WUWT readers will probably remember yesterdays’ story about the malfunctioning temperature sensor at the ASOS station at Honolulu airport next to an asphalt access road. Well guess what? Even though NOAA admits the sensor is in error by as much as 2 degrees, they are going to keep the data and the string of new high temperature records. “BUT” they fixed the recent record rainfall data from the same station. See below. How’s that for science? Fix one broken record due to faulty equipment but leave others?
FROM KITV-TV (hat tip to Becka)
HONOLULU — Honolulu’s run of record heat came to an end Wednesday, but it may not have been any cooler.The weather has been warm most of the month, with highs in the 90s the past nine days.However, between 11 a.m. and noon, the city’s temperature dropped from Wednesday’s high of 89 degrees to 86 degrees, the same hour a new thermometer was installed at Honolulu International Airport.
The old one had been showing a warm bias of a degree or two, officials said. The National Weather Service said that is not significant enough to throw out the data and recent records.
Here is the string of temperature records that have been set from this faulty ASOS station:
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT HONOLULU HI
436 PM HST TUE JUN 16 2009
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 91 DEGREES WAS SET AT HONOLULU HI TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 89 SET IN 2005. $$ HOAG
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT HONOLULU HI
431 PM HST MON JUN 15 2009
A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 92 DEGREES AT HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TODAY BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 90 SET IN 1982. $$
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT HONOLULU HI
627 PM HST SUN JUN 14 2009
A TEMPERATURE OF 92 DEGREES AT HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TODAY BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 90 SET IN 2005. $$
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT HONOLULU HI
456 PM HST SAT JUN 13 2009
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 92 DEGREES WAS SET AT HONOLULU HI TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 90 SET IN 2005. $$
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT HONOLULU
525 PM HST FRI JUN 12 2009
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 92 DEGREES WAS SET AT HONOLULU TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 89 SET IN 1993. $$
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE TIED AT HONOLULU HI
426 PM HST THU JUN 11 2009
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 92 DEGREES WAS TIED AT HONOLULU HI TODAY. THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 92 SET IN 1996. $$
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT HONOLULU HI
427 PM HST WED JUN 10 2009
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 92 DEGREES WAS SET AT HONOLULU HI TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 91 SET IN 1982. $$
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT HONOLULU HI
430 PM HST TUE JUN 9 2009
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 91 DEGREES AT HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TODAY BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 90 SET IN 2003. $$
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT HONOLULU HI
0426 PM HST MON JUN 08 2009
A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 92 DEGREES HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TODAY BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 90 SET IN 1997. $$
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT HONOLULU HI
428 PM HST FRI JUN 05 2009
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 91 DEGREES WAS SET AT HONOLULU HI TODAY. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 90 SET IN 1997. $$ WATKINS
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE SET AT HONOLULU
445 PM HST TUE JUN 2 2009
A RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 91 DEGREES WAS SET AT HONOLULU TODAY. THIS TIES THE OLD RECORD OF 91 SET IN 1996. $$
CORRECTION TO RAINFALL RECORD AT HONOLULU AIRPORT
0915 PM HST THU MAY 28 2009
DUE TO TECHNICAL PROBLEMS…THE HONOLULU AIRPORT OBSERVATION STATED A RECORD RAINFALL OF 0.14 INCHES FOR THURSDAY MAY 28…BUT THIS IS INCORRECT. ONLY 0.02 INCHES FELL AT THE AIRPORT. NO RECORD WAS BROKEN. $$ MORRISON
RECORD DAILY MAXIMUM RAINFALL SET AT HONOLULU HI
445 PM HST THU MAY 28 2009
HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT RECORDED RAINFALL OF 0.14 INCHES TODAY BREAKING THE OLD RECORD OF 0.11 SET IN 1963. $$
Let me say it first: THIS IS JUST WRONG.
If they know the error, how can they possibly justify keeping the new maximum records? You can’t get away with this sort of thing in the world of professional sports records, Olympic records, or even the cheesy Guinness Book of Records. Heck they even fix mistakes made on the TV quiz show Jeopardy and dock the contestant’s winnings!
Surely NOAA has more scruples than a TV game show?
If the record can’t be verified because the equipment is faulty, how does that make it a valid record? They can’t, it’s FUBAR!
