Weather station

A weather station is a facility with instruments and equipment to make observations of atmospheric conditions in order to provide information to make weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. This learning project will describe how to install and operate an automated or personal weather station.

Typical weather stations have the following instruments:

Thermometer for measuring temperature
Barometer for measuring barometric pressure
Hygrometer for measuring humidity
Anemometer for measuring wind speed
Wind vane for measuring wind direction
Rain gauge for measuring precipitation

An automated weather station also includes a data logger to record the measurements from the instruments. The readings can then be transferred to a computer or uploaded to a website.

The Personal Weather Station page at the Weather Underground website has a list of links for the hardware and software needed for a personal weather station. It also describes how to upload weather data from your station to be included in the website. The Citizen Weather Observer Program is another means of sharing weather data.