit partial station entries via DATZILLA. Figures 7 through 7c provide the sequence to re-open a COOP site, make appropriate entries, and re-close the site.

Figure 7: WxCoder > Home > Field Office Admin > Month End Status

Figure7a: Re-Open a Closed Station

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Reminder: If re-opened, a data month must be manually closed for inclusion in the NCDC archive.

Figure 7b: Close a Station After Entries Are Made

Figure 7. Download B-91 Page

Figure 7c: Re-Closed Station

• Messages for Users

This feature allows the WFO administrator to post up to five messages for all users to read when they log in. You can provide helpful hints, solicit supplemental observations on an event-driven basis, and generally foster effective communications with your observing community.

To enter a message, click “Create new message,” enter the alphanumeric statement in the text box, click ‘submit’, and the message posts to the entry page. If a user selects the “Jump to” feature to go to their daily entry form, a new message alert and link appears.

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• QC Thresholds

This feature in WC3 allows you to configure so-called “soft limits” on temperature and precipitation. Values exceeding these limits require additional confirmation from the observer, which generates an automated e-mail to the observer’s WFO point(s) of contact for each occurrence. Thresholds default to statistical climate data from the Regional Climate Center’s Applied Climate Information System (RCC-ACIS; http://www.rcc-acis.org/).

When you click “QC Threshold,” you can view the default values for your individual sites. The ACIS-derived thresholds come from monthly climatology, typically close to the historic extreme value for a given site. This structure automatically sends you alerts when record or near-record observations are made by the observer. It also gives the observer an opportunity to ensure the value is legitimate, and not a potential keying error.

One can modify station “QC Threshold” values immediately below the current thresholds. Enter the element type, range, month, and day (1 & 31) within the “new threshold” box. All months use 31 as the last day of the month. When a threshold changes for the first time, the original value automatically deletes. The new limit now displays with “remove” appended. If a new threshold value forces another change to the same month, click on “remove,” after writing down your unchanged upper/lower threshold limit. Now enter and save the new values. WRCC does not automatically delete a previously changed entry.

Do not confuse these thresholds with QA/QC checks for internal inconsistencies, as found in Appendix A. The inconsistency and gross (or “hard”) limit checks are made to disallow entry of bogus data by the user. Multiple triggers of these limits may indicate the user is having trouble. WC3 generates an e-mail to you if this happens.

Observational Best Practices for WxCoder

The COOP program remains the means by which NWS obtains observational data to support NOAA’s Climate Program and field operations. NWS operates this program, including the selection of data sites; recruiting, appointing, and training of observers. The installation and maintenance of equipment, station documentation, and observer compensation (when appropriate) remains NWS responsibility. NCEI, under the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), shares responsibility with NWS in data collection, delivery to users, and data quality control functions.

Cooperative observers are generally unpaid volunteers. Exceptions exist, but are rare. Equipment used at NWS cooperative stations may be owned by the NWS, the observer, a company or other government agency, providing it meets NWS equipment standards and siting criteria.

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• COOP Station Standards (NWS)

A cooperative station becomes an official part of the COOP network on approval from the RCPM and supervising WFO, and meets the following criteria (data publication, while common, is not a criterion):

• Equipment used for observations meets NWS performance and siting requirements (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/directives/010/pd01013002c.pdf). • Station metadata exists in the SIS documentation database with NWS assistance http://www.weather.gov/om/coop/reference/pd01013015a.pdf • The station has a Station Index number from NCEI via NWS request, and a Station Identifier from the NWS Office of Operational Systems (OPS) Configuration Management via request through the NWS Location Identifier (NWSLI) system.

These criteria ensure availability of funds, proper documentation, satisfactory instrumentation, correct sensor exposure, and full approval. Automated Observing Stations (AOS) are COOP sites if a cooperative observer logs any data element an AOS provides. A cooperative station may share a location with other types of observing stations. In these cases, the portion of the observing program which supports the cooperative weather mission remains independent of other observational and service programs.

• Data Collecting and Reporting

Weather Forecast Office (WFO) Weather Service Office (WSO) Data Collection Office (DCO) The National Weather Service Representative (NWSREP) usually works from a WFO and responsible for cooperative stations and program activities within their geographical area. This includes installation and maintenance of cooperative station equipment, and the quality control of observations. Generally, the geographical Area-Of-Responsibility (AOR) coincides with the WFO, or, for the Pacific Region, the respective WSO or DCO. However, station density and other factors may require a variance to normal areas of responsibility. At times, NWS officials, e.g., service hydrologists, interns, electronic technicians, facility technicians, regional headquarters personnel and others may perform functions or responsibilities within the scope of the cooperative program and become a NWSREP.

Duties of the NWSREP include: recruitment and training of observers; site selection; equipment installation and maintenance; mandatory inspections; quality control of observations; and station record currency. Other duties include COOP award submissions and presentations.

An important aspect of the NWSREP's work is regular contact with their cooperative observers. Routine visits to cooperative stations are made for the purpose of training, maintaining a positive observer relationship, equipment maintenance, and verification of station metadata. Annual visits are made to temperature and non-recording precipitation stations. Twice-per-year visits are made to stations measuring evaporation and those with recording rain gauges. The responsibility for maintenance of cooperative stations with telemetry capabilities are usually the

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responsibility of NWS electronic technicians. Stations with new observers may require additional visits/e-mails until satisfactory completion of observer training.

Equipment failures may require additional visits. When possible, combine them with visits to other en-route stations. Resigning observers or station relocations are not emergency visits. NWSREP’s installing, relocating, changing, or inspecting a station should prepare all necessary forms or furnish adequate notes, sketches, and diagrams within five work days of any change.

Reporting Data

1. Introduction. COOP observers provide data representing a true picture of the environment in which they live. As a result, their data becomes important and valuable to all citizens, government, industry research, etc. This section describes methods used to report, publish, and quality control cooperative data.

2. Methods of Reporting Data. Many cooperative stations provide real-time or near real-time data to NWS offices, either via IV-ROCs or WC3. Other observers, those grandfathered before the internet/phone mandate and unable to change, mail monthly data to their servicing NWS office. Some “b” network stations are entirely automatic and telemeter data either by telephone lines, satellite, VHF radio, or some other means. Nearly all “b” and some “c” network observations, either manual or via telemetering, are also sent to River Forecast Centers (RFCs). This data assists other offices for input into hydrologic models in support of forecast and warning operations/water resource forecasts. A station's permanent climate record can come from paperless transmission modes providing the following requirements are met:

a. The data stream creates a monthly summary accessible by the observer and the NWSREP.

b. The observer verifies (Closes) the monthly climate data summary submission at the end of the calendar month. Their form contains the observer's name, and, station number.

c. The NWSREP verifies review of the monthly record and approves (Closes) before NCEI receives, processes, and publishes the data, becoming part of the monthly form. Generally, verification by observer and NWSREP are complete within the first week after a month ends.

