Top 4 Best Weather Stations

Top 4 Best Weather Stations for your Home

Having your own weather station means you can plan better for those all-important events and parties this year.

It even means you can collect data (and get nerdy if that’s your thing) and dazzle friends and family with unusual weather statistics.

Having a weather station makes you cool and gives you something specific to talk about the weather – rather than guestimatting (and often rambling) predictions!

But if you’re not a student of geography or work at the meteorological office – how do you go about choosing a weather station? 

What you need to know about buying a weather station:

Weather stations can either be very useful devices (if they are good decent quality) or a source of frustration if they are poor quality models and don’t work properly. 

As such this makes it important to distinguish between the good and the bad. But how do you do this if you’re not a meteorologist? 

What to look for: 

1. Screen type and size 

Squinting to read the information displayed will cause more than irritation. Screeen sizes vary from very small such as ……… to larger screens (the size of tablet). 

2. Power supply 

Some weather stations are only powered by batteries but other handier ones use solar power with the choice of also using batteries.  

3. Number of quality sensors 

Thermometer for measuring temperature. 

Anemometer for measuring wind speed. 

Wind vane for measuring wind direction. 

Hygrometer for measuring humidity. 

Barometer for measuring atmospheric pressure. 

4. Ease of set up and use 

Having menus that are easy to navigate (and understand) is a must have. What’s the point in having a weather station that’s too complicated to understand or set up? 

Look for clearly marked buttons and easy to navigate menus. 

5. Price 

It is not difficult to find a weather station that you can be happy with for as little as 20 pounds these days and there are many to choose from in the 30 – £60 range.  

If you really want a professional set up expect to pay £600 upwards. 

Here is a selection of weather stations: 

Bresser Wetter Center 5 in 1 

If you’re looking for a weather station that’s really easy to set up, displays very colourful information and has a reputation for being a very strong product the Bresser Wetter Center 5-in-1could be for you.  

The brighter display stands out on this weather station and it’s very easy to connect (Via wifi) to a website if you want to share the data you collect. 

£119 on Amazon

CURCONSA WIFI Weather Forecast with 7 in 1

The CURCONSA WIFI digital weather station can show: 

Indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity 

Solar radiation 

Ultraviolet rays 

Precipitation 

Wind speed and direction 

Weather forecast  

It can send data wirelessly and considering the accuracy it’s a good buy. 

£199  on Amazon

Davis Instruments Funk-Wetterstation

The rugged Davis Vantage Pro2 weather stations are designed to offer years of service and are more at the professional level of weather stations. 

With a well-deserved reputation for transmitting updates far more often than any similar wireless weather stations. Using frequency-hopping spread spectrum radio technology at 868mhz; it transmits weather data every 2.5 seconds up to 300m. 

The Integrated Sensor Suite is solar-powered, with its electronic components housed in a weather-resistant shelter. During the manufacturing process all important components have been uniquely designed to deal with anything the weather can throw at it. 

Measurements include: 

Air Quality, Barometric Pressure, Dew Point, Humidity, Leaf Wetness, Rainfall, Soil Moisture, Soil Temperature, Temperature, Water Temperature, Wind Direction, Wind Speed 

In terms of sensors: 

The wind speed (in the range of 2-200mph) can be viewed in Knots, MPH, M/S or KPG 

The temperature (in the range of -40°C to +65) can be displayed in °C or °F 

The wind direction is displayed from 0° to 360° 

Rainfall in mm or inches and rate in mm or inches per hour 

Relative Humidity in the range 0% to 100% 

Calculated values for windchill, dew point and heat.

£790 on Amazon

Davis Instruments 6510 USB

Going for a Davis professional quality weather station also means you have the option of connecting a data logger to your computer. 

This USB links your Davis weather station to your PC. Export data to reports. Create a weather website. Post weather conditions to a LAN, Citizen Weather Observer Program, or the GLOBE Program.  

Log and store data, even when the data logger is not connected to your PC. Transfer the data as often as you like, or leave the software running to transfer it automatically each day. 

About £157 on Amazon

Youshiko Weather Station Radio Control Clock

The Youshiko Weather station Radio Control Clock shows date, weekday & Moon Phase. It self sets automatically including time changes in spring and autumn.

Several clear weather forecast (Sunny, Partially Cloudy, Cloudy, Rainy, Stormy, Snowfall)

It takes the indoor temperature, humidity level with comfort indicator and has a dew-point display.  

As well as that the Youshiko records outdoor temperature, humidity with wind-chill temperature and heat-index.

It also has a 5-IN-1 weather sensor: wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, temperature and humidity.

This is a great gadget for beginners with most of the capabilities of more advanced weather stations.

£99 on Amazon

What is the point of a home weather station?

A weather station is lots of fun and gives you a lot of accurate and local weather measurements, like relative humidity, wind direction and speed, temperature, rain fall and pressure.

Why is it important to use weather stations?

Having a weather station means you have accurate information which is local to you. The weather predictions on the news and online are often more general as they need to cover larger areas at once.

Do weatherstations Work?

Weather stations are surprisingly accurate, however as with many things, the accuracy depends on the quality of your weatherstation. That’s why it’s important to invest in a good quality one like the ones in this list.

When accuracy is not important to you, then there are many cheaper options available. Having said that, having inaccurate readings defeats the object of actually installing a weatherstation in the first place.

How does a weather station predict rain?

Weather stations are equipped with a barometer which meassures the air pressure. Changes in air pressure can predict bad weather and storms.

Do home weather stations predict weather?

Home weatherstations also predict the weather when a barometer is included in the set. The barometer will measure changes in air pressure which will predict rain and storms.

What are the disadvantages of using an automated weather station?

When you have an automatic weatherstation, you will end up just reading the measurements. This is fine if that is just what you need

However if you enjoy the weather and being outdoors, then a manual weather station might be preferable so you can experience the weather while checking it, like wind speed and temperature.

Where should weather stations be located?

You want to mount your weatherstation at least 4 to 6 feet of the ground with at least 4 times the height from the nearest obstruction.

In this post we tried to give you ideas for hedges instead of fences.

Hedges are capable of providing privacy while attracting wildlife and adding colour to your garden.

Yes, you will need to prune your hedge every year and you will need to pick up the leaves, however, the benefits for nature and wildlife outweigh this minor inconvenience. Plus who doesn’t love some green in their lives??

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