University of Kentucky Agricultural Weather Center Serving Kentucky residents

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...Weather Stations, Dataloggers, Weather Instruments and Weather Radios... Weather Stations & Instruments Questions to Consider when Determining the Right Weather Station for You Courtesy of the Kentucky Mesonet How much do you want to spend? The price will depend on how reliable and accurate you want your station to be, along with any sensors or features you want incorporated with the station. Price goes up with more sensors and accuracy. Very basic weather stations can be picked up from your local Walmart. How accurate do you want the observations to be? All weather stations have some sort of error in there observations, whether they be a basic or more advanced system. The maximum amount of error will depend on the system. What weather parameters or features are you intending to measure? Weather stations can consist of multiple sensors to measure several different weather variables. These can include standard sensors to measures variables like temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, barometric pressure, etc. More advanced sensors may measure rainfall rate, solar radiation, or soil temperature/moisture. The type of weather sensors that are needed are greatly dependent on your own respective field. Are you in research, aviation, agriculture, or just wanting to simply know the temperature outside? What is your technical background in setting up, maintaining, and troubleshooting instruments? Some weather stations are highly advanced and require professional help in setting up and maintaining the instrument. A weather station cannot be completely perfect. Sensors will have to be replaced every 18 to 24 months and readings will sometimes be skewed. What kind of space do you have available to set up a weather station? Weather station observations are sensitive to the surroundings. For instance, wind measurements can be affected with objects too close in viscinity, such as a house. Temperature readings can be skewed if a station is placed on a roof. Checking into a weather station's standards can help determine if a station will work properly under your own constraints. Some stations like the Mesonet require a large amount of area and in some cases, the ground may have to be rented. Companies Selling Weather Stations & Instruments* Davis Weather Stations Campbell Scientific Dataloggers and Weather Stations Vaisala Weather Stations Weather Stations by Ambient Weather More Need help setting up your own weather station? Here are some links to help you out.* Campbell Scientific Station Siting and Installation Weather Shack Weather Station Setup Guides (ONSET) Ambient Weather Station Setup More Just Looking for Station Data? You can always refer back to the National Weather Service and National Climatic Data Center for observations across the country or the UK Ag Weather Center or Kentucky Mesonet for select locations across the state of Kentucky. Organizations looking for Weather Stations Organizations, such as the NWS and Weather Underground are always looking for weather stations to add to their networks. Weather Underground Personal Weather Stations * Mention of using a specific company for obtaining or setting up a weather station is not to be considered a recommendation. The use of these companies and there respective products is at your own risk. Ag Weather Center, Department of Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering, University of Kentucky