Here is the contact email links (right off their web page, I’m not outing anymore) for the Meteorologist in Charge and staff at NWS Honolulu. I say we give them an earful.
- James Weyman
- Meteorologist in Charge
- Richard Knabb
- Director of Operations
- Robert Ballard
- Science & Operations Officer
- Ray Tanabe
- Warning Coordination Meteorologist
- Kevin Kodama
- Hydrologist
- Bill Boone
- Electronic System Analyst
- Pam Fujiwara
- Administrative Assistant
Or if you’d like to write:
National Weather Service Forecast Office
2525 Correa Road, Suite 250
Honolulu, HI 96822-2219
Tel: (808) 973-5286
UPDATE:
WUWT reader Leon Brozyna points out the temperature dropped 3 degrees at the time of the sensor change, not 2 as indicated in the original TV story admission by NWS PHNL.
I’ve recovered the hourly data from the ASOS station and that is verified. Note there do not seem to be any other meteorological conditions that occurred at that time (such as increased cloud cover or rain) that could add a cooling trend. With solar insolation still increasing, and the high of the day likely yet to occur ( there was a second peak later) it seems that the sensor was off at least 3 degrees. Plus the temperature trend at that time of the day is usually upwards, so it may be even more than 3 degrees. Possibly 4.- Anthony
Source: http://www.weather.gov/data/obhistory/PHNL.html
| D
a t e |
Time
(hst) |
Wind
(mph) |
Vis.
(mi.) |
Weather | Sky Cond. | Temperature (ºF) | Pressure | Precipitation (in.) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air | Dwpt | 6 hour | altimeter
(in.) |
sea level
(mb) |
1 hr | 3 hr | 6 hr | |||||||
| Max. | Min. | |||||||||||||
| 17 | 17:53 | E 16 | 10.00 | Mostly Cloudy | FEW033 BKN075 | 83 | 67 | 30.00 | 1015.7 | |||||
| 17 | 16:53 | NE 20 G 24 | 10.00 | Mostly Cloudy | SCT028 BKN049 | 85 | 67 | 29.98 | 1015.3 | |||||
| 17 | 15:53 | NE 14 G 24 | 10.00 | Mostly Cloudy | SCT028 BKN070 | 86 | 66 | 29.98 | 1015.3 | |||||
| 17 | 14:53 | NE 18 G 25 | 10.00 | Mostly Cloudy | SCT044 BKN075 | 87 | 65 | 29.99 | 1015.6 | |||||
| 17 | 13:53 | NE 14 G 24 | 10.00 | Mostly Cloudy | SCT042 BKN075 | 88 | 65 | 89 | 84 | 30.00 | 1016.0 | |||
| 17 | 12:53 | NE 13 G 22 | 10.00 | Partly Cloudy | FEW043 SCT075 | 87 | 65 | 30.02 | 1016.4 | |||||
| 17 | 11:53 | NE 20 G 25 | 10.00 | Partly Cloudy | SCT045 | 86 | 65 | 30.03 | 1016.9 | |||||
| 17 | 10:53 | E 15 G 23 | 10.00 | Partly Cloudy | SCT042 | 89 | 66 | 30.04 | 1017.3 | |||||
| 17 | 09:53 | E 15 G 24 | 10.00 | A Few Clouds | FEW042 | 86 | 65 | 30.05 | 1017.5 | |||||
| 17 | 08:53 | NE 16 G 24 | 10.00 | A Few Clouds | FEW040 | 86 | 67 | 30.05 | 1017.5 | |||||
| 17 | 07:53 | E 15 G 22 | 10.00 | A Few Clouds | FEW033 | 84 | 66 | 84 | 79 | 30.05 | 1017.5 | |||
| 17 | 06:53 | E 7 | 10.00 | A Few Clouds | FEW033 | 82 | 67 | 30.04 | 1017.2 | |||||
| 17 | 05:53 | E 7 | 10.00 | Partly Cloudy | FEW028 SCT060 | 80 | 68 | 30.03 | 1016.8 | |||||
| 17 | 04:53 | NE 5 | 10.00 | Partly Cloudy | FEW033 SCT065 | 80 | 67 | 30.01 | 1016.3 | |||||
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Your tax dollars at work…
The temperature data may not be scientifically correct but it is politically correct. Lying about temperature is ok because it counters the lies of the denialists with hard science…oh wait, it doesn’t does it?
