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Sawmill Ridge, Colorado

Recording Methodologies, 2009

Methodologies -

For temperature data, one or move commercial temperature sensors with a one-tenth degree specified accuracy is mounted in a sheltered area on the north side of the building, insulated from the building heat and shaded from the summer sunshine. The temperture is recorded daily using a 0700 to 0700 time frame. The maximum and minimum values from the previous day are considered the readings for the current day.

The temperature guage(s) are calibrated in a stirred ice/water bath and expected to read 32.0 degrees within a .03 degree.

For rainfall data, a commercial rainfall guage is mounted in an open area away from any buildings or large trees and recorded daily.

For snowfall data, daily readings are made of the daily snowfall and accumulated snow on the ground in a location sheltered from the wind.

An empirical estimate is made of whether the day was sunny, hazy, or cloudy. Sunny amounts to a clear sky with the sun producing sharp distinct shadows for most of the day. Hazy amounts to cloudy bright conditions with partial cloud cover, and but indistinct shadows. Cloudy amounts to complete cloud cover where there are no shadows on the ground.

An empirical estimate is made of whether the day was windy, breezy, or calm - had no wind. Windy amounts to ongoing, sustained winds which would be described by the Beaufort scale of 6 or more, where large branches are moving, overhead wires are whistling, and using an umbrella is problematical. The wind speeds for this rating range from 25 miles an hour or more and are assigned 64 for this study. Breezy amounts to light, but sustained winds with a Beaufort scale ranging from 3 to 6, in which leaves and twigs move, and the wind would extend a flag. The wind speeds for this range are from 8 to 25 miles an hour and are assigned 16 mph for this study. Calm or no wind is no ongoing or sustained air motion. which would be a Beaufort scale of 0 to about 2. The wind speeds for this category range from zero to eight miles an hour and are assigned 4 mph for this study.

The wind speed estimates are averaged over 5 days, to minimize periodic weather influences.

The only known prior weather data for this area is a short term Weather Bureau station at the Caribou Ranch, located some 10 miles south of the Sawmill Ridge, with a comparable elevation.

• https://www.weather-warehouse.com/

Approximations used by Spanish field archeologists are the following -

Latitudinal Thermal Gradient, the typical variation of temperature with latitude -

• Temperature decreases about one degree Fahrenheit per 5.5 degrees increase of latitude, or one degree Celsius per 10.0 degrees of latitude.

Vertical or Elevation Thermal Gradient, the typical variation of temperature with changes in elevation -

• Temperature decreases about one degree Fahrenheit per 275 feet increase in elevation, or one degree per 150 meters increase in elevation.