New Voice Alerts
Users of the AWN Web Portal have long been able to set customized text or email alerts for AWN stations of their choosing. To make these alerts more accessible, AWN has added a new feature to allow for voice alerts. Now, you can receive a phone call when your custom alert criteria is met.
Let’s say you want to set up a voice alert for when the temperature reaches freezing in Prosser. First, you need to login to your AWN account and navigate to the dropdown menu under the “My AWN” tab and select “Alerts.” Then, click on the plus icon to add a new alert.
Next, you will need to name your alert and set the variable and threshold for your alert, in this case, 32°F. You can choose your preferred unit of measurement, Fahrenheit or Celsius. Under “Alert Delivery Frequency,” if you choose “Always”, you will receive an alert any time the threshold is met. If you choose “First Time,” you will only receive the first occurrence of the threshold being met that day.
If you want to receive a phone call for your alert, select “Voice” under “Alert Method.” Lastly, add your phone number, then click Add/Update to finish creating your alert.
Inversion Forecast Tool
A tool that may be useful for growers is the new inversion forecasts. Using machine learning, AWN has been developing station specific inversion forecasts using the new Mesonet towers in our network. Forecasts are now available at select stations for 1.5m (approx. 6ft) and 9m (approx. 30ft) air temperature. This can help growers better assess whether mixing by using wind machines would be beneficial.
Currently, 13 stations are available: Arlington, Chelan, Ephrata, Mount Vernon, Othello, Pullman, Richland, Sequim, Sunnyside, Sunrise, Toppenish, Tumwater, and Vancouver.
Because there are a limited number of stations, this tool is currently only available from the Weather Dashboard. Select an available station in the Weather Dashboard and, under “Air Temperature,” you will see an “Inversion” section. Click the forecast link to view the inversion forecast. As more stations are implemented, this feature may be moved to its own webpage in the future.
Weather With AWN
Episode 3 of Weather with AWN will be at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 25th. The topics for this month’s virtual presentation will be heat stress and Air Quality Index. AgWeatherNet and staff from the UW Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (PNASH) will discuss the best ways to access station specific heat stress and air quality data, how to setup customized alerts on the AWN portal, and the associated risks of heat and poor air quality as well as best practices to reduce exposure.
You can join the Zoom meeting by visiting the new Events page on the AWN website.
Spring Frost Program Reminder
Don’t forget, daily forecasts are now being published for the Yakima Valley, Central Basin, Wenatchee, and Okanogan growing districts. User frost reports can be submitted by clicking the Spring Frost Program tab on the AWN website menu. Daily forecasts will continue until the end of May.
Contact
Nathan Santo Domingo
Field Meteorologist, AgWeatherNet
nathan.santodomingo@wsu.edu
Funding and Acknowledgements
The AgWeatherNet Spring Frost Program is supported in part by Washington State Tree Fruit Association and a grant from WSDA SCBG Program (2021-2024).
AgWeatherNet air quality sensing and reporting is supported in part by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries.
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Fruit Matters articles may only be republished with prior author permission © Washington State University. Reprint articles with permission must include: Originally published by Washington State Tree Fruit Extension Fruit Matters at treefruit.wsu.edu and a link to the original article.
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