The NWSREP encourages existing COOP observers to go paperless using either the internet or telephone. In the spirit of years of volunteer support to our nation, observers do not have to switch from the current paper process. However, publication will not occur unless the NWSREP enters the data into WC3. This policy remains valid for the four CONUS Regions and not applicable for the Alaskan and Pacific Regions at this time.

When observers use more than one observation time (e.g., 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. for NWS operations and 10 p.m. to 10 p.m. for climate record), the NWSREP ensures the climate clearly reflects these times in the station's metadata for NCEI. The climate record is normally the 24-hour period closest to the standard climate calendar day (midnight-to-midnight). Observers obtaining

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B-91/92/83a forms from their supervising WFO may continue to use them for their own record. These forms are printable via WC3.

Key Forms

WC3 development meant using the three primary observing forms in developing the suite of available elements, and available for printing. Eventually, only the superform will remain active.

• WS Form B-91: Record of River and Climatological Observations (WS Form B-91) is for daily use of an observational day (24-hours ending at the official time of observation) rather than calendar day (midnight to midnight). The information on one page of a WS Form B-82 transfers to a WS Form B-91. For example, information for March 23rd on WS Form B-82 transfers to the 23rd day on the WS Form B-91. Each WS Form B-91 contains space for an entire month's observations. For mail-in stations, the NWSREP needs one copy for transfer to WC3. Preferably, the observer mails in the form no later than the fifth day of the following month. Instructions for filling out the WS Forms B-91/92 are written on the cover page of the forms booklet. For missing data, enter an “M” in the appropriate column(s) for the day(s). For multi-day accumulations of precipitation, enter an “M” in the missing days. Remind observers to indicate in remarks the current entry includes those missing days.

• WS Form B-92: Record of Evaporation and Climatological Observations (WS Form B-92) is the official permanent record form for cooperative stations measuring evaporation. In addition to temperature and precipitation data, one can also include the following elements: dry and wet bulb readings, wind movement, evaporation, and temperature of the evaporation pan water. Agricultural extension stations frequently use this form. Instructions for filling out the WS Form B-92 are written on the cover pages of the forms booklet. For missing data, enter an “M” in the appropriate column(s) for the day(s).

• WS Form B-83a: Supplementary Record of Climatological Observations (WS Form B-83a) documents temperature and precipitation data, dry and wet bulb temperatures for up to three elevations, soil temperatures and soil moisture for up to six depths, wind movement or speed for up to three heights, and wind direction. Observers mail their forms per direction of their NWSREP. Normally, a copy is sent to NCEI. If data is missing, enter an “M” in the appropriate column(s) for the day(s).

• Superform: A generic spreadsheet with the flexibility to accommodate all configurations of COOP observer stations. Data entry onto this form transfers to all the above forms. Enter an “M” in any column for missing data. For missing precipitation, enter the total accumulation in the current day’s observation, e.g., nine missing days + the current day = a “10” in the Multi-day accumulation column.

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Acronym List

ACIS Applied Climate Information System CONUS Continental United States CPA Cooperative Program Area – Area of COOP responsibility for an NWS WFO CRN Climate Reference Network CSSA Cooperative Station Service Accountability Database (NWS) CWA County Warning Area – Area Served by an NWS WFO DCO Data Collection Office HCN Historical Climate Network IV-ROCS Interactive Voice-Remote Observation Collection System NCEI National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) NESDIS NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NWS NOAA’s National Weather Service NWSI National Weather Service Instruction NWSLI National Weather Service Location Identifier System NWSREP NWS Representative/Local COOP field coordinator QC/QA Quality Control/Quality Assurance RCC NOAA’s Regional Climate Centers RFC River Forecast Center SHEF Standard Hydro-meteorological Exchange Format WFO NWS Weather Forecast Office (shorthand for Weather Service Offices as well) WSO Weather Service Office WC3 Weather Coder Version 3

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Appendix A: WC3 Internal Consistency Quality Assurance & Control Checks

Failure Conditions

General:

• Values exceed gross limits (listed below by element)

Observation Time:

• Observation entry is more than 30 minutes before observation time. • Observation entry is more than 90 days after observation time.

Air Temperature:

• Daily minimum temperature must be less than or equal to the at-observation time temperature for the previous 24-hour period. • Daily minimum temperature must be less than or equal to the daily maximum temperature for the previous 24-hour period. • Daily maximum temperature must be greater than or equal to the daily minimum temperature for the previous 24-hour period. • Daily maximum temperature greater than or equal to daily at-observation time temperature for the current 24-hour period. • Daily maximum temperature greater than or equal to daily minimum temperature for the current 24-hour period. • Daily at-observation time temperature greater than or equal to daily minimum temperature for the current 24-hour period.

Precipitation and Snow:

• For the current observing period, if snowfall is greater than zero, then precipitation must also be greater than zero. • If present weather is coded between 51 and 98, then precipitation must also be greater than zero. • Snow depth increases with low/no snowfall; includes 1-day look-back to past month.

Soil Temperature:

• Maximum bare surface temperature must be greater than or equal to the minimum bare surface temperature for the current observing period. • Maximum bare surface temperature must be greater than or equal to the at- observation time bare surface temperature for the previous observing period. • The at-observation time bare surface temperature must be greater than or equal to the minimum bare surface temperature for the current observing period.

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• For all subsoil layers (bare or under sod), the maximum ground temperature must be greater than or equal to the minimum ground temperature at the same depth for the current observing period. • For all subsoil layers (bare or under sod), the maximum ground temperature must be greater than or equal to the at-observation ground temperature at the same depth for the previous observing period. • For all subsoil layers (bare or under sod), the at-observation ground temperature must be greater than or equal to the minimum ground temperature at the same depth for the current observing period.

Evaporation:

• Maximum water temperature must be greater than or equal to the minimum water temperature for the current observing period.

Relative Humidity:

• Maximum relative humidity must be greater than or equal to the minimum relative humidity for the current observing period.

Gross Limits Checks

The following table provides a listing of gross limits by element. Observers are NOT permitted to enter values outside the normal range of expected values bound by these limits. Note that these limits are NOT configurable, but so-called ‘soft limits’ tied to ACIS statistical climatology, can be configured to provide alerts to both the observer and the NWS field office.

