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About the Webcam and Weather Station  |
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The Tawas Bay Weather Station is a privately-owned, non-commercial station using a Davis Vantage
Pro that was put into service on December 21, 2001. The station is situated next to Lake Huron which means the temperature readings can be affected significantly by the lake. Readings can be considerably different than those obtained from the nearest major NOAA weather station which is located 3 miles inland at the former Wurtsmith Air Force base at Oscoda, Michigan (15 miles north). Spring and summer daytime temperatures may be as much as 15 to 20 degrees lower than the Oscoda station while autumn, winter and nighttime summer temperatures are frequently higher due to the mitigating effect of the lake. Proximity to the Lake also results in higher humidity levels. The lighthouse model shown is a scale model (1"=1') of the Tawas Point Lighthouse and the keeper's house which are both located in the Tawas Point State Park, approximately 2 miles southeast across Tawas Bay. The pier shown in the background of the picture is the East Tawas State Dock |
The water temperature is taken at a depth of about 20 inches, approximately
20 feet from shore and is transmitted using a separate
wireless Davis temperature station. The water temperature probe is pulled
when the ice moves in for the winter (usually late November or early
December) and is replaced when the ice moves out in early April.
The webcam is a Panasonic Palmcorder VHSC video camera with a 20x optical zoom and a 150x digital zoom. A Dazzle DVC-90 video capture device is used to capture an image which is uploaded to the server every 5 minutes. The camera points in a westerly direction and is located approximately ¼ mile east of the East Tawas State Dock and is about 15 feet above ground level. From time to time, the camera may be zoomed in on different areas of the State Dock, or, sometimes at the Tawas Point Lighthouse. Click here to view archived webcam images. In December 2007, a second pan/tilt/zoom camera was added. For more detailed information about the webcams, Click here. |
© 2001-2008 All rights reserved Unauthorized duplication or distribution is prohibited |
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