Weather

Who is responsible for making the call to shut down the rides because of a threat of a storm? All I know is when getting dark out and a ride op. picks up the red phone of death it over, but what happens to make that Call? I assume they have actual meteorologist who do this, not just some guy watching Barney and flipping to the weather channel every hour. Having a metrologist would help give forecast to because of CP's unique position on the lake causes drastic changes in the weather. The NSSL, NWS, and NOAA cant give that local of a forecast. In fact the closest public weather station to Sandusky is Lorain-Elyria. If you notice when you type in CP's Zip code on www.weather.com, it says "Sandusky Oh. [report form Lorian/Elyria)". I work in this area and its about 30 minutes from the point so it is not exactly a great forecast. I forecast my own weather when I go to CP. I am a weather Freak two and if they had a CP channel, THE WEATHER CHANNEL would not be my favorite channel. Oh. My dream job would be CP's meteorologist, but it probably dose not exist. I will have to make it exist.

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Joe E

I dont know who makes the calls but I do know that if you want a accurate report News Channel 5 in Cleveland has a weather beromiter at Cedar Point. They ussualy only use it during the operating season.

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MF Count: 11

THAT IS SO SWEET. I hope it is on Newschannel 5's website.

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Joe E

No, that remote weather station is in use year-round (I saw the reading on the news minutes ago). Next time you're exiting the Sky Ride at the east end of the ride, look over on the games building and you'll see it.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
Millennium Force laps: 50

The park has "THOR". It trakes the weather. They can tell when a storm is going to hit before it acutally does. The supervisors also stand guard at some of the rides. Raptor, Millenium Force, and Mean Streak are the main rides they hang out at and watch for in coming storms. You can see them coming from across the bay. Then from there they make the calls to the rides they need to shut down.

Last summer they got "the call" right when we got a clear on power tower ,needless to say, that was a false clear ,nothing like being all ready to be launched up and have them tell you to get off ,but the plus side of it was we went into Sandusky while it stormed ,and got back right when everything restarted , had like a two min wait for millennium force :)

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if I used spell check on this post ,this signature will not have any misspellings!!!!

The final project in my senior writing course at Penn State was to write a paper solving a problem related to your major (I have a B.S. degree in meteorology). My paper was the implementation of a "Weather Operations" department at Cedar Point. I knew it would never happen, though I thought I had some great ideas.

Forget Channel 5. if you want an accurate report in Cleveland, watch Fox 8. They have the best team of meteorologists (as opposed to weather anchors). Plus, they'll come to your house for your birthday :) Or better yet, just watch the NWS forcast on the Weather Channel. Regardless of the NWS distance from Cedar Point, their forcasts are very localized and very accurate.

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Cedar Point Virtual Midway
http://www.virtualmidway.com

How in the world is Mark Nolan a Chief Meteorologist?

*** This post was edited by Gemini on 12/9/2000. ***

THANKS. I have heard of THOR before. Basically all it is a lighting prediction and detection system. I remember reading it in an article that the PGA tour used this thing. It's a great system, and the guy watching barney could operate it. It is kind of funny though this little computer basically runs that CP. For now on when the rides shut down I will say " ahhhh, stupid THOR". WHOEVER should have said that when on Power Tower.I think this pretty much kills my Dream Job Because CP may not pay a meteorologist to do the same work that a much more accurate machine does. But there are setbacks to this machine.

Cannot predict rain, and rain hurts on coasters, but that's not a big deal. We can see rain.

Cannot predict snow, although it would be tough for it to snow at CP.

Cannot predict Waterspouts. Waterspouts are caused by wind sheer and updrafts created by differences in land and water temperature. Lightning is sometimes not present in waterspouts. Because of Cedar Points being basically a small island (I know it's a peninsula, a waterspout could potentially become quite powerful and not die out during landfall. All the NWS or NSSL will post is a general watch for waterspouts, for they are sometimes difficult to pick up on Doppler. When CP had its waterspouts THOR did not work. Heck, people were on the rides and saw it.

I can give a lot of reason why it would be beneficial for CP to hire a meteorologist. THOR may be a foolproof system, but it is still a machine, like MF. Basically my big question is does Cedar Point have a meteorologist, or at least someone who looks at the weather and listens to what Mr. THOR says?


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Joe E

Lets do it. The two Gemini's form a weather department. And how is Mark Nolan a chief meteorologist? Arghh, that as not fair. I guess since i do not have my degree yet, Gemini is weathermaster of CP Place. Fell free to correct my problably weak way of describing the weather.

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Joe E
Whoever has the word "Gemini" in their name is cool.

ok, Gemini ,when the park opens you are going to have to add a cedar point weather section to your page :)

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if I used spell check on this post ,this signature will not have any misspellings!!!!

