Weather Help
Using The FVB Weather Station
| The weather station is mounted on the roof above the auditorium. It has temperature, wind, humidity, and barometric pressure sensors. These display the current conditions and also record the information in graphical form and historical data tables. The weather station has only been active since mid-April, so we’ll have to wait a while before we get useful historical data. |
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| VPD Vapor Pressure Deficit, a measurement (in kilopascals, kPa) that indicates how “thirsty” the air is, calculated from the relationship between temperature and relative humidity.
Feels like value is defined by wind chill temperature and heat index for cold (below 40F and wind speed larger than 5mph), and hot conditions(temperature is over 80F and humidity is 40% above), so when outside the above-defined conditions, the feels like are same as the current outdoor temperature. |
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On the weather station, “Solar W/m²” stands for Solar Radiation measured in Watts per square meter. It is a real-time measurement of the intensity of sunlight striking the outdoor sensor array.
- Intensity Measurement: It indicates how much solar power is currently reaching your location. On a clear day at solar noon, this value can reach up to 1000 W/m² or more.
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Rain Definition: Daily, 24H, Event, Week, Month, Year, Total
- Daily: rain counter reset to 0 at midnight.
- 24H: accumulated rain for the past 24hours.
- Event: It resets to 0 when 24H rain is less than 2.0mm. So it continues to accumulate as long as it doesn’t stop raining. So during springtime, it keeps raining, and this rainy period can last for quite a long time, like 3 weeks or even months.
- Week: it resets to 0 at midnight Sunday.
- Month: It resets to 0 at 0:00 on the first day of the month.
- Year: It resets to 0 at 0:00 on the first day of the year.
- Total: The total rain ever recorded.
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| What are the differences between the Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge and the Piezoelectric Rain Gauge?
The Ecowitt WH40H is a high-precision, traditional tipping-bucket rain gauge, while piezoelectric (piezo) rain gauges measure rain via impact, offering real-time data with no moving parts. The WH40H is favored for superior accuracy and reliability, while piezo sensors offer maintenance-free operation but sometimes inconsistent, less accurate readings.
WH40H Rain Gauge Sensor (Tipping Bucket)
- Mechanism: Uses a funnel to collect water, which tips a tiny bucket inside when full, sending a wireless signal.
- Accuracy: Considered high-precision for residential weather stations, with a larger collector design, “high precision,” and accuracy.
- Maintenance: Requires occasional cleaning of debris from the funnel and mesh.
- Pros: Reliable, highly accurate, low-cost maintenance (battery only).
- Cons: Physical moving parts can eventually fail or become clogged.
Piezoelectric Rain Gauge (Haptic)
- Mechanism: Uses sensors to detect the vibration/impact of individual raindrops on the surface.
- Accuracy: Offers instant, real-time measurements, but is less accurate, more difficult to calibrate, and less consistent than the WH40.
- Maintenance: Generally maintenance-free with no tipping bucket to clean.
- Pros: Compact, no moving parts, instantaneous data.
- Cons: Less accurate in light drizzle, sensitive to vibrations, and less reliable for total daily rainfall compared to tipping buckets.
Verdict: For serious weather monitoring, the WH40 is superior. The piezoelectric sensor is excellent for real-time measurements, but the traditional tipping bucket is better for accurate rainfall accumulation. |
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