Home Weather Station Forecasting

[chn68b]

I've drifted along to this site after seeing a couple of stations on Maplin. I regularly cycle to work and after recently having a nasty tumble due to the wind blowing me off course I thought it would be a good idea to invest in one of these. Basically, if I can wake up and check the device to show me the wind speed and rain I can potentially stay tucked up in bed for an extra hour and take the car :blush: .

I don't want to spend anymore than £100 really, a bit more is possible if there's a real bargain about.

What I want to know is, is the forecasting functions on these things accurate (for the next 12-24 hours), or are the forecasting aspects basically gimicks?

[johnholmes]

shall I say not very accurate, best look at the radar for ppn and how fast its moving and what direction. For the wind look at the nearest airport and get a landing forecast for it if you can, as that shows the wind speed expected over the next 9 hours.

[chn68b]

Thanks John.

Obviously, this forum is full of people with their own weather stations, so what's actually the point of them then if the forecasts are pointless?

[John Cox]

Hi chm68B,

The weather stations that most of us have are not really for forecasting the weather but for showing current conditions accurately and also for storing past information.

For what the weather for the day ahead might contain there are many better ways of getting this information than from a home weather station, either cheap or expensive.

This is a great weather forum and I would suggest listning to other experienced weather experts and amateurs alike and look at the data available for seeing what weather is likely to be ahead for the next few hours/days.

I hope this helps and look forward to seeing you staying around. New members are always welcome

Edited April 26, 2008 by John Cox

[Dazza]

I agree with what John and John say here.

Home weather stations are really there for showing current conditions and for recording data on an ongoing basis and for future reference.

The forum is a great place to pick up ideas of future weather conditions from the Pro's and Am's and you could always sign up to NW Extra as well for a small sum and you'll find much more data here than a home weather station could ever collect (apart from Oon's of course).

[johnholmes]

actual weather at one location is of little use either to an amateur or professional in trying to predict what the weather may do more than a few hours ahead. For things like will it rain or what wind speed to expect, as in your original comment, then one observation will give little help, regardless of what the makers of any equipment may say.

As others have said the main object of having a weather station or simply taking readings is the interest we all have in what our weather is at any one moment. The plus of belonging to a weather site like NW is that it enables you, without looking at all the great forecasting tools there are on NW, to see what other people are having at more or less the same time as you.

A forecaster uses this data, all collected at the same time, to then try and predict what the weather will do, at any location he/she has got current weather for, even without any computer models, for perhaps 3 sometimes 6-12 hours ahead.

With your pc linked into NW you are also able to see what different computer models are suggesting for 24 hours out to say 120 hours for fairly reliable forecasting of, for example, rainfall amounts, wind speeds and directions.

There are lots of super items on this site so do take time to find your way around and see what is available for free, then perhaps take up one of the offers to get part of or all of the Extra output.

If you would like more information I'm always happy to chat via pm, or on the forum.

Please ask, that is the way we all learnt.

enjoy your weather station and NW.

ps

can I ask my usual request, please put your nearest town in your avatar so that when you report your weather we know where it is?

many thanks

Edited April 26, 2008 by johnholmes

[chn68b]

Thanks guys.

The most important thing for me at this stage is to have a real time wind and rain reading without having to get out from under the duvet.

Forecasting would be handy in an ideal world as I do a lot of mountain biking and obviously commute to work. I don't need forecasts for 24 hours, just the next 3 or 4 would suffice for my pursuits, but maybe a station providing me with my local data would help me when combined with the data found through this site (as you say). I suppose the more I start reading up on this subject, the more interesting it'll become.

I've seen a Ventus station which receives its data from an internet connection, the problem with this one though is that a PC needs to be on to provide it. Is there one available that can do this with a direct connection to a router? I'd still want real time wind speed too?