Lincoln Park Weather Bureau -- Berks County, PA -- lpwbpa.com
About LPWB
Lincoln Park Weather Bureau (LPWB) is a weather station in the community of Lincoln Park, located 3.5 miles SW of center city Reading, PA at latitude 40.31625, longitude -75.98866, 320 feet ASL. Lincoln Park is a census-designated place where LPWB is situated. The Bureau aspect of LPWB suggests the imitating of some of the practices of the Reading office of the U.S. Weather Bureau of old in that data are observed, reported, archived, and analyzed as well as researching of historical local weather and responding to public inquiries, much like the practices at the Reading U.S. Weather Bureau of old. Furthermore, LPWB researches and maintains bookkeeping of official Reading PA area weather data and records.
During early 2024, NWS moved toward and gained approval to have LPWB be the official NWS snow reporter for the Reading area. Airport automated surface observing systems (ASOS) do not observe snowfall or snow depth. Therefore, an approved volunteer must complement the snow data for most official NWS stations. To accomplish this for Reading PA, NWS reopened the Reading PA string of climate record to establish the cooperative station Reading 4 SW to archive LPWB precipitation and snow data from now on and retroactive back to at least 1999 when official RDG ASOS observations began. Therefore, LPWB snow data will complement RDG ASOS observations. And LPWB precipitation data could occasionally replace the RDG ASOS counterparts from snowfalls if NWS deems the ASOS data to be dubious. This same Reading PA climate string contains the records of the Reading U.S. Weather Bureau. Therefore, Lincoln Park Weather Bureau and the Reading U.S. Weather Bureau have come full circle so that LPWB has essentially become a reincarnation of the Reading U.S. Weather Bureau. Eventually, LPWB precipitation and snow data should be published with other official cooperative stations as station Reading 4 SW.
LPWB began recording precipitation, including snowfall, 1 January 1983 and then temperatures 1 June 1984, followed by continuous daily observations at this same location till the present day. The LPWB environment has changed little during all these years, which is a typical suburban residential neighborhood of modest-size single family houses, averaging four dwellings per acre and developed during the 1950s. Said neighborhood lies in a valley with gentle hilliness which can cause wide diurnal ranges in temperatures when clear, dry high pressure systems are in control. Otherwise, the low elevation often results in temperatures a degree or two warmer than most surrounding areas.
Continuous daily observations since 1983 have produced these records:
* Highest Temperature: 105 °F on 22 July 2011
* Lowest Temperature: -14 °F on 21 January 1994
* Greatest 24-Hour Precipitation: 7.83" on 7-8 October 2005
* Greatest Snowstorm: 32" on 7-8 January 1996 (learn more)
More Records Climate by Month/Year (table)
The signature picture, which looks at the northern sky above a double-cylinder precipitation gauge, vane, and signs under a perfectly clear sky, has been moved to the Gallery and replaced by live skycam imagery showing approximately the same field of view. Measurements from this gauge, which are not always the same as measurements from the Davis Vantage Pro2 (TM) system located approximately 15 meters to the east, become the precipitation data of record. The vane serves as a spinner decoration. However, the N-S, W-E indicators are within a few azimuth degrees of the true compass directions. Site viewers will be able to see the depth of water in the gauge from current or recent precipitation. In season, a snowboard with graduated stick will be in place right of the signs to provide viewers an approximation of snow accumulation during and shortly after snowfalls.