Locating UK Temperature Stations

[AtlanticFlamethrower]

#1 Pershore

Type 52.15N and 2.033W into bing.com/maps.

(Then find it in Google maps to compare photo quality, land use and to use the distance measurement tool).

Distance to funny thing towards the right: 60-70 meters.

[AtlanticFlamethrower]

#2 Cottesmore (Northampton)

52.733N 0.65W

runway up - 60 meters

runway down - 90 meters

Edited July 26, 2009 by AtlanticFlamethrower

[Devonian]

Oh no we're not going to see another 'debate' blathering on about tarmac AGAIN are we? These climate debates, if it's not McIntyre it's Watts and if it's not Watts it tarmac and if it's not tarmac it's Hansen or bloomin hockey sticks.

Stroll on, I guess it will be 'air cons' next or even (LOL) aircraft exhausts. Go on, surprise me

[Chris Knight]

Oh no we're not going to see another 'debate' blathering on about tarmac AGAIN are we? These climate debates, if it's not McIntyre it's Watts and if it's not Watts it tarmac and if it's not tarmac it's Hansen or bloomin hockey sticks.

Stroll on, I guess it will be 'air cons' next or even (LOL) aircraft exhausts. Go on, surprise me

Remember Whitewash versus Dulux Brilliant White, Dev. And the commercial Stevenson Screens you can buy that are made of White coated steel (that somehow gave record high temperatures during summer heatwaves in 2003).

[AtlanticFlamethrower]

#3 Coleshill (Burton Upon Trent)

52.483N 1.683W

15 meters to vehicles

[Essan]

Pershore is on a disused airfield. It consistently records lower minima than the surrounding area. But the google earth image shows it's clearly much better than standard exposure - with the 'funny thing' at least 200ft away. And the nearest tarmac to the Cottesmore station is also nearly 200ft away.

So that's 2 stations we have no reason to question with regards location

Mind, the fact someone sometimes parks a caravan in a field just 50 feet from Colehill station clearly means ....... er, b*gger all!

Of course, if you want to find a weather station that is not accepted standard exposure, there's always Clerkenwell

Edited July 26, 2009 by Essan

[Typhoon John]

This is Durham weather station located at Durham University Observatory. It's an automated station for the Met Office and is about a 5 min walk from my house. I think it's pretty well sited. The stevenson screen of the White rectangle on the lawn; I think rainfall is recorded too.

http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=54.767938,-1.585926&spn=0.001382,0.004128&t=h&z=19

And there are some photos here that I took of it in January:

http://www.panoramio.com/user/2731147

Edited July 26, 2009 by fozi999

[AtlanticFlamethrower]

Is this a weather station?

Brize Norton is proving tricky to find.

[AtlanticFlamethrower]

#4 Benson (Oxfordshire)

1.617N 1.083W

This is probably the station at RAF Benson.

[shuggee]

Was holidaying up north a few weeks ago - and happened to stumble across Altnaharra's AWS. It's located at the very northern end of the tiny hamlet/village and a few metres to the west of the "main" road:

[AtlanticFlamethrower]

#5 High Wycombe

51.683N 0.8W

This one doesn't look optimally sited not least because of the huge metallic tower.

[AtlanticFlamethrower]

#6 Shawbury

52.8N 2.667W

80 meters to runway

[noggin]

There's one at Westonbirt Arboretum, Tetbury, Gloucs. GL8 8QS. (I don't know how to get a picture of it!)

[Methuselah]

Oh no we're not going to see another 'debate' blathering on about tarmac AGAIN are we? These climate debates, if it's not McIntyre it's Watts and if it's not Watts it tarmac and if it's not tarmac it's Hansen or bloomin hockey sticks.

Stroll on, I guess it will be 'air cons' next or even (LOL) aircraft exhausts. Go on, surprise me

I know! Quite why summer 2003 should have produced so many high temperatures (here, of course, presumed to mean 'erroneous') has eluded me, for the moment, Dev???

Oh yeah, I remember now! It was due to high incidence of UFO activity around Gravesend...Does the blogosphere contain any 'info' on any similar goings-on in 1976?

[AtlanticFlamethrower]

There's one at Westonbirt Arboretum, Tetbury, Gloucs. GL8 8QS. (I don't know how to get a picture of it!)

This it?

I've found all I can in the CET zone via the coordinates on the BBC.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/355 (between 320 - 360). Some of them, like Bedford and Malvern I couldn't find from the air.

I'll need another source of locations to go further.

[Thundery wintry showers]

There is some controversy around that 38.5C at Faversham in Kent on 10 August 2003, but there is absolutely no case for arguing with the notion that it set a new record temperature. For instance 38.1C at Kew and 37.9C at Heathrow.

Let's be brutally honest here, you can get into all kinds of nitpicking over station exposure but there has to be a line drawn somewhere otherwise there would be no such thing as a "good exposure". All of the sites shown above strike me as fitting the Met Office's criteria for exposure, and their standards are strict enough IMHO.

In addition over-exposure was more of a problem in the early years than in recent years, so any error in global temperature measurements is more likely to be "cooling-side" rather than "warming-side".

[noggin]

This it?

No. The station is on a large grassy area to the side of the arboretum car park. It has the car park to one side, some beautiful Cotswold cottages on another and trees (!) on the other two sides.

I might try Google Earth and see if I can find it. Won't be able to post a picture though.

http://www.multimap.com/maps/#map=51.60683,-2.22137|20|32&bd=useful_information&loc=GB:51.509:-0.1261:8||United%20Kingdom

I don't know if this has worked or not! But, if it has, may I point out that that is not really a road to the top right.....it's just for Forestry Commission vehicles.

Gosh, it sort of worked! Also, if you pan out until you can see the A433 Bath Road, then go a teeny-weeny bit to the north-east, you will come to Doughton. Doughton is where Highgrove is, Prince Charles' place. Just in case anyone wants to have a nose around, like I did!

Edited July 27, 2009 by noggin

[AtlanticFlamethrower]

Westonbirt

45 meters to roof

Edited July 27, 2009 by AtlanticFlamethrower

[Shiny_Bottom_1]

Just so i'm clear AFT, as i'm perhaps not reading this right, but the purpose of the thread/research?

[AtlanticFlamethrower]

Here's the resource we need!

http://www.tutiempo.net/en/Weather/Cranfield/EGTC.htm

Lat and Lon (N and W in bing maps) for each weather station. Not 100% accurate though. Just been looking for Cranfield. Bird's eye view, can't find it anywhere.

Found this below at the edge of the university well away from the airfield. Might not be the same one. Might not even be a weather station.

[noggin]

I just found this http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/networks/images/map6.gif .....is it any use?

PS It can be "bigged-up" for the short-sighted. Like me!

Edited July 27, 2009 by noggin

[AtlanticFlamethrower]

Biggin Hill

At least, I don't think that's a UFO.

Edit -

Thanks noggin, that is useful. Helps me place names.

Edited July 27, 2009 by AtlanticFlamethrower

[johnholmes]

Just so i'm clear AFT, as i'm perhaps not reading this right, but the purpose of the thread/research?

me too

[AtlanticFlamethrower]

Is this a weather station?

Cambridge Airport.

Edit: the purpose of this thread is to locate UK weather stations. We refer to these stations in statistics everyday, so let's have a look at them. I'm already amazed at some of the variety... these days much more than a stevenson screen, that is, if these are in fact weather stations.

Edited July 27, 2009 by AtlanticFlamethrower

[Methuselah]

Just so i'm clear AFT, as i'm perhaps not reading this right, but the purpose of the thread/research?

me too

And me?