It is tough being a skeptic these days
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MTNmYTQ5MjhlN2QxZTFmOTFlM2M0ODk1N2JmZjhjOTM=
Incredible. I’m dumbfounded… stupefied. Isn’t this whole “climate change” issue about a ~1 degree change over 100 years? And to boot… isn’t the new sensor in the same deplorable location (read: still over-reporting the temperature)? Wow…
(Apparently the) Recorded 20th century warming is of 0.7 degrees celcius.
The old one had been showing a warm bias of a degree or two, officials said. The National Weather Service said that is not significant enough to throw out the data and recent records.
So the average measured temp is 0.7C +/- an error bar of 2 degrees F ??? an it’s acceptable ???
One can only shake one’s head at such folly.
“Surely NOAA has more scruples than a TV game show?” No.
If they had a string of record low high temps, I bet they would throw out that data – it wouldn’t mesh with the program of global warming.
Let’s try some new words and see if they recognize them:
honesty – integrity – ethics … get the picture?
Come on, look at the bright side. From now on the weather station will show a global cooling of 2 degrees – – – if they don’t throw out the new numbers.
What’s really funny is that there are several other stations in the same geographical area as Honolulu that consistently report temperatures 2 – 5 degrees lower.
Time out!
Something else I noticed.
They said that the old thermometer had “a warm bias of a degree or two…” So, at 11am the old thermometer recorded a temp of 89° and, an hour later, the new thermometer recorded a temp of 86°. I may not do too well with the new math, but with the old math I learned, it looks like the temperature dropped 3° in an hour. I’d say that that’s more than a degree or two of warm bias.
REPLY: With solar insolation still increasing, and the high of the day likely yet to occur, chances are that may be a valid observation. Plus the temperature trend at that time of the day is usually upwards, so it may be even more than 3 degrees. Possibly 4. Here is the hourly data, the temperature is right after the sky conditions report. Note no change in sky conditions at 10-11AM. – Anthony
17 17:53 E 16 10.00 Mostly Cloudy FEW033 BKN075 83 67 30.00 1015.7
17 16:53 NE 20 G 24 10.00 Mostly Cloudy SCT028 BKN049 85 67 29.98 1015.3
17 15:53 NE 14 G 24 10.00 Mostly Cloudy SCT028 BKN070 86 66 29.98 1015.3
17 14:53 NE 18 G 25 10.00 Mostly Cloudy SCT044 BKN075 87 65 29.99 1015.6
17 13:53 NE 14 G 24 10.00 Mostly Cloudy SCT042 BKN075 88 65 89 84 30.00 1016.0
17 12:53 NE 13 G 22 10.00 Partly Cloudy FEW043 SCT075 87 65 30.02 1016.4
17 11:53 NE 20 G 25 10.00 Partly Cloudy SCT045 86 65 30.03 1016.9
17 10:53 E 15 G 23 10.00 Partly Cloudy SCT042 89 66 30.04 1017.3
17 09:53 E 15 G 24 10.00 A Few Clouds FEW042 86 65 30.05 1017.5
17 08:53 NE 16 G 24 10.00 A Few Clouds FEW040 86 67 30.05 1017.5
17 07:53 E 15 G 22 10.00 A Few Clouds FEW033 84 66 84 79 30.05 1017.5
17 06:53 E 7 10.00 A Few Clouds FEW033 82 67 30.04 1017.2
“the city’s temperature dropped from Wednesday’s high of 89 degrees to 86 degrees, the same hour a new thermometer was installed at Honolulu International Airport.”
Funny, that’s the same temp drop experienced as the WEAC1 sensor was replaced right before my very eyes. I’m guessing it’s one of those super-duper jobs made by a very special company overseas…Finland if I recall the converstation with the tech correctly.
But…
…If they declare 1-2 degrees as being “insignificant”, this has grave ramifications for the entire record.
It would imply >=2 degree error bars for the entire historical record, which in turn renders the .7 degree warming rather meaningless.
This is just plain silly.
It may well be that they have taken leave of physical reality altogether and finally ascended to the higher, purer truth of the modeled reality, but I’m not so sure if this will play out well with the unwashed masses.
