Weather “U” Lesson Six Weather Observation Equipment

Published by wxgeekwxworld
January 6, 2012, Category: Meteorology

This lesson we will take a look at the various weather observing equipment used for creating a weather report.

The first piece of equipment is what we call a Wind Anemometer. The photo above is from my weather station in my backyard. On the left is the actual wind anemometer and on the right is the wind direction and speed that is being recorded by the anemometer. Wind anemometers are used to record wind data which can help us forecasters figure out weather patterns. For example when the wind is out of the South in the Northern Hemisphere the air temps will be warmer, while the winds out of the North will bring in colder air from the north.

The next instrument used for recording weather data is the rain guage. The rain guage helps us determine how much precipitation has fallen at the station. This information is very useful when it comes time to determine if we need to issue flood statements because the rain is to heavy in a short period of time. Also the data we gather from the rain guage can be used to help create a climate report. On the left is the actual rain guage and on the right you see the rainfall data being displayed in Inches.

Are third instrument is the thermometer which is used to record temperatures. This thermometer is placed in my garden near the plants, I use my thermometer to help determine the temps near my crops for purposes of frost and freezing, so I know when to cover them up. For climate purposes the actual sensor is suppose to be placed at about 2meters or 6ft above the ground. On the left is the sensor itself and on the right is the display of what the current temp was. We record temps both in Degrees C and Degrees F. Some good numbers to remember are 32F and 0C which are freezing.

The last instrument here is the barometer, which is used for calculating air pressure. As you can see on the left is my actual sensor which I place in my house on the wall for accuracy, while on the right is the read out of the current pressure. Air pressure is measured in two formats the first is Inches of Mercury which you see in the photo above. And the second is millibars which you see on most weather maps. Some key numbers to remember here are 29.92in and 1013.25mb these are refered to as standard sea level pressure. A rule of thumb I like to follow is that if the pressure is above 1013mb we are seeing High pressure build in to the area which means nice weather and if the number drops below 1013mb Low pressure is moving in bad weather.