Q: What equipment do you use?
A: As of October 13, 2011 all weather data is gathered from a Radio Shack 63-256 Professional Weather Station.  It replaced the Oregon Scientific WMR 100 which had been in continuous use for 4 1/2 years but suddenly stopped working.   Before April 21st of 2007, a LaCrosse WS-2310 TWC was employed to generate readings.  All the live data uploads, webcam images, and streaming audio encoding is handled by an Acer TravelMate 290.  The basic HTML editing is done on a separate machine, an Asus G72gx.

Q: How accurate is your weather data?
A: I have a page on this website devoted specifically to detailing how accurate the observations are from my weather station.  You can read more about the quality control aspect of QuadCityWeather.net by clicking on this link.  Also, you can check the very latest CWOP quality assurance analysis conducted on this website's data.

Q: Why did you change your main graphic for the current conditions?
A: The old graphic was actually a JPEG image which updated once a minute via the web server from my hosting provider.  The new image is a Flash file which comes directly from my Weather Underground feed.  It updates in real time (in roughly 50 second increments) which means the information is even more current than before. The Flash file also charts wind speed and direction trends in five-minute intervals.  The daily rainfall amount is displayed on the Flash animation as well.  (For more on precipitation readings, see the section below about rainfall totals.)

Q: Why is your webcam positioned the way it is?
A: The purpose of the webcam is to display three important components: Sky condition, presence of visible accumulating precipitation, and tree foliage.  As you'll notice, the webcam is strategically pointed between several trees and house roofs.  This allows my time lapse to catch all three elements simultaneously, giving a complete visual representation of the day's weather. When it snows, you can see the accumulation on the rooftops. When the day is overcast, you can see the clouds moving overhead.  Even on windy days, the movement of nearby trees can give some indication of how breezy the conditions were.  Additionally, the webcam documents when tree leaves begin to emerge in the spring and change during autumn.

Q: Where can I find rainfall totals?
A: Depending on what you're looking for, there are three different sections where this information can be found.  If you're looking for rain totals for a storm currently underway or which has just ended, that information is on the main Flash graphic with the current temperature and wind speed/direction.  The amount displayed is the total rain received since 12AM.  Rainfall (and snowfall) totals from past storms can be found in the Rain/Snow Report section of this website.  Each precipitation event is logged by date, duration, and amount received.  There are also monthly cumulative totals listed for both types of precipitation.

Q: When did you begin uploading Bettendorf weather data to the Internet?
A: My first upload to Weather Underground was recorded at 5:16pm on Sunday, November 12th, 2006.   The domain name www.bettendorfweather.com was acquired on July 1st, 2007.  In June of 2010, this website was expanded to include weather information from nearby cities on a scrolling ticker, and the domain www.quadcityweather.net was established.

Q: When did you begin streaming NOAA radio station WXJ73 over the Internet?
A: December 15, 2006.

Q: How often is weather data posted?
A: Thanks to Weather Underground's Rapid Fire option, I am sending current weather readings every five seconds.  You can view that data by clicking here.

Q: Where is your station located within the Quad Cities?
A: The registered location with CWOP (Citizen Weather Observer Program) is 41° 32' 1" N latitude and 90° 30' 9" W longitude, which is essentially the geographic center of the contiguous Quad City metropolitan area.  The station is situated 5.8 miles north of the Quad City International Airport in Moline and 7.2 miles southeast of Davenport Municipal Airport.  The closest locally-familiar intersection is Central Avenue and 23rd Street in Bettendorf.

Q: Why are you doing this?
A: Primarily for my own entertainment, but also to make real-time weather available for those seeking it.  Some "current" weather readings distributed via NOAA and other providers can be an hour old when published.  This website aims to deliver more timely and comprehensive data.  Beyond that, I enjoy keeping up on the weather as a hobby.  Tracking changes in the weather is fun, especially in the Midwest where dramatic shifts occur in the springtime and again during the fall.  I hope visitors to the site find this information I'm sharing useful and interesting.

Q: Is there anyone else in the Quad City area doing this?
A: While there are over a dozen personal weather stations in and around the Quad City area constantly uploading data to the Internet, very few have companion websites like the one you're visiting.  In fact, there's only one I'm aware of which is currently updating data on a proprietary website: davenportweather.com.  If you know of any other non-commercial QC-area weather websites, send me an email and I'll post a link here.