ELEMENT ID ELEMENT MAX MIN

TX Max Temperature 150 -99 TN Min Temperature 150 -99 TA At Observation 150 -99 PP Precipitation 33 0 SF Snowfall 75 0 QI Inflow None 0 IC Ice cover 100 0 IT Ice thickness None 0 SI Snow depth on ice None 0 IR Ice report 999 0 XW Present weather 99 -1

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Appendix B: List of Elements for WC3 (SHEF Symbol)

Air Temperature Max temperature - 2" under bare (TBIRZX@2) Max temperature (TX) Max temperature - 4" under bare (TBIRZX@4) Max temperature - 8" under bare (TBIRZX@8) Min temperature (TN) Max temperature - 10cm under bare (TBIRZX@10CM) At observation (TA) Max temperature - 12" under bare (TBIRZX@12) Max temperature - 16" under bare (TBIRZX@16) Precipitation Max temperature - 20" under bare (TBIRZX@20) Precipitation (PP) Max temperature - 20cm under bare (TBIRZX@20CM) Max temperature - 36" under bare (TBIRZX@36) Accumulation (PPA) Max temperature - 40" under bare (TBIRZX@40) Precipitation type (PT) Max temperature - 50cm under bare (TBIRZX@50CM) Weekly precipitation (PPW) Max temperature - 60" under bare (TBIRZX@60) Snowfall (SF) Max temperature - 100cm under bare (TBIRZX@100CM) Min temperature - 1" under bare (TBIRZN@1) Snow depth (SD) Min temperature - 2" under bare (TBIRZN@2) Snow core (SW) Min temperature - 4" under bare (TBIRZN@4) 6hr snowfall (SFQ) Min temperature - 8" under bare (TBIRZN@8) 12hr snowfall (SFK) Min temperature - 10cm under bare (TBIRZN@10CM) Weekly snowfall (SFW) Min temperature - 12" under bare (TBIRZN@12) Min temperature - 16" under bare (TBIRZN@16) Monthly snowfall (SFM) Min temperature - 20" under bare (TBIRZN@20) Precipitation Time of Occurrence (PPO) Min temperature - 20cm under bare (TBIRZN@20CM) Min temperature - 36" under bare (TBIRZN@36) River Data Min temperature - 40" under bare (TBIRZN@40) Min temperature - 50cm under bare (TBIRZN@50CM) River stage (HG) Min temperature - 60" under bare (TBIRZN@60) Trend (HI) Min temperature - 100cm under bare (TBIRZN@100CM) Source (HS) At observation - 2" under bare (TB@2) Inflow (QI) At observation - 4" under bare (TB@4) Discharge (QT) At observation - 6" under bare (TB@6) At observation - 8" under bare (TB@8) Ice Cover (IC) At observation - 10cm under bare (TB@10CM) Ice thickness (IT) At observation - 16" under bare (TB@16) Snow depth on ice (SI) At observation - 20" under bare (TB@20) Ice report (IR) At observation - 20cm under bare (TB@20CM) At observation - 40" under bare (TB@40) Pool elevation (HP) At observation - 50cm under bare (TB@50CM) Tail-water elevation (HT) At observation - 60" under bare (TB@60) Lake storage (LS) At observation - 72" under bare (TB@72) 24hr average discharge (QTD) At observation - 100cm under bare (TB@100CM) Max temperature - 1" under sod (TVIRZX@1) Max temperature - 2" under sod (TVIRZX@2) Dew & Frost Data Max temperature - 4" under sod (TVIRZX@4) Surface dew intensity (AM) Max temperature - 8" under sod (TVIRZX@8) Surface frost (AF) Max temperature - 10cm under sod (TVIRZX@10CM) Depth of frost penetration (GD) Max temperature - 12" under sod (TVIRZX@12) Max temperature - 20" under sod (TVIRZX@20) Depth of surface frost thawed (GT) Max temperature - 20cm under sod (TVIRZX@20CM) Depth of frost under pavement (GP) Max temperature - 36" under sod (TVIRZX@36) Depth of surface frost thawed under pavement (GW) Max temperature - 40" under sod (TVIRZX@40) Max temperature - 60" under sod (TVIRZX@60) Soil Temperature Max temperature - 100cm under sod (TVIRZX@100CM) Min temperature - 1" under sod (TVIRZN@1) Max temperature - bare surface (TSIRZX) Min temperature - 2" under sod (TVIRZN@2) Min temperature - bare surface (TSIRZN) Min temperature - 4" under sod (TVIRZN@4) At observation - bare surface (TS) Min temperature - 8" under sod (TVIRZN@8) Max temperature - 1" under bare (TBIRZX@1)

23 Administrator’s Guide, Ver. 3.2

Min temperature - 10cm under sod (TVIRZN@10CM) Weather Min temperature - 12" under sod (TVIRZN@12) Present weather (XW) Min temperature - 20" under sod (TVIRZN@20) Min temperature - 20cm under sod (TVIRZN@20CM) Past weather (XP) Min temperature - 36" under sod (TVIRZN@36) Observation day weather (XWD) Min temperature - 40" under sod (TVIRZN@40) Min temperature - 50cm under sod (TVIRZN@50CM) Position Min temperature - 60" under sod (TVIRZN@60) Min temperature - 72" under sod (TVIRZN@72) Latitude (La) Min temperature - 100cm under sod (TVIRZN@100CM) Longitude (Lo) At observation - 1/4" under sod (TV@1/4) Globe quadrant (Qc) At observation - 2" under sod (TV@2) At observation - 4" under sod (TV@4) At observation - 8" under sod (TV@8) Meteorological Data At observation - 10cm under sod (TV@10CM) At observation wind speed (ff) At observation - 20" under sod (TV@20) At observation wind direction (dd) At observation - 20cm under sod (TV@20CM) Sky cover (N) At observation - 40" under sod (TV@40) Pressure (P) At observation - 50cm under sod (TV@50CM) At observation - 60" under sod (TV@60) Air temperature (T) At observation - 72" under sod (TV@72) Visibility (VV) At observation - 80" under sod (TV@80) Past weather (W1) At observation - 100cm under sod (TV@100CM) Present weather (ww)

Evaporation Oceanographic Data Evaporation (EP) Ship's true course (Ds) Max water temperature (TPIRZX) Wave height (Hw) Min water temperature (TPIRZN) Period of waves (Pw) Anemometer Dial reading (UC) Water temperature (Tw) 24 hour movement (ULD) Ship's average speed (Vs)

Monthly Data Monthly precipitation (PPM)

Miscellaneous Relative humidity (XR) Max relative humidity (XRIRZX) Min relative humidity (XRIRZN) Sunshine (RT) Wind direction (UD) Wind speed (US) Wind gust (UG) Peak wind (UP) Peak wind direction (UR) Pressure (PA) Sea-level pressure (PL)

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Appendix C: Summary of WC3 On-line Help

On-Line help is now found by clicking the blue word/words to the left of the daily entry section (this function also works for smart-phones). Click the word(s) again and the help function closes. Other Administrative pages use the same help concept—click the blue word(s) for additional information. Daily entry help descriptions are:

Date and time of observation: The date and time shown default to today at your scheduled observation time. You can change the date and time as needed to report to the nearest minute. NOTE: Be careful not to confuse the CURRENT time with your actual OBSERVATION time!

