Editing 2737: Weather Station

{{comic
| number    = 2737
| date      = February 13, 2023
| title     = Weather Station
| image     = weather_station_2x.png
| imagesize = 359x401px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = 'Pour one out for precipitation data integrity,' I say, solemnly upending the glass into the rain gauge.
}}

==Explanation==
{{W|Weather station}}s are usually equipped to measure atmospheric conditions for weather forecasts and studies on the weather and climate. An {{w|anemometer}} is a device often found in such stations that measures wind speed and direction. The anemometer shown in the comic is a typical three-cup anemometer, whose spin rate is proportional to the wind speed. Thus spinning the cups quickly by hand can create an impression of fast winds and thereby excite any computers that happen to be monitoring the data and enjoy extreme weather.

Combining the speed of winds in a F1 tornado (73~112 mph; 117~180 km/h) and the speed ratio of typical three-cup anemometers (1/2~1/3) gives a cup speed of ~16m/s, comparing the diameter of the anemometer to that of Cueball's arm gives an upper estimate of 0.5 meters (~two feet), [https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=16m%2Fs%2F%280.5m*pi%29 topping out at roughly 10 turns per second], which is within a reasonable range for a human{{actual citation needed}}.

The title text continues the trend of messing with weather equipment, this time by messing with {{w|rain gauges}}. "{{w|Libation|Pouring one out}}" usually refers to the act of pouring a liquid, usually alcohol, on the ground as a symbol of reverence for a deceased friend or relative. Thus Cueball is mourning the now destroyed (aka "deceased") integrity of the precipitation data by pouring a glass of liquid into the gauge.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing halfway up a stepladder, with his back to the ladder, on the top of a building. He is leaning over a tall device on a pole with a large rectangular box with a stripe. On top is an anemometer, which he is spinning quickly. Behind him, there is a hatch leading out onto the roof with a small antenna, and two boxy roof vents facing towards him.]
:''SPIN SPIN SPIN''

:[In the lower-right corner of the panel, a medium sized circle shows a different scene. An array of computers are shown on server racks, connected to each other by cables. A sound is coming from one of the computers:]
:''WHEEE!''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Whenever I see one of those little weather stations, I have to fight the urge to climb up and spin the anemometer real fast to make a computer somewhere think it's in a tornado.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Weather]]
[[Category: Tornadoes]]