Weather on Hogback Mountain in SC

Two Davis Vantage Vue Weather Stations are active and located at two elevations on the 459' WSPA-TV transmission tower, which was built in 2009.
One is near the base of the tower, about 30 feet above the ground or 3241' above mean sea level, and one is at 230' above the ground or 3441' above mean sea level.

About the current weather stations...



The first Davis Vantage Vue was purchased from WeatherConnection.com with WeatherLink for Windows software and USB data logger. It was installed April 21st, 2011 at 230 feet on our main tower. It is wireless and solar powered with battery backup. It was mounted about halfway up the tower to better capture the wind which can often respond differently when compared to wind over flatter terrain.

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With the falling temperatures comes the threat of ice. So after a summer had passed since it's April installation, it was time to protect the station from falling ice from above. It was moved to the railing of the walkway on the outside face of the tower. An aluminum grating was place over it to deflect the ice that falls from the upper parts of the tower. This was moved on October 25th, 2011.

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In early 2012 a loss of data occurred periodically between the station and the console inside. It did actually stop working and Davis replaced the transmitter module under warranty. It still drops out for a few hours at times, so given that and the fact that we were curious in the difference in conditions at lower levels near the ground, we purchased a second Vantage Vue station. It is mounted about 30 feet above the ground on the same tower. So now wind and temperature can be compared at elevations differing by 200 feet. This second station was installed on March 2nd, 2012.



The steepness of the slopes of Hogback cause common occurances of updrafts, where the wind will be steady and have much more velocity at 100+ feet above the ground. And at ground level on top of the mountain, little wind will be felt and vary much in direction.

Below are photos of Hogback from several different angles which show the shape of the mountain.