Type of observation: The default observation is for the 24-hour period immediately preceding the time of observation (e.g., if the observation is at 5:00 pm today, the 24-hour period is 5:01 pm yesterday to 5:00 pm today). Be careful not to confuse the 24-hour period with the 24 hours in a calendar day - they will not be the same unless you take observations at midnight! You can enter other, more specialized observations as shown in the pull-down menu. Note that these observations will NOT replace or act as a substitute for your regular 24-hour observation - these are above-and-beyond observations you are welcome to enter (check with your supervising WFO if you are interested in routinely or otherwise (ad-hoc weather spotter) reporting additional observations on a regular basis).

Maximum temperature: The maximum (MAX.) temperature is the highest temperature to have occurred during the past 24 hours. Enter to the nearest whole degree (in Fahrenheit). The MAX must be at least as high as the highest of today's and yesterday's AT OBSN temperatures. For example, if yesterday's AT OBSN temperature was 95, today's maximum must be at least as high as 95, even if the maximum this calendar day was only 86. You may record the 86 maximum in the REMARKS column as "PM MAX 86." This is optional. Maximum-minimum Temperature System (MMTS) If you have the MMTS, obtain the maximum temperature by pressing the button marked "MAX." Record this reading to the nearest whole degree. If the reading to the right of the decimal is 5 or greater, round off to the higher figure; i.e., 39.5 should be recorded as 40. Liquid-in-glass Maximum Temperature If you have a liquid-in-glass thermometer, the MINIMUM thermometer should be read FIRST.

Lower the maximum thermometer slowly to a vertical position, with the bulb end down. Then, read the maximum temperature from the top of the mercury column. To reset it whirl it clockwise several times until the reading is approximately the same as shown on the minimum thermometer. Next, return it to its nearly horizontal position with the bulb end slightly elevated. NOTIFY THE SUPERVISING OFFICE if the maximum and minimum temperatures disagree by more than one degree after setting.

Minimum temperature: The minimum (MIN.) temperature is the lowest temperature to have occurred during the past 24 hours. Enter to the nearest whole degree (in Fahrenheit). The minimum must be at least as low as the lowest of yesterday's and today's AT OBSN temperatures. Maximum-minimum Temperature System (MMTS) If you have the MMTS, obtain the minimum temperature by pressing the button marked "MIN." Record this reading to the nearest whole degree. If the reading to the right of the decimal is 5 or greater, round off to the higher figure; i.e., 39.5 should be recorded as 40.

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Liquid-in-glass Minimum Temperature The MINIMUM thermometer should be read FIRST so that the index in the minimum thermometer will not be jarred or disturbed in any manner before the reading is made. It should be read while in its nearly horizontal or "set" position by reading the temperature scale at the end of the small index farthest from the bulb (the right hand side as you look at it). Do not reset the MINIMUM thermometer until the maximum thermometer has been read and reset. Reset the minimum thermometer by raising the bulb end sufficiently to allow the small index to slide to the end of the alcohol column, and then lowering the thermometer to its nearly horizontal position.

At observation: The AT OBSN temperature is the temperature at the time you take your observation. Enter to the nearest whole degree (in Fahrenheit). Maximum-minimum Temperature System (MMTS) The current temperature is the reading shown when no buttons are depressed. If the reading to the right of the decimal is 5 or greater, round off to the higher figure; i.e., 39.5 should be recorded as 40. Liquid-in-glass Minimum Temperature Temperature at time of observation should be obtained by reading the maximum thermometer after it has been whirled and while it is still in a vertical position. The current temperature may be determined at other times of day by reading the end of the alcohol column of the minimum thermometer without disturbing it.

Precipitation: Enter the total precipitation in inches and hundredths (rain or melted hail, ice pellets or snow) which has accumulated during the 24 hours preceding the time of observation. ENTER THE AMOUNT ON THE DATE OF MEASUREMENT, even if some or all of it actually fell on the preceding calendar day. If the amount falling was too small to measure, enter "T" for a trace. Every entry of 0.01" or more must be recorded to two decimal places, taking care to enter the decimal point in its proper place. For example, record nine-hundredths as 0.09, exactly two inches as 2.00, and a half inch as 0.50. If no precipitation occurred during the 24-hour observation period, a 0 (zero) should be entered so there will be no doubt as to whether any precipitation fell. If an accumulated value is to be reported on a future day, an "S" may be entered to represent "subsequent". The rain gage should be emptied immediately after the measurement has been made at the normal time of observation. DO NOT EMPTY THE GAGE AT TIMES OF SPECIAL OBSERVATIONS. However, for rainfall observers who report to a hydrologic service area, it may be necessary to empty the gage at times other than official observation times when water has overflowed the measuring tube. Measuring and Recording Frozen Precipitation In freezing weather, when snow or ice pellets are likely to occur, remove the funnel and inner tube of the rain gage and leave only the large outer can exposed. Melt the catch of snow or ice pellets by adding a CAREFULLY measured amount of warm water from the tube. After the catch is melted in the can, pour the water into the tube (being careful not to spill any), and measure it. Then subtract the amount of warm water previously added. The resulting figures are the water equivalents of the snow or ice pellets and should be entered as the amount of precipitation. If snow, ice pellets or hail fall when the funnel and inner tube have not been removed and it is apparent that the gage has caught only a portion of the precipitation, a section of the newly fallen snow, ice pellets or hail on the ground should be cut, using the outer can as a biscuit cutter, and this section melted and measured as indicated above

Multi-day Accumulation: If the total precipitation observed is for more than a single observing period AND cannot be subdivided into individual observing periods, choose the total number of days for which the precipitation value represents. For

Administrator’s Guide, Ver. 3.2 26

example, if you have been away for the weekend (left after the Friday observation and returned on Monday) and have 0.57" but cannot ascertain whether it fell on Saturday, Sunday, Monday or some combination, select 3 days.

