Can I get from the datbase the snowfall for the Phila. region for Feb 23, 2003?
Thanks,
Charles
Weather for Feb 22, 2003
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C. Furtaw
- WUFI User
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Weather for Feb 22, 2003
Charles E. Furtaw, P.E.
Re: Weather for Feb 22, 2003
Dear Mr. Furtaw,C. Furtaw wrote:Can I get from the datbase the snowfall for the Phila. region for Feb 23, 2003?
the U.S. climate data provided with WUFI are the 10%-coldest and the 10%-warmest year for the respective location, selected from 30 years of data. So they are representative for the typical spread of climate conditions at the location; they are not meant to give weather data for specific years and dates.
If you need specific data to investigate the effect of the real weather conditions on day X at location Y on a building component, you will have to ask a local weather bureau or some other responsible meteorological authority for the data. You can then convert these data into one of the formats recognized by WUFI and do a calculation.
Regards,
Thomas
Since I don't know the NOAA format, I cannot comment specifically on this format. First of all, you have to decide which of the file formats that WUFI can read you wish to use. There are several of them, and detailed descriptions can be found in WUFI's online help.C. Furtaw wrote:How do I convert the NOAA report to the WUFI acceptable format?
For example, if you have rain and radiation data that have been measured for an inclined surface, the *.KLI format would probably be the right choice. If you have generic meteorological data (as is presumbly the case with the NOAA data), the *.WET and the *.TRY formats would be appropriate. The *.WET format is easier to generate as it does not require very strict formatting, but its format for the wind directions might be a bit cumbersome, and it provides room for many types of data you won't have (such as facade temperatures or ground temperatures), so you would have to leave these columns filled with zeros, needlessly bloating the file. The *.TRY format is more difficult to generate, as it requires strict adherence to the format specification (FORTRAN style, e.g. the air temperature must be in columns 43-47, or else it will not be understood), but it is more compact than the *.WET format. Nighttime radiative cooling of the facade can only be computed using the *.TRY format, as only this format contains data on the atmospheric counterradiation which is needed for the long-wave radiation balance.
The file format descriptions in WUFI's online help give a detailed overview of the data contained in each format and which data are actually used by WUFI and which are not. If a certain type of data that is necessary for your calculation (e.g. if you are doing a calculation where wind speed and direction must be taken into account because the behavior of the building component is expected to depend strongly on them), then you can only use those formats which offer this data type.
If this still leaves several choices, you may choose the format you can generate most easily, depending on the data editors available to you or your ability to write a small data conversion program yourself. The *.WET format is very easy to write and can be generated in Excel or with a very simple program in a higher program language (simple BASIC will do). For the *.TRY files the correct formatting is somewhat tricky, but you should find in the "Tools" folder of your WUFI installation an Excel spreadsheet CreateClimateFile.xls where you just paste the required data into the respective columns and the spreadsheet will create a *.TRY file for you. So this is probably the most convenient option.
Apart from worrying about correct formatting, you also need to make sure that the data you provide are exactly the data WUFI expects (for example, solar radiation data for the *.WET and *.TRY formats must be measured on a horizontal surface; direct, diffuse and global radiation must be clearly distinguished etc.) and that the correct units are used (SI units only; relative humidity in % or as a fraction between 0 and 1, depending on the format used, etc.).
If you need help with the weather data conversion, we can do it for you (as a free service, as long as you don't want us to convert a major number of files).
Regards,
Thomas