Wx Snow Analysis Add-on

Craig Hunter
hunter-associates@cox.net
August 17, 2005

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Function: This add-on takes current conditions weather data from Wx and uses it to compute snowmaking quality and snow lifetime.

The input setting format for this add-on is:

snow:elev:$wxdata
where snow is the add-on name, elev is the elevation differential (in feet) between the point of interest and the NWS observation, and $wxdata is the Wx weather data set variable.

Example: suppose we want a snow analysis at Wintergreen Resort (in VA) based on a weather observation for Nellysford. The top of Wintergreen is at about 3200 feet elevation, while Nellysford is at about 800 feet. This gives a differential of 3200-800=2400. The add-on code would be:

snow:2400:$wxdata
Multiple instances of the add-on could be used to bracket snow conditions. For instance, suppose we wanted to know the snow quality over the entire elevation of Wintergreen. The following could be used:

snow:0:$wxdata+snow:2400:$wxdata
The first instance of the add-on would compute snow quality at elevation of the NWS observation in Nellysford (at the bottom of the hill), while the second would compute snow quality for an elevation 2400 feet higher.

Note that elevation difference can be a negative number if the NWS observation point is higher than the point of interest.