NOTE: Enter an “M” in the previous days precipitation block(s). The total number of accumulation days includes the current days input.

Snowfall: Enter the total of newly fallen snow for the observing period. The snowfall total should be provided in increments of ONE-TENTH an INCH (0.1"). Trace values, defined as total snowfall of less than 0.05" over the observation period must be entered with a T. Please note that snowfall often does not correspond with snow depth precisely due to melting, compacting and other factors. Measure and record the greatest amount of snowfall that has accumulated on your snowboard (wooden deck or ground if board is not available) since the previous snowfall observation. This measurement should be taken minimally once-a-day but can be taken up to four times a day, (every 6 hours) and should reflect the greatest accumulation of new snow observed since the last snowfall observation. Snowfall amounts can be measured hourly or at any interval as long as the snow measurement board is NOT cleared more frequently than once every 6 hours. If you are not available to watch snow accumulation at all times of the day and night, use your best estimate, based on a measurement of snowfall at the scheduled time of observation along with knowledge of what took place during the past 24 hours. See NWS snow measurement guidelines for more information.

Snow Depth: Enter to the nearest INCH the average depth of all snow, ice pellets, and ice (including old and new) and hail remaining on the ground at the time of observation in the vicinity of the station. Enter a T for less than 0.5" inch. If drifting has occurred, make measurements at several points where drifting is the least evident, and enter the average amount. An entry should be made each day in this space as long as snow, ice pellets or ice remains on the ground. As soon as the covering has completely melted, enter "0" for the depth.

Measure the total depth of snow on exposed ground at a permanently-mounted snow stake or by taking the average of several depth readings at or near the normal point of observation with a measuring stick. Report snow depth to the nearest whole inch, rounding up when one-half inch increments are reached. In hilly or mountainous terrain, you will be faced with the situation where no snow is observed on south-facing slopes while snow, possibly deep, remains in shaded or north-facing areas. Under these circumstances, you should use good judgment to visually average and then measure snow depths in exposed areas within several hundred yards surrounding the weather station.

See NWS snow measurement guidelines for additional information.

Observation Period Weather: Check the following boxes for the occurrence of any of these phenomena during the OBSERVATION day: Fog: Check this box if fog occurs during the OBSERVATION day. Fog is water droplets (i.e., clouds) suspended in the atmosphere in the vicinity of the surface that effect visibility. Please use the comments section to report the estimated visibility in miles or yards associated with the densest occurrence, and indicate the approximate time of the fog. Fog often accompanies rain. Hail: Check this box if hail occurs during the OBSERVATION day. Hail is precipitation in the form of balls or irregular lumps of ice, always produced by convective clouds. Hail is typically 1/8" or greater in diameter, in contrast to small ice and snow pellets (or graupel). Please use the comments section to report the time when hail begins and ends as accurately as possible, and report the approximate size distribution of the hailstones (largest, smallest, most common; diameters 1/8" (rice), ¼" (pea), 3/8" (raisin), ½" (marble), ¾" (penny), 1" (quarter), 1½"

Administrator’s Guide, Ver. 3.2 27

(golf ball), 2" (egg), 3" (tennis ball). Also indicate if the hail is white or clear, and any damage that might have occurred (e.g., leaf damage, dents in cars, damaged roofs, broken windows). Ice Pellets: Check this box if ice pellets occur during the observation day. Ice pellets are transparent or translucent pellets of ice, which are round or irregular, rarely conical, and which have a diameter of 0.2 inch/5 mm or less. The pellets usually rebound when striking hard ground, and make a sound on impact. There are two main types: (a) One type is composed of hard grains of ice consisting of frozen raindrops, or largely melted and refrozen snowflakes (formerly sleet). This type falls as continuous or intermittent precipitation. (b) The second type consists of snow encased in a thin layer of ice which has formed from the freezing, either of droplets intercepted by the pellets, or of water resulting from the partial melting of the pellets. This type falls as showers. Damaging Winds: Check this box if winds exceeding 50-60 mph have been observed during the OBSERVATION day and have likely contributed to local damage to property. Damaging wind is typically associated with the straight-line winds, downdrafts, downbursts, gust fronts or other thunderstorm-related windy condition. Damaging winds are also associated with tropical storms, hurricanes, nor’easters and winter storms. Glaze: Check this box if glaze occurs during the OBSERVATION day. Glaze is a coating of ice, generally clear and smooth, formed on exposed objects by the freezing of a film of super-cooled water deposited by rain, drizzle or fog. It is chiefly the by-product of freezing rain or drizzle. Thunderstorm: Check this box if thunder is heard during the OBSERVATION day. Thunder is the sound emitted by rapidly expanding gases along the channel of a lightning discharge. Please use the comments section to report the time of when thunder is first and last heard as accurately as possible, and describe any associated lightning if seen (cloud-to-cloud and/or cloud-to-ground).

REMARKS – More info: Enter calendar day or p.m. maximum temperatures when lower than 24-hour maxima, and overnight or a.m. minima when higher than 24-hour minima (optional). Write brief reports of unusual weather or flood conditions, giving times and dates. Enter heights and times (if known) of crest stages, if higher than reported in RIVER STAGE. Brief reports of storm damage, and durations and amounts of heavy rain are useful. These additional remarks are often the only source of this information in your area, and can be very important.

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Appendix D: Smart Phone examples of Daily Form Input

WC3 now offers the capability of entering temperature and precipitation observations quickly via a smart-phone. Simply log onto WC3 via wxcoder.org, select the “Daily Form” menu choice, and make your temperature and precipitation entries.

The following screen shots are provided as examples of what you will see on your phones screen after the daily form opens:

Daily Entry Form:

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Daily Entry Form - continued:

Administrator’s Guide, Ver. 3.2 30

The “View it” key allows you to see your completed observation and what your observation looks like when coded for national transmission.

View it:

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Appendix E: Shortcut keys for PP, SF, and SD at closeout

In this example, the “Precipitation” and “Multi-day Accumulation” columns are blank. When the Autofill buttons display, the software now highlights the respective columns. When SF and SD are missing, these columns will also highlight, even when partially filled.

