Building a Home Weather Station
Building and maintaining your own weather station can provide years of enjoyment, as well as helping you to understand how your local climate operates. Such information can be extremely useful for those who frequently work outdoors, farm or garden, or even just to compare to the official weather station across town.
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Things You'll Need
- Thermometer
- Barometer
- Hygrometer
- Anemometer
- Rain gauge
- Housing for instruments
Instructions
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Assembling the Weather Station
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Decide whether you would like to use a digital all-in-one station or purchase each unit separately. There are advantages to both. If you are more interested in overall conditions, the an all-in-one unit may be best. Buying each unit separately will typically lead to more accurate and precise readings.
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Select a thermometer. These days, most are electronic. Be sure to select one that has memory for the maximum and minimum temperature. This will help you to keep track of the daily high and low temperatures. It should also optimally allow you to place the sensor as far away from your house and other structures as possible.
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Select a barometer. This should also include a movable bar that you can set to the current barometric pressure. This will allow you to track whether the pressure is rising, falling or steady--an essential statistic in forecasting future weather. Again, a digital unit is acceptable, and will track trends for you.
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Select a hygrometer (measures humidity). Either one of two methods can work--a digital unit which is often included with digital thermometers, or the sling psychrometer. This unit requires you to stand outside and measure the difference between a dry- and wet-bulb temperature.
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Select an anemometer (measures wind). This should allow you to observe the wind in a manner that is easily visible if you are doing it by eye. It is recommended, however, to purchase one of the available digital units which will measure the wind speed and direction on a digital readout.
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Select a rain gauge. While digital models are available, it is generally accepted that the old style rain gauges work much better and are far more accurate in measuring precipitation. The best rain gauges are the ones that have a funnel to a small tube inside. These can be removed during snowstorms to aid in the measurement of snow.
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Buy a housing for these instruments if you have purchased each unit separately. Weather supply stores online sell these units, or you can build one yourself. This is recommended, as it will also help to ensure your readings are accurate and not spoiled by environmental factors.
Setting Up the Weather Station
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Select an area for the housing (or instruments if you purchased a digital all-in-one unit) that is far away from any man-made structure, trees, and not in direct sunlight. Some digital units will come with housing over the sun-sensitive sensors. If it does, you can place it in sunlight without much issue.
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Build and set up the housing if need be as per the instructions included. Building and setup will vary based on the model you have selected. If it is a digital station, use this step to set up the receiving console as per those instructions.
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Set the sensors up as follows: Temperature and humidity should be measured at eye level (5 to 6 feet off the ground), again not in direct sunlight. Wind should be measured at a height of 33 feet off the ground, well clear of any obstructions. The rain gauge can be placed anywhere that is convenient, provided it is not affected by any obstruction that could block rainwater from entering the gauge. The barometer can be placed inside the home if need be.
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Ensure proper operation of all sensors. Set the initial barometric pressure according to the reading from an available weather station from the National Weather Service that is close by.
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Tips & Warnings
Select a specific time of day to take your readings. Typically, those with weather stations take a reading in the morning and again at night. During weather events, you may want to take a reading at midnight if you are using analog instruments for accurate "daily" readings.
