Watching the weather
Everyone talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. That’s too cut and dried; some people do watch it. After all, the show doesn’t cost much, offers an amazing variety of special effects, and can actually be predicted (if you don’t mind being wrong).
A long time ago, the government trained me as a cloud watcher. I was qualified to observe and transmit, joining in a cast of thousands that fed the ravenous PDP-11 machines belonging to Environment Canada. Of course, the tools of the trade were expensive (and clunky) but there was a satisfaction that came from understanding when to report a gust of wind, or a SIGMET. Believe me, the wind is important.
I’ve been reading up over the last couple of evenings on the subject of “home weather stations”. There are a surprising number of companies with products for sale. Thankfully there are also a large number of clients who have no reason to “pull their punches”. If something is of poor quality, someone will bear witness to the fact, often with a range of adjectives fit for reporting things like, oh, the weather. Caveat emptor applies in the weather observation business, just like everything else.
I now have a fair idea of what I would buy, should I ever decide to install my own station. I also know that my budget will have to be robust. Wind and rain and other meteorological phenomena tend to test the mettle of equipment; buy cheap and replace often seems to be the underlying bit of advice. If ever I place an anemometer at the top of a mast, I don’t want to climb up after it. For now, I’m going to refer to the weather channel; after all, they don’t ask for much in return.
