Presenting the new Sky Castle weather station

The Weather Center

Using a Davis Vantage Vue weather station and WeatherCat software, I have installed an automated reporting station at Sky Castle in Sewanee.

To my knowledge, it is Sewanee's first such weather station that is integrated with the Weather Underground's national reporting database.

I also will retain my Vortex anemometer in addition to this weather station since my Vantage Vue instrument package is compromised from collecting good wind data from the north by trees.  The Vortex will be mounted above tree top level.  I thought it simply too risky to mount the expensive and fragile Vantage sensor package atop a 39' pole.  It would be very difficult to service.  So the Vantage package is mounted about 18' high on the edge of the bluff in the old satellite mount.  It has a vertically unobstructed view of the sky and the wind data from the south and west is unobstructed.  So, I will check wind data from both sources.

Here you can see my data:

From the Weather Underground network:

• You can see complete real time data and forecast here: Sewanee Jump Off weather
• Abbreviated real time conditions with daily highs and lows here: Sewanee Jump Off 
• Historical stats with highs and lows here: Sewanee weather data

I also added a Weather Underground web 'sticker' to my sidebar on the left of this blog that shows current conditions at a glance.

I secured the domain name: SewaneeWeather.com and have integrated a web cam.   That site is my personal site and is updated every 15 min and has a broad array of graphs, data, and a webcam which I hope to improve soon.  (The present webcam has auto focus and sometimes it doesn't focus properly.   I hope to get a better webcam at some point).

March '13 snow

It was a memorable weekend.

 Saturday March 2, it snowed lightly all day.  Glad I had plenty of firewood.  By Sunday morning, there was a good 2" of snow on the ground.    I hope kids got a chance to go sledding because this was their last best chance this season. It was just beautiful. I wish I went sledding, but I enjoyed some walks, socializing, working out at the Fowler Center, and seeing my friend John on his birthday.

Laurel Branch creek was roaring in the valley below, the bird feeder was very busy with colorful finches, and the snow provided a beautiful mountain backdrop to a warm fire and some indoor projects.

Window view

Map Room

I wanted a detailed large map for the house so I obtained the 4 contiguous USGS Topo maps for the Sewanee/Monteagle South Cumberland area.  After buying and returning several frames, I decided to make my own 48"x 36" frame with plexiglass.  I mounted all four maps as one and illuminated it with an overhead clamp light - the best solution.  Always good to see the 'big picture.'


After much thought, I've decided to move my weather instruments away from the house to the old satellite mount about 50' from the house.   I don't need a lightning attractor like that 30' steel pole attached to my house.  I think I will need an additional 10' of pipe and a practical means of raising and lowering the mast.   Still brainstorming that.   I think I'm going to buy the Davis Vantage Vue weather station and eventually establish an automated weather data and webcam page online.


I finally found a Preway cone shaped fireplace that will be integrated in my screen house on the bluff.   I was hoping to start work on that week after next, but now I think I may postpone that til April/May.   I really want to get that weather station up and away from my house before spring storms.   That will be priority for spring break.

Hard to believe Spring break is less than a week a way and spring wildflower season is just around the corner.


I took the video below on Saturday afternoon 3/2/13 to remember this late winter snow ... especially when I look back during the warm seasons.

Sunset, moonscape and a new weather instrument

Sky Castle has a new anemometer... a wind speed gage.  This model is an Inspeed Vortex 2. Thanks to help from Evan, I was able to get this heavy 30' section of galvanized pipe mounted to my deck.   Spend a good part of the day creating a support for it and then, at dusk, I checked my mail and the anemometer was there.  I HAD to mount it that night.   A High Wind Warning was forecast.   So there we were, me and Evan holding this 50 lb, 30' section of galvanized pipe in a stiff wind in the dark.  It was a challenge but we got it up there.

The height of my anemometer is 39' off the ground, 27' higher than the floor of my deck, just clear of the tree tops.   The World Meteorological Organization has set the international standard height for wind measurement devices at 10 meters (33 feet) above ground, so I'm doing pretty well.  Of course winds from the W/SW are completely unobstructed.  Last night the wind was blowing from east so the readings weren't as high as they would've been if it had been a westerly.  It blew an Adirondack chair off my bluff.

Last night, the Vortex2 got a workout -  the maximum gust recorded was 37.6 mph from the east.

Anemometer mount

Display gage - current/maximum

 The sky brought some amazing beauty again this weekend.   Friday night the near full moon was so intense you could see fog forming in Lost Cove.

The sunset wasn't too shabby either.

Next project - planning to build a screen house with a cone fireplace in a few weeks.   That should be amazing.

Moonscape - Lost Cove

Firewood, snow showers, and sunsets on the mountain

Thanks to a little help from my Dad, I replaced my stolen chainsaw with the best - Stihl MS261 Professional model.  It was the best 18" saw the dealer had on the shelf.

Stihl MS261 - the Mercedes Benz of chainsaws

With the temperatures dipping into the teens Saturday night, I had both my fireplaces cranked (although not at the same time).  My bedroom fireplace really takes the chill out of the air.

Spending nearly $700 on a professional chainsaw and accessories is a little over-kill for my needs, but I had a professional model chainsaw stolen, and I wasn't about to accept a downgrade.  This saw should last me for life.

Saturday, I spent hours cutting and splitting firewood.   It was blustery cold with snow showers.

It was cool watching snow showers blowing through Lost Cove from my perch up in Sky Castle.