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Attachment 1: Copy of WC3 User’s Guide

A Web-Based Entry System for National Weather Service Cooperative Observers

User’s Guide

Version 3.2 August 2015

Administrator’s Guide, Ver. 3.2 33

Table of Contents

Table of Contents and Summary of Changes ...... 34 WxCoder User’s Guide Introduction ...... 35 Signing In ...... 36 WC3 Home Page ...... 37 WC3 Observations Page ...... 38 Entering Your Data ...... 41 Observation Confirmation ...... 43 The Superform ...... 47 Correcting a Temperature Error ...... 48 Signing Out ...... 51 Appendix A: Common Superform Errors ...... 52 Appendix B: Smart Phone examples of Daily Form Input ...... 56

Summary of Changes

Administrator’s Guide, Ver. 3.2 34

WxCoder Users Guide Introduction:

WxCoder III (WC3), version 3.2, includes enhancements to the “Superform.” The spreadsheet format allows for fast data entry, lets you see previously sent observations, and opens the current day for input. The Superform helps to eliminate missing days while improving overall station data quality.

For those accustomed to the previous methods of either daily or monthly input, these features remain. WC3 decreases the time period between observations reaching National Weather Service (NWS), Regional Climate Center’s (RCCs), and the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). These offices all work to collect, quality control, and redistribute COOP data. Monthly forms automatically sum and average temperature, precipitation, and snowfall observations. WC3 contains additional “behind-the-scenes” Quality Control/Assurance (QC/QA) functions to assist the observer in an accurate observation. The Superform allows a supervising Weather Forecast Office (WFO) to customize the weather reporting criteria for a specific COOP station, and update user and station information. WC3 allows a WFO to enter an observer’s observations when they either lose internet connectivity or have personal computer hardware/software problems.

WC3’s QC/QA significantly reduces data errors resulting from manual entry of daily data, keypunch errors, and incorrect administrative information. Examples of some of these checks include: • Temperature consistency checks (e.g., a minimum temperature cannot exceed a maximum temperature for the same observing period, etc.) • Precipitation consistency checks (no negative precipitation values) • Winter precipitation consistency checks (if snowfall exceeds three inches, snow depth must increase, etc.) • Look-back ability to check the last day of previous month for temperature, precipitation, and snowfall errors

WC3’s design: • Provides an efficient, easy-to-use data entry system for participating COOP observers • Ensures timely availability of COOP data for all customers • Improves data quality through automated near-real-time data QA/QC • Achieves a paperless electronic data collection, transmission, and archiving system • Allows system flexibility to meet demands of integrating data from future observing systems and parameters (including phenology—the study of natural events, e.g., date migrating birds return, when spring flowers bloom, etc.)

Your WC3 Account:

Administrator’s Guide, Ver. 3.2 35

Congratulations and thank you for participating in the Cooperative Weather Observer electronic program. Your servicing WFO creates your account. This account enables WC3 to identify you at login, tailor the information for your location, and allow access to other features. To begin, provide your NWS contact with a “Username” you wish to use to login to WC3 and an e-mail address. Your username should have between 3 and 255 characters. You may have any combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, the “at” (@) sign, and the period. Using your station name as the username makes a great starting point in the selection process.

The e-mail address you provide allows your servicing WFO to send messages and includes a randomly generated, and usually hard to remember “Access Code.” Your servicing NWS office can create an access code to something easy to remember. This access code, with your username, completes the login process.

Hardware/Software Requirements:

No special hardware requirements are necessary. WC3 makes use of an internet-ready computer, connected to either cable, DSL, or a dial-up phone line. WC3 needs a functioning web browser like, Google Chrome, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.

WC3 uses cookies and JavaScript to enable some of its features. Cookies and JavaScript need enabling within your browser for WC3 to function. If not on, WC3 sends a special message asking you to enable these items. This message includes information about cookies and/or JavaScript, and has instructions on how to enable either or both for WC3 operation. The “Help” section can also assist in activating these features.

Signing In:

Go to http://wxcoder.org. When the WC3 page opens (Figure 1), enter your username and access code. If you forget your access code or are accessing the system for the first time, click on “Having trouble?” in the sign-in box and provide either the username or e-mail address you gave your servicing NWS office. A new access code arrives via e-mail. Take care to protect your username and access code from non-WC3 users. Reset the access code if it becomes known to non-users. Both your username and access code are case-sensitive. For example, your username is smith. Entries such as SMITH or Smith will fail and prevent you from signing into your account.

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Figure 1: WxCoder Log-in Page

WC3 Home Page (managing your account):

When WC3 opens, it displays the home page and provides any “News” on updates/changes from either the WC3 programmers or the servicing WFO. There are also a number of key navigation features (Figure 2):

1.) Home Menu: Provides access to observation and information pages. Menu item “My Observations” provides access to the Superform. 2.) Time Stamp: Three dates and times are seen: current date/time; last sign-in; and last observation sent. These serve as a reminder of your frequency of use. 3.) Bread Crumb: This provides a quick snapshot of where you are within WC3. 4.) Additional Help: You can find available help throughout the active session pages, including a Site Map, Contact NWS, and “Help” (to the left of “Sign Out” at top of page, Figure 4). 5.) Interface Acknowledgments: Collaboration between NOAA and its RCC, along with reference to the Applied Climate Information System (ACIS), are shown at the bottom of all WC3 web- pages.

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Figure 2: WxCoder Home Page

WC3 Observations Page:

From the WC3 “Home” page, selecting “My Observations” from the main menu sends you to the entry page for observations (Figure 3). This screen allows you to access or retrieve (download) observations. For those with multiple stations, a “Change Site” box allows access to the additional station(s).

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Figure 3: My Observations Page

You can access your NWS Form B-91 (or B-92, if an agricultural evaporation station site) observations either for the current month or any previous month using the “Download Data” menu item (Figure 13). Then select either the default B-91 or use the drop-down menu and select the B-92. You can also download and print a blank form, Figure 13 (blank B-91sample at Figure 14), using Windows, Linux, or Macintosh operating systems. Figure 15 illustrates the data entry sections, including remarks.

Administrator’s Guide, Ver. 3.2 39

Figure 4: Daily Observation Entry Page

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Entering Your Data (Example below may vary due to your specific reporting elements): The following features can assist in entering your observation:

1.) Station Info: Provides key metadata (information about your station), including your supervising NWS office, station (Site) ID, official time of observation, location, and elevation.

2.) Date and Time of Observation: Defaults to current calendar day. Your individual observation day spans a 24-hour period. For example: If you report at 9 am, then your data spans the 24-hour period from 9:01 am yesterday to 9 am today. If entering a previous report, change the date using the drop-down menu. Please remember, WC3 does not allow you to enter an observation greater than 30 minutes before your regular observation time, e.g., 8:30 OK, 8:29 not OK.

3.) Type of Observation: Most observers provide information for the 24-hour period preceding their official time of observation. However, you can report additional/supplemental information using the pull-down menu in cooperation with your supervising NWS office.