Unless carbon offset trading, treadmills, more and better private jets for the nomenklatura and all the other stuff will ALSO be acted out in the higher reality rather than in the gross material world…
I could live with that.
This is insane! What’s the point of keeping data “records” if the “data” is admittedly WRONG??? Heck…might as well make ’em up or throw darts at a picture of a thermometer!!
Shouldn’t pressure also be put on the NWS headquarters? Perhaps someone higher up the NWS foodchain who actually CARES about scientific accuracy will pressure Honolulu to adjust their “records” accordingly?
Another wonderful episode supporting the Surface Stations project…too bad this kind of crap is the basis for political AGW decisions!
If you look at the June 2009 cf6 climate pages for Hawaii you find the following departures from normal (deg F) for 1-16 June 2009:
Honolulu +4.6
Lihue +1.2
Kahului -0.2
Hilo +0.7
Comparing Honolulu with the other 3 Hawaiian sites suggest the error over the 1st 16 days of June has been close to +4.0 deg F at Honolulu.
An error this large should certainly invalidate most or all of the daily records set in June 2009.
Thermometers on steroids. If the records stand, they will have to be with asterisks. Where’s Bud Selig when we need him?
More junk science
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8106104.stm
They believe climate change is already having a serious impact on Britain even though no one can say exactly what it is without coming out with nonsense.
I love the writing style of this post.
You really give it to them.
And they deserve it.
We will not rest before they correct their data, including the records, right?
Let’s make a row about it in Congress this week.
It could help to railroad the planned vote on the Waxman Bill next week.
Inhofe would love to break the story to Congress telling them why Hawai broke temperature records to proof Global Warming.
In the process we should also check on the CO2 measurement equipment.
Maybe one of their operators is smoking cigars near the sensor or they might have put it on top of an active volcano?
With NOAA today everything is possible.
Never seen such a drive and ambition with an meteorological organization.
How they cling to their temperature records is amazing.
It borders to real fanatism!
The kind of fanatism we observed during the Cold War on the other side of the Iron Curtain where Comrad Officials told the people about record harvests and record industrial production output at times when the shops were empty and the people had nothing to eat.
We won that war and now we have to win this one.
[snip – lets not incite any further name calling ]
O/T
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=107513487268&h=RHw7d&u=nF0Jq&ref=nf
Make of this what you will.
From a UK perspective it is very surprising that NOAA think that the new Honalulu records should stand; when a significant new maximum (or minimum) record is set here the thermometer is usually tested against another before the new record becomes official. IRRC the thermometer at Alltnaharra which recorded -27.2C on 20th December 1995 was sent to London to be checked before the record (equal with Braemar in 1982 and also 1895) was accepted. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altnaharra
Their recording devices are broken
And their temperature record is hokum
But to freely admit
The Team’s full of [snip, implied profanity]
Would really just completely choke ’em
it appears that there are no guidelines and standards. this is pitty, because such unprofessional work is used to spend trillions of tax payer dollars.
Dena (22:05:59) :
Come on, look at the bright side. From now on the weather station will show a global cooling of 2 degrees – – – if they don’t throw out the new numbers.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they apply a correction to the new thermometer data for the sake of historical continuity.
\they did it with the polar ice.
This BBC article should be titled “How not to measure temperature in Africa”
They are planning to deploy 5,000 automatic weather stations across the continent mounted on phone masts.
Of course, being attached to a steel structure, probably with nearby generators, wont introduce any form of bias into the record.
FUBAR in this instance means F Useless But Alright Really.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they apply a correction to the new thermometer data for the sake of historical continuity.
\they did it with the polar ice.
Believe it, it will be “rounded up”. Or dropped as anomalous. Hello from 1984.
I think it is called desperation. Your analogy with TV quiz shows is well chosen, except we seem to be dealing with less mature people here, who cannot entertain the idea of their “winnings” being taken back.
They cannot understand the difference between fraud and petulant disappointment.
Interesting conundrum these scientists find themselves in.
They know the decision is absurd, and yet, no quarter, no victory, no matter how small, can be delivered to those who deny the orthodoxy.
The question is really not when they will change their minds, because they can’t politically unless pressured from above, but instead, how guilty do they feel? And for how long? I pity them.