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Montgomery County Maryland
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Memorial Day, May 27, 2013: No County-provided recycling or trash collections on May 27; all pickups this week slide by one day. Transfer Station closed May 27.
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Montgomery County Dickerson Weather Station

About the weather station

The weather station is located adjacent to the Yard Trim Composting Facility (YTCF) trailer. The station consists of a 30-foot (Standard Height) aluminum tower and a trailer. This equipment is installed on the top of the tower to collect weather data:

  • An anemometer to collect wind speed
  • A wind vane to collect wind direction
  • A thermistor to collect ambient temperature
  • A Dew Cell to record dew point temperature/relative humidity

The trailer contains a data logger and other equipment for the maintenance of the weather station.

A tipping bucket rain gauge is installed on the ground near the trailer for collecting rainfall.

The collected weather data is stored in the data logger and is transmitted to the County computer via telephone lines. This data represents weather conditions in which the County’s Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) and the YTCF are operating.

Why do we collect weather data?

The hourly wind and temperature data are periodically used for Air Quality Dispersion Modeling work for the RRF permit applications as well as ambient monitoring and health risk studies associated with the RRF. The air quality modeling results identify the locations of maximum impacts from the RRF stack emissions.

The 15-minute and hourly wind data help us investigate residents' reports of odors possibly coming from the YTCF or the RRF.

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Last edited: 2/2/2010