DOUGH. Another stupid error. Of course it can snow at CP. It would be tough in season though. Early May may be a small possiblilty. October it can, but the lake is still so warm. I admit i have never been to CP when it snowed, but I bet is has.

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Joe E
I will shuddap now.

I have never been at cedar point when it was snowing either, however back in october I was riding Superman ROS at Six Flags Darien Lake and it was snowing lightly, I couldnt believe it! That's Buffalo for ya! ~A

Fox 8... The National Enquirer and Star Magazine of the television world. What a sad representation of "journalism." The other stations have AMS-certified people too, you know.

Is Mark Koontz still on that station? What a self-absorbed bastard that guy is. I worked with him via the phone in my radio days. He's one of the reasons I don't miss radio or TV that much (that and the insanely low pay).

If you want real weather, watch the weather channel, or for the best radar images online, check www.intellicast.com.

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Jeff
Webmaster/Guide to The Point
Millennium Force laps: 50

The past 4 times I've gone to the point, the weather channel on the internet and the link on CP's website were wrong. Everytime they said it would either rain on storm.

Not one drop. But last year it got really dark and I thought I jinxed myself by daring it to rain, but the clouds moved away as fast as they moved in.

I got an idea, this is a joke.

Put an elevator to the top of MF, and have a guy sit up there all day. When a storm rolls in, when he gets too scared to stay up there anymore, and comes down. Thats when they shut down the rides.

I just think its fun to forecast my own weather when I go to the point. I usually base my predictions of the NWS forecast in Lorain/Elyria and then take into account the lake temperature, dewpoint and humidity. The most difficult thing I think is to predict the wind at CP. I was there one time in early may, (the day red train rolled back) and I checked the NWS wind forecast for Lorian/Elyria and I think they said the wind was form the South. I was like "Cool" so and since the forecasted highs for placed like Columbus were in the mid 70, I thought that we had a decent shot with the warm southerly flow to hit 70. The predicted high was in the mid 60's. Soon as I got to the point I was almost thrown out of the driver seat by the INCREDIBLE north Wind. It was cold with the lake temp, only being in 50's, but not bad.
I sort of like Bruce Coslin, for cannel 19-43. He used to be on TWC an always had his Cleveland Indians Mug on the table. When walking around the map he would say something like "Here is Cleveland, Best Location in the nation." Mark does seem sort of like an Al Gore type person (sorry mark). I always liked Andrea Berneir. I remember watching him sit outside FOX 8 studios, right by I-90 after dead mans curve, in the freezing cold of the morning at tell me school was canceled! He looks sort of like a detective with his trenchcoat and mustache. How could you not love Dick? (Goddard you sick, sick people). Dick never came to my house, I feel lonely now. Oh, this is a Cedar Point Forum, so I should talk about CP. Has Dick ever ridden the Magnum? I swear I saw Matt Williams and Jim Thome there in 97.

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Joe E

I want to sit on top of MF!

I found the most accurate, always available, information can be found by buying a small NOAA radio and taking it with you when you go off on trips. Most of the country is covered on one of the three frequencies.

it was snowing the next to the last weekend this year...not big fat flakes, but snow all the same

The AMS seal doesn't mean much. It's basically says that you know how to talk about the weather, that you've had a few classes, and that you know how to present in front of a camera. It is no substitution for a real degree. One of my forecasting professors wrote a great article on the subject. If anyone's interested, it's at http://www.schmidty.com/weather.html

I suffered through 5 years of this stuff. I know how complicated it is. One of my biggest pet peeves is to see unqualified people on some of these stations passed off as experts.

Regardless of the news reporting at Fox 8, they are the only station in town with an entire staff of meteorologists (now that they've dumped Koontz). Andre Bernier is, without a doubt, the most knowledgeable and the most entertaining TV meteorologist in Cleveland.

Examples of weather anchors in Cleveland (people who do NOT hold degrees in meteorology): Mark Johnson, Brad Sussman, Bruce "Edwards" Kalinowski , Mark Nolan, Susan Davies, Eileen McShea, Marshall McPeek. These people could never get a job in the real world as a meteorologist (i.e. at the National Weather Service, etc). I would never trust a forecast or other weather information from any of these people, unless I heard they called the NWS for advice.

The Weather Channel is a great place to get a forecast, because their "Local Weather" segment comes from the NWS. Same goes for NOAA Weather Radio.

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Cedar Point Virtual Midway
http://www.virtualmidway.com

Sorry Gemini, but have to say it:

WE ARE.... :)



*** This post was edited by superdisk on 12/9/2000. *** *** This post was edited by superdisk on 12/9/2000. ***