What's wrong with a weather hut?

[peterh]

I've got my Fine Offset stuff set up. The current sensor setup is the standard setup, with all sensors on the mast and the temperature/humidity sensor and transmission unit in the supplied sun screen.

Apparently, this screen is not very effective.
I could take this a step further and mount the sun screen with contents where it's shielded from the sun, but then it'll be next to a conifer hedge, which I think would send the humidity off the scale

So. I'm tempted to build myself a wooden weather hut... somewhat not unlike this:
http://column.buienradar.nl/bericht/doc ... eten_1.JPG

I would make it somewhat smaller (it only has to contain the temperature/humidity sensor), and I would drill holes in the 'ceiling' of the hut to make sure that warm air can get out. The "roof" (which would be a separate surface) would be slanted, and would contain the solar sensor kitted in. The door (which would not need to be opened on a regular basis) would be facing north. I've got plenty of grass at my disposal to be able to find the required 10 x 10 spot to place it.

I would then bolt a 20mm pole to it to be able to raise the wind sensors. I am tempted to try and see if I can raise the wind sensors to approx. 7.5 meters, by extending the cable from the wind sensor to the transmitter. This would take the wind sensors well above the wind shadow at the north - there is no construction or foliage over 5 metres. I'd lead the cable through the pole, and seal the pole at the top with duct seal. In order to protect the wind sensors from the elements, I'd probably apply duct seal to the bottom surfaces of the sensors.

This is all based on what I knew (and could get sorted) when I was a teenager, working with mainly self-made instruments on a southward-facing balcony on the third floor.

My question is: would such a wood weather hut be a better idea than a disc-based screen?

[Jim Brown]

It is called a Stevensen screen. There is nothing wrong with it. It is what most pro stations use.

Look here: http://users.otenet.gr/~meteo/project_s ... n-box.html

[steve]

Yes, it's a great idea - go for it. I have a Stevenson Screen, and after I put my Fine Offset temperature sensor in there, it gave readings that were much closer to my Davis sensor, even when the sun was shining, which does happen on rare occasions here. I did find it affected the communication between the transmitter and console, though, but it was borderline on reception before that anyway.

[peterh]

even when the sun was shining, which does happen on rare occasions here.

Ha.
Last time we vacationed in the Real Highlands (north of the line from Fort Worth to Inverness) we were treated to 29 degrees -- yes, Celcius! in Clachtoll, a bit north of Lochinver, on the Scottish mainland.
I admit, that's a bit south of where you are. And also I admit that this was in early August 2003, when the weather went completely through the roof in most of Western Europe. I wonder what your records for this period show...

[steve]

Last time we vacationed in the Real Highlands (north of the line from Fort Worth to Inverness) we were treated to 29 degrees -- yes, Celcius! in Clachtoll, a bit north of Lochinver, on the Scottish mainland.

It rarely gets above 20C here. And rarely below a few degrees below freezing. Lots of sea all around us moderating the temperature. It gets much warmer and much colder than here in the Highlands.

I admit, that's a bit south of where you are. And also I admit that this was in early August 2003, when the weather went completely through the roof in most of Western Europe. I wonder what your records for this period show...

We had just moved to Scotland then, to the highest village in Scotland, which perhaps surprisingly isn't in the Highlands, it's in the Southern Uplands. I do remember it being very warm that summer, even at 1500 ft where we were, but I don't know where my data is from back then.