4.) On-Screen Help: A mouse-click on “help” at the top right of the page provides additional information to assist/clarify the meaning of an entry or element.

5.) Observation Entry Areas: The seven observation areas in Figure 7 correspond to entry areas on the NWS Form B-91, as shown in Figure 15.

• Temperature: Separate entry boxes for maximum, minimum, and at-observation temperatures. All entries are in whole degrees Fahrenheit. Enter an “M” for missing data. Temperatures showing tenths of a degree are rounded to the next higher whole-number value when equal to or greater than 0.5F. Round up when temperatures are above zero (Ex: 56.5F rounds to 57F), and round down to the next whole number when temperatures are below zero (Ex. -19.6F rounds to -20F).

• Precipitation: For the measurement period (the last 24-hours), enter the liquid total accumulation of rain/hail, ice pellets, glaze, and snow. Record values of rain as X.XX, snow fall X.X, and snow depth in a whole number, X (example: rain 0.85; Snowfall 4.5; and snow depth 5). Record “Trace” observations with a capital “T.” If precipitation is unknown, enter an “M” for missing data. When entering a number of preceding days of precipitation, one may prefer either the “Monthly form,” or preferably, the “Superform.”

a. Open the “Monthly form.” Unlock each date with no precipitation entry (click the padlock icon—and lock turns green when open). The “Superform” does not require this step as it is ready for data input. Once the day(s) open, enter an “M” in (each) precipitation block(s). For the superform, click on the respective blocks and enter an “M.”

b. Click the “Accum. or Multi-day Accumulation” drop-down menu and enter the total number of days with no report plus one (you need to include the current day). For examples, see Figures 4, 7, and 10 for the multi-day input locations.

Administrator’s Guide, Ver. 3.2 41

c. Now click the “Save” button. You now need to “Confirm” each of the day(s) you had open (Daily and Monthly input). For the Superform, click “Save Changes.”

NOTE: Making B-91 entries via the “Daily form,” takes longer to complete than the “Monthly” or “Superform.” B-92 users can use either the “Daily Form” or the “Superform.”

• Snowfall: For the measurement period, enter the total of newly fallen snow tenths of in inches, including the decimal point. For trace observations, enter a capital “T.” If none, enter zero (0.0). Enter at least a trace “T” in the snowfall column when reporting hail. This indicates frozen precipitation occurred, particularly in hail-prone months. In “Remarks,” enter the hail size, if known, or indicate the “snowfall” was all from hail.

• Snow Depth: At observation time, enter the average depth (accumulation) of all snow and other frozen precipitation on the ground in the vicinity of the station in whole inches. Record “Trace” observations with a capital “T” (for an average depth greater than zero but less than one-half inch (0.5). If no snow depth, enter a zero (0).

Precipitation, B-91: Indicate each hourly period when you notice/suspect precipitation fell over the course of your 24-hour reporting period. The number in each block indicates the start of the hour (e.g., 6 AM represents the period 6:00 – 6:59). The “Superform” does not have this section to save space in the data-base. B-92 form users, have two sets of start and end time columns.

Monthly Form: select the appropriate “Observed” or “Estimated” radio button. Then click on the block for each hour corresponding to precipitation occurrence. Two calendar days are shown (Figure 4) to allow you to enter precipitation occurring after your observation time yesterday, to this morning’s observation. “Paragraph 5” on page 36 highlights the observation period for the current morning/evening report.

• Key Weather in Past 24-hours: Click the appropriate box(s) under the “Weather” column when Fog, Hail, Ice pellets, Damaging wind, Glaze, and Thunderstorm occur within your reporting period.

• Remarks: Enter any additional notes regarding a phenomena not part of the B-91 form. Common examples include sky condition (cloud coverage, cloud type, optical phenomena), astronomical (eclipses), seismological (earthquakes), phenology (killing frost, blooms, first arrival of birds, etc.), flooding, hail size, or other observations of the natural environment.

6.) Submit: When all observation entries are complete, click the “Submit” button. Your entries undergo an evaluation for quality. WC3 displays any errors or entry omissions where corrections/additions are necessary before WC3 accepts the observation.

The most common error is temperature. Using a reporting period of 8 am: Yesterday’s “At observation” temperature has a value lower than this morning’s low temperature. Replace your current morning’s entry with yesterday’s “At observation” temperature (Figure 11) as the lowest

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temperature occurred at 8:01 yesterday, the 24-hour observation day’s first minute. Remember, you report a 24-hour observation period, not a calendar day (Exception: you report at midnight).

NOTE: Many observers often enter their current morning minimum temperature in “Remarks” to indicate the actual observed value. For example, yesterday’s “At Observation” temp = 32 is lower than this morning’s temperature. In “Remarks,” enter the observed minimum temperature “AM low 40.” Then, enter yesterdays “At Observation temperature in the minimum temperature block. This ensures everyone understands your lowest 24-hour observation period temperature occurred in the first minute. If you report in the afternoon/evening, the example above applies to your maximum temperature when it occurred in the first minute of your 24-hour reporting period (See example at Figure 11, Correcting a Temperature Error: (page 43), and Appendix A, Figure A.).

Observation Confirmation:

Once you “Submit” an observation from either the daily, or monthly observation entry page, a final display allows you to check the data before final confirmation. This confirmation step ensures against typographical errors and provides an opportunity to make any necessary corrections. Review all elements and make appropriate corrections using the “Make corrections” button) before submission (Figure 5). Figures 6, 8, and 9 show Daily and Monthly examples of observations under review before confirmation. The monthly confirmation window may have multiple entries. Click the small “Confirm” box next to each entry before clicking “Confirm All Checked.” The Superform avoids the above “Confirm” step as it performs the Quality Control/Assurance (QC/QA) in the background via “Save Changes.”

Figure 5: Confirm Daily Input Example

Once you confirm, WC3 returns to the “My Observations” page when using the daily input as shown in Figure 4. When using the “Monthly Form,” the confirmation statement displays on

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the “Confirm page” as shown in Figure 6. For the Superform, red triangles indicate your latest entries/changes. At “Save Changes,” the triangles disappear.

For the monthly format, one may have several days to enter to either bring to currency or to fill in a missed entry. As a suggestion, when a month ends, open either the “Superform” (preferred) or the “Monthly Form” to view your observations. Missing observation(s) are quite noticeable. Simply click on the Superform/Month-lock block, make your entry, “Save changes”/“Save,” and “Confirm.” This quality control check ensures completion of a monthly set of daily data and emphasizes the importance of documenting all observations on a paper B-91/92/83A (booklets of these forms are available from your supervising WFO).

