20001208: plotting snow depth

>From: address@hidden (aspweb)
>Organization: UCAR/Unidata
>Keywords: 200012081606.eB8G6Eo12910

>I'm plotting snow depth with the SNOW parm in sfmap:
>
>sfmap << EOF
> AREA     = garea
> GAREA    = ${garea}
> SATFIL   =
> RADFIL   =
> SFPARM   = snow
> DATTIM   = 1200
> SFFILE   = /usr/local/ldm/data/surface/${date}_sao.gem
>
>etc...
>
>but my plot only has 3 or 4 stations, whereas I know that there is more
>snowcover than that on the northern tier.  Does the SNOW parm read the 4
>group in the SA obs?  Does snow cover only get sent out at certain times
>of the day by stations?  Thanks.
>
>Chris
>
>===============================
>Ohio State ASP Web Staff
>
>Chris Hennon
>address@hidden
>===============================
>


Chris,

Yes, dcmetr decodes the 4/ group for snow (along with the SNINCR group
as the parameter SNEW which isn't in the default metr.pack file, and
the 933 group for WEQS).

Also, this is a parameter that is most frequently reported at the 6 hour
intervals (0, 6 12, 18Z), that is, at synoptic observation times.

In the above, you don't show what "FILTER" is set to.
Try setting FILTER=0 or FILTER=n. With this setting, at 12Z today, I see
lost of snow reports in NY, OH, MI, IN, IL, WI, MN, SD, ND, MT, WA.

You can verify what stations reported SNOW with SFLIST and
set SFPARM=snow>0.

Steve Chiswell