Cloud Cover Statistical Info?

[bryna]

John,

Was hoping you might be able to direct me to a weather web site that keeps track in some fashion of cloud cover in my area... my son is doing a science project using his grandpa's solar panels. Basically wanting to relate the KWH's produced to a sunny day vs. a cloudy day.

I've contacted our local meteorologist with no reply as of this message.

If I had known we were going to be doing a project we would have taken note the past few months...

Anyway, if you have any advice we'd appreciate all you can give. We enjoy your website greatly.... LET IT SNOW!

Bryan & Grady

 

[jd]

Hi Guys.

I have a site that you can go to that will give you the hourly observations, including cloud cover. But it's going to be a lot of work to go back and look at things and I have a feeling you are really going to wish you had been keeping track of cloud cover all along.

Anyway, you go here:
http://vortex.plymouth.edu/statlog-u.html

Then you have to fill in the station field. You can use the link on that page to find a station nearest you. Then I would choose "Decoded Hourly & Special Obs Listing. Then chose the date you want to look at. That will give you a table of data to look at. It will start with the first observation for that day and then list every hourly and special observation made for that station. The column you are interested in is the one "COV" for cloud cover. Basically anything other than a CLR is some type of cloud cover. OVC is complete overcast, BKN is broken clouds (about 30% open sky) SCT is scattered (about 60% open sky) and CLR is clear skies.

Good luck!

-John