Figure 6: Confirmed Daily Observation

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Figure 7 shows the “Monthly Observation Page.” This page allows you to view your data from a monthly viewpoint while entering/editing daily values.

Figure 7: Monthly B-91 Form with Sample Entries

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Figure 8: Monthly Confirmation Example

Figure 9: Confirmed Multiple Monthly Observations

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The Superform:

Figure 10: WxCoder Superform – most COOP stations

Figure 10 is a partial example of a more common cooperative weather station entry.

The superform allows either the observer or supporting WFO the opportunity to view an entire month of information from a single screen, enter individual days, blocks of days, or an entire month, with the current day empty and awaiting data. In the above example, the superform can display much more data than the B-91 (Figures 10 and 12). All quality control/assurance features remain active with the superform as it has for the daily and monthly entry formats. Each station’s superform displays information the observer has agreed to provide, i.e., high, low, at observation temperatures, precipitation, snowfall, etc. This version has arrow-key tab options (to right of “Save changes” and “Closeout”) for keyboard (default) and number-pad users.

When the superform opens, click on the first box to the right of the date (max. temp.). Then, tab across for all remaining entries unique to your station. The multi-day column is normally blank but defaults to a “1” when precipitation is entered, including “0.00.” Use the drop-down menu for multiple-day accumulations (Figure 10). For remarks, a single mouse-click on the space and a small window opens (Figure 11). Once remarks are entered, click the “Save” button.

Use of the superform does not deny use of the more familiar entries using either the daily or monthly menus. Using the more familiar entry mode automatically transfers to the superform. The benefit of the superform becomes evident when you open the form after being absent for a

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few days, e.g., returning from vacation. You immediately see the last entry made and or where a day may have been missed/not transmitted.

Unique features:

1. The form opens in a separate window/browser tab to display all data previously entered for the month, with the current day ready to accept data—a mouse-click opens the box for maximum temperature. Use the Tab key either to move right for further same-day entries, or use the arrow keys for multi-day entries of the same type, i.e., precipitation. The “Enter” key for 10-key users works similar to the Tab and arrow keys. Un-saved entries display a red triangle (Figure 11) in the upper left corner of a box. 2. Multi-Day Accumulation column: This defaults to one (1), indicating a daily entry. 3. Hourly precipitation occurrence (Section “5” in Figure 15) was omitted to improve data storage capacity. 4. Observation period weather is a drop-down menu where you can enter key weather events within your OBSERVATION period. If you reported a thunderstorm, did you have hail? If yes, include this element as they will both display (see highlight section in Figure 10). Use Remarks to indicate hail size, if known. 5. Remarks entries use a pop-up menu. A Single-click opens the remarks box of the spreadsheet. 6. If reportable information is missing, temperature, precipitation, etc., enter an “M.” 7. If no snow fall or snow depth, make a daily zero “0”entry. Enter at least a trace “T” in the snowfall column when reporting hail to indicate frozen precipitation did occur, particularly in hail-prone months. Indicate “Hail” in the “Observation Period Weather” column, and comment in Remarks if the entry is exclusively from hail. 8. The “Closeout” button now dims to indicate closure. “Closeout” no longer disappears.

Figure 11: Error flag for Temperature and Remarks Window

Correcting a Temperature Error:

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Refer to Figure 11 above. The high temperature at the start of the 24-hour reporting period was the “At Observation” temperature of 59F reported on the 8th. The high at reporting time on the 9th was 57F. This generates the “Errors” pop-up window. To fix:

1. Enter 59F in the “Max Temperature” block on the 9th 2. Enter in remarks the current 24-hour high temperature you have read from the NIMBUS recorder. An entry can be “PM hi 57” or “Today’s high 57” or something similar. Click “OK” on the “Errors” window, and then “Save changes.”

Figure 12: WC3 Superform – Evaporation Station

Figure 12 is an example of an agricultural station reporting evaporation, water temperature, and wind-flow in whole miles (B-92 Example: The anemometer mile reading comes directly from the unit and the 24-hour movement is the difference of current-from-past-day reading). These types of stations often include soil temperature. Add remarks by a single mouse-click in the “Remarks” column.

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Retrieving Data:

Figure 13: Download Data Access

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Figure 14: Sample Blank B-91 Form

Figure 15: Entries: Temp.; Precipitation; Snowfall; Snow Depth; Hours; Weather; Rmks

Signing Out:

To sign out, click “Sign Out” in the upper right corner of “Confirmation” page (Figure 9). WC3 returns to the home page (Figure 16) with a message, in red, indicating your success.

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Figure 16: Signed Out of WxCoder

Appendix A: Common Superform Errors

1. Error flags at “Save changes:” The “Errors” sub-windows now open and highlight the error with a yellow background. Changes cannot be made until you close the sub- window.

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Figure A:

Figure A: Indicates a minimum temperature error. This error-flag displays within a month or to look back at the previous month.

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Figure B:

Figure B: Indicates two options. You either submitted an observation 30 minutes before the scheduled observation time or correcting an error after “Closeout.” To correct an error after closing, call your host WFO and ask them to re-open the form. Then click “Reload” and make your edit/correction.

Figure C:

Figure C: A common error easily corrected. This can also happen to the high temperature.

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Figure D:

Figure D: This error-flag usually results from forgetting to enter 0.00” of precipitation. The flag will not allow “Save changes” to work until entering either a zero or some precipitation.

2. Error flags at “Closeout:”

Figure E:

Figure E: A confirmation flag asks to confirm your entry. In this example both Snow Depth and Snowfall need review. Check for an entry mistake, and either correct if necessary, or your entry is correct and you can confirm. If a legitimate error, “Cancel” the “Confirmation needed” flag, make correction(s), and then “Save changes.”

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Figure F:

Figure F: This confirmation flag checks your Snowfall by looking back at the last day of the previous month. Check for an entry mistake, and either correct if necessary, or your entry is correct and you can confirm. If a legitimate error, “Cancel” the “Confirmation Needed” flag, make correction(s), and “Save changes.”

Figure G:

Figure G: This error-flag indicates two corrections. The first is a missing day entry and the second indicates a missing snowfall entry when precipitation was recorded.

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Appendix B: Smart Phone examples of Daily Form Input

The following screen shots are provided as examples of what you will see on your phones screen after the daily form opens:

Daily Entry Form:

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Daily Entry Form - continued:

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The “View it” key allows you to see your completed observation and what your observation looks like when coded for national transmission.

View it:

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