Weather, weather everywhere…Did you know what kind of weather was coming? If not, you certainly could have even without your TV or computer. With the advent of all the electronic, digital, solar powered weather instruments anyone who wants can become an amateur weatherman/woman or meteorologist.
What do you need to be a weatherperson? Just some good, solid knowledge and some fairly simple weather instruments. All of this can be acquired or purchased online. So, you see, you’re only limited by your own mental and financial resources. If you really want to be a weather hound, you can do it!
Though all weather instruments can stand alone when it comes to measuring certain aspects of weather characteristics, the weather buff is usually better off by just purchasing a decent wireless, solar powered home weather station. Why? Because it includes all or most of the necessary instruments and tools that any amateur weather hound needs.
Each weather station will include, at a minimum, the simplest forms of instrumentation such as an indoor outdoor thermometer, a barometer, a wind speed indicator, a wind direction finder and usually a hygrometer. With just these instruments you can start forecasting your local weather. Another instrument that you’ll need and usually comes with the kit is the rain gauge.
It can’t get much simpler than this. All of these instruments just have to be connected to the wireless, solar powered sensor in the yard or surrounding area and they transmit weather measurements back to the home unit or computer and all you, as the meteorologist, has to do is analyze the data. Many of the units will analyze it for you.
There are a few home weather stations that furnish the instruments and the sensors but there is an additional monthly subscription required to some type of weather service.
With just this home weather station and a weather map that is furnished by the National Weather Service (NWS) or the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), you’re on your way to outdoing even the TV weather personalities.
There are hundreds of local, national and even global weather support groups and many have meetings and outings in local communities. It’s fun and it’s fulfilling.
Learn all the basics of weather just by getting online and searching for “weather education.” You’ll find more than enough material to keep you busy learning for a long time. But don’t wait too long to get out there and start using your own weather station. The technology will amaze you!