Snow shower blowing through Lost Cove, 2-16

The weekend offered some spectacular sunsets and sunrises. Last week I photographed the sunrise so today, I'll offer up a sunset. The sun is setting further north on the horizon and soon it will move behind the ridge.

Painted sky over Lost Cove

Random photos

Just another sunrise from my deck.   Happy Fat Tuesday.
Looking over my shoulder from my bed this morning, I was stunned at the beauty of this morning's sunrise, though I did go back to sleep.

Sky Castle, Sewanee, TN - 2/12

Sewanee house.

Murfreesboro house, kitchen.

Ground hog day 2013 - light snow in Middle TN

A little more beautiful snow this saturday morning.

Winter in the mid-south

What seems like an increasingly rare event... snow in middle TN, just a dusting, maybe an inch before it melted. Typical tumultuous weather pattern... warm 70º tropical air, 4am tornadoes Wednesday morning, then a blast of winter. We had big beautiful flakes falling for over an hour.  Sewanee had 2" predicted but was thwarted again.  The snow missed them and went east.  All schools were cancelled anyway.   That's a southern thing.   It IS cold.  May not get above freezing today.

Full moon weekend

Sunset and the first full moon of the new year.

This house on rugged cliff doth sit. Within, a crackling fire is lit.

Happy birthday to my dear mother.  Happy winter and full moon to all.

Sky Castle art

On this 16th day of January, in the year of our Era, 2013; I hereby christen this noble dwelling, a grand observatory of sun, sky, nature, and the elements as:

Sewanee, Tennessee.

After 3 straight days of cold rain, my foray into the visual arts came to fruition today as I hung my art piece on my castle wall.  It is plywood with a nicely flamed wood grain which is highlighted by a two-tone semi transparent wood stain.   It is triple coated with spar varnish to withstand the elements.  The design is my own, inspired by some similar metal art that I had seen.  It is roughly 9' x 7'.  I thought I could hang it myself but I found it impossible.   Evan Jones came to my rescue, it took us just a few minutes to hang it.  

Long live Sky Castle.

The hearth at Sky Castle

I never get tired of looking at the ever changing fog and clouds in the land down hither.  It's magic. 

Kaleidoscope of clouds on the mountain

A moment in time during the ever changing kaleidoscope of clouds on the mountain on this rainy day.

Peace from Sewanee.

Weather blast

2013's first sounding of the MTSU tornado siren came today with tornado warnings for Rutherford County, TN.  No touchdowns unfortunately, but it did bring a wild end to the 70º+ temperatures we had this week.  Freezing temperatures expected again soon... not looking forward to bringing all my plants in again.

UPDATE:
NWS reports there was a minor tornado (EF-0) in Rutherford County:

"Tornado, reported by NWS storm survey. EF-0 tornado with maximum winds near 85 mph touched down along Floyd Road just southwest of Eagleville. Approximately 100 trees were snapped... and a residence suffered roof and window damage... along the approximate 1.5 mile damage path. Maximum path width was near 100 yards."



  Wild Turkey behavior
My woods serve as home to a flock of wild turkeys.  I don't understand their behavior.  If you were a large, heavy, ungamely bird... where would you go in a severe storm?   Perhaps shelter on the ground under some low lying branches?  No... during the height of the severe storm, in the 50+ mph winds and rain, these big birds perched on the highest branches of my oak trees, faced into the wind, and hung on for dear life.  Maybe they just wanted to 'experience' the storm?  Or maybe they just have very small brains.

What a FUN band!!

The Jake Leg Stompers

They describe themselves as: "Chicken-fried, Pre-war, Hokum-billy Jug Music". Playing blues and old time acoustic music, it's about as fun as it gets. You'll hear fiddle, banjo, tuba, trombone, washboard, spoons, guitar, bass, accordian, jugs, mandolin, great singing, jokes, and then some.

Awesomely fun!!'

France? No...

This is a street in the Bluff Arts district in Chattanooga, by the Hunter Museum on the Tennessee River.

There are some really nice restaurants and cafes in the area.  We ate at Tony's Pasta shop.   They even have a gluten-free pasta menu.

Upon arriving there, there was a large family speaking Italian, I guess a good sign for an Italian restaurant.

Below, a statue of Icarus on the riverbank.  (cell photos, not so good).

Great town, even in the rain.

New Years morning in cloud land

A rainy start to 2013.  Cool, but not cold up on the mountain.  An ever changing kaleidoscope of clouds, sky, and valley.

Champion Cove, Sewanee, TN

January 2 - still fogged in.   I took the above photo through my bedroom window.

Birthday of Kristiano Rafael Yelverton

My brother's son Kris became a dad at 3:31am this Saturday morning.  

The big healthy boy was 9 lbs and 10 oz.  

My dad and Great-grandson

My mom and Great-grandson

Winter hike photos

Photos from a 'snow hike' today in snowy upstate NY.   We got 8 - 9" of snow last night.  It's cold, in the teens tonight.

By the Susquehanne River

Canadian geese on the river

Late night walk in the snow...

In a steady snow tonight, a walk to the river.

Several inches of light and powdery snow down and a steady fine snow coming down like a fog.  My brother created a little winter wonderland with Christmas lights in the back yard. The night sky had just enough light to produce a photo of the river that appears like an impressionistic canvas.

The scene was serene, silent, beautiful.

Today is my parent's 53rd Anniversary and our family awaits the birth of my brother's grandson, Kristiano Rafael.