Your Backyard Wx Station Questions

#1 Postby **azskyman** » Wed Apr 30, 2003 11:23 pm

Having spent nearly 30 years helping thousands of weather enthusiasts set up, maintain, and gain pride in the hobby of backyard weather observing, I'd like to offer this thread as a place to ask questions about your station.

Questions like where to locate your rain gauge, how to record daily data, who else in your area is a weather buff like you, and how to measure snowfall.

I can head you in some directions for good information on instruments and equipment, or I can simply encourage your enthusiasm for the hobby with some helpful hints and kind words.

So...let me see if I can help you find an answer to the questions you might have about your backyard weather station.

chadtm80 · #2 Postby **chadtm80** » Thu May 01, 2003 8:33 am

If you dont mind azskyman im going to hijack this Thread just for a moment..

Dam chad.. :roll:

LOL..

If anyone has a weatherstation they would like to get linked on our "Members wxstations" page, please post them in the storm2k news forum... There is a thread in there for it :wink:

Thanks and sorry skyman... Great idea on this thread :wink:

#3 Postby **azskyman** » Thu May 01, 2003 7:58 pm

You can't hijack a willing participant! Nice slide in and out of the topic!

Just two feet from me in the file cabinet is a list of names and addresses associated with almost 2,000 amateur observers with backyard weather stations. They are among America's most dedicated hobbiests.

Ethically, I can't share that list...but every time I get a chance I do stay in touch with those folks.

Let's see what might happen here. Thanks Chad.

mf_dolphin · #4 Postby **mf_dolphin** » Thu May 01, 2003 8:13 pm

If some of those names are wiling to share it would be nice to have a whole network of weather stations to link to... patience is a virtue. :-)

#5 Postby **azskyman** » Sat May 03, 2003 8:00 am

mf_dolphin...

I have shared that list with only one other entity over the 20 years I have developed it...and when I did, the list was exploited. So I feel I owe those folks, many of them friends of mine, a watchful eye.

Amazingly, I have a larger list...over 23,000, on disc of people who have been involved in weather over the years and at one time, believe it or not, the government provided me..free of charge..a printed list of every single cooperative weather station in the country. My God, if that happened today there would be heads rolling all over the National Weather Service!

But I do make these people aware of the website now and then as I communicate with them and for now I must say that's the best I can do.

I know you will honor and respect my the integrity behind my decision.

Still...it's tempting!

Steve

#6 Postby **azskyman** » Sat May 03, 2003 8:10 am

Not that bigger is always better, but my friend Jesse Ferrell, s former Penn State weather student, has sacrificed much of his young life to pull a bunch of serious amateur weather folks together. Almost 6,000 of them so far! Perhaps we can find a way to develop a link back to Storm2k for those who want to participate here.

His very active website is:

http://www.weathermatrix.org

ColdFront77 · #7 Postby **ColdFront77** » Sat May 03, 2003 1:07 pm

Great site, Steve. I joined WeatherMatrix a few years ago.

#8 Postby **azskyman** » Sun May 04, 2003 12:02 pm

For those who might take rainfall measurements....

Do you keep a log of those amounts? And what kind of raingauge do you have.

I am currently using a 4" diameter 11" capacity gauge capable of measuring to .01" Great gauge for under $40.

pawlee · #9 Postby **pawlee** » Sun May 11, 2003 6:29 am

azskyman wrote:For those who might take rainfall measurements....

Do you keep a log of those amounts? And what kind of raingauge do you have.

I am currently using a 4" diameter 11" capacity gauge capable of measuring to .01" Great gauge for under $40.

hey Steve! even though i take measurements, i do not keep an actual log for i trust the wx service to record the info i send. i mostly (just as you know) talk about it on the net and have so much info spread out that if need be i could do my own archive. the blogger thing i have recently gotten into is a very easy to use service that enables one to record and post daily info without having to really deal with html (unless they want to) and is something i wish i could've learned about a long time ago for this reason.

http://pawleewurx.blogspot.com/

as for rain gauges, we have two (his and hers!) which has come in handy during mixed precip events where if need be, we could (and have) done seperate melts to double check actual precip. likewise it comes in handy to have two for at 7:00, if it is raining, just take one tube out and slip the other in without missing a drop! oh yeah, ours are the clear "government issue" type given to us when we recieved our SWOP training last fall (believe same dimensions as yours). p

Stormsfury · #10 Postby **Stormsfury** » Sun May 25, 2003 11:02 pm

I use just a mini-max mercury thermometer from Taylor Instruments, and an 11" capacity rain gauge --- 4 inch diameter --- innermost tube holds 1" where the rest overflows into the outer tube, which holds 10" more...

