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ABUS34 KGLD 280125 PNSGLD PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 625 PM MST (725 PM CST) WED DEC 27 1995 ...ERRORS IN SKY CONDITION ARE OCCURRING IN THE HOURLY STATE WEATHER ROUNDUP... WITH THE ONSET OF CLEAR NIGHTS AND LIGHT WINDS...MANY AUTOMATED STATIONS ARE BEING DECODED AS HAVING CLOUDY OR MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES. CLOUD SENSORS ON AUTOMATED INSTRUMENTS REPORT CLOUDS ONLY UP TO A HEIGHT OF 12-THOUSAND FEET...SO THE WEATHER SERVICE USES SOFTWARE THAT DECODES INFORMATION FROM SATELLITE IMAGERY TO DETERMINE IF THERE ARE CLOUDS AT HIGHER ALTITUDES. DURING COLD NIGHTS WITH RELATIVELY LIGHT WINDS TEMPERATURES A FEW THOUSAND FEET ABOVE GROUND BECOME MUCH WARMER THAN TEMPERATURES AT THE SURFACE...A SITUATION CALLED AN INVERSION. SATELLITE SENSORS NOTICE THESE WARMER TEMPERATURES ALOFT AND THE SOFTWARE USED BY THE WEATHER SERVICE ASSUMES THAT CLOUDS ARE PRESENT...EVEN THOUGH THE SKY MAY ACTUALLY BE CLEAR. WE WILL BE TURNING OFF THE PART OF THE SOFTWARE THAT CAUSES THE ERROR UNTIL THE INVERSION IS NO LONGER PRESENT OR SATELLITE PICTURES SHOW HIGH AND MIDDLE LEVEL CLOUDS MOVING OVER KANSAS. WE REGRET ANY CONFUSION OR ERRORS THAT THIS HAS CAUSED. ENTWISTLE
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