Only once have I had to worry about it filling up ... a few years back when a completely stationary thunderstorm kept re-developing for almost 3 hours ... within 164 minutes, 9.38" of rain fell ... imagine the amount of water in the neighborhood. :o :o :o :o :o :o :o

ColdFront77 · #11 Postby **ColdFront77** » Mon May 26, 2003 3:16 am

Wow, Mike... 9.38 inches of rain in 164 minutes (which is 2 hours, 44 minutes) is an average of 3.43 inches per hour!

weatherwunder · #12 Postby **weatherwunder** » Mon May 26, 2003 7:57 am

This thread is awesome. I too may be able to help, since I have a weather station in my backyard.

Mine does all of the data collection for me, but I have went through some trials and tribulations in getting it set up properly.

I don't want to tread on your territory azskyman, I would just be willing to help.

Southernmost Weather · #13 Postby **Southernmost Weather** » Mon May 26, 2003 7:37 pm

I have a Davis WM2 system with rain collector. I do observations twice daily and post my averages on my website. I've been keeping records now for a little more than two years. I back up my obs from the Davis system with the good old hi-lo thermometer and a sling psychrometer. Since keeping records, I found that I average about 5º warmer than NWS EYW and receive collect about an inch to an inch and half more pcpn than they do.

ColdFront77 · #14 Postby **ColdFront77** » Mon May 26, 2003 8:02 pm

I am not sure whether or not I would actually get an "expensive weather station"... Hope so...

I have had some 'thin catalogs' with weather stations in them, but nothing like discussing them here.

How do they range in price?

#15 Postby **azskyman** » Mon May 26, 2003 10:16 pm

We used to categorize our back yard weather stations in one of four classes.

A level one measured rain and precipitation with a gauge of at least 4" in diameter.

A level two had the rain gauge AND also measured temperature.

A level three had equipment that measured rainfall, temperature, and barometric pressure.

A level four had those three items PLUS equipment that could measure wind speed and direction.

These days, there are several companies that provide small weather stations that can perform all of those functions. Unfortunately, the best ones...the ones that not only can do the job but also hold up through storms, ice, cold, and heat...they can get expensive. Many of them interface with computers too...so you have all the data right at your fingertips.

#16 Postby **azskyman** » Mon May 26, 2003 10:18 pm

Price ranges are much lower if you can pass on the wind equipment or remote sensing rain gauges. From about $75 and up for temp and pressure measurements. $45 for a 4" rain gauge.

#17 Postby **azskyman** » Sun Jun 01, 2003 5:44 pm

OK....if you take daily temperatures readings at 7 am each day...and the end of the month rolls over into the first of the new month. Lets say .43" of rainfall fell between 7 am the last day of the month and 7 am on the first day of the month. Which month gets credit for the precip? The new one or the old one?

weatherwunder · #18 Postby **weatherwunder** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 9:32 pm

Well, I know how electronic weather stations do it. The new month would get the credit for anything after midnight.

Now my weather station can be set to start the day at midnight or 9am, so I guess it would be how you have it set.

You made me think a litte about that one!

weatherlover427 · #19 Postby **weatherlover427** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 9:42 pm

How much would a good station that measures BP, rain, wind, and the like cost?

weatherwunder · #20 Postby **weatherwunder** » Mon Jun 02, 2003 9:49 pm

Well, you get them starting at about $300 and spend upwards of $2500. Mine was about $400 to get started, and has been well worth it.

Your Backyard Wx Station Questions

Your Backyard Wx Station Questions

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