Weather Stations

If the term weather station leads you to thoughts of your favorite, quirky meteorologist on your local news channel or the beloved Weather Channel, it's time to tune in and find out more about all that these handy devices have to offer. Whether you want to head to the basement before the tornado sirens sound, or you want to pinpoint a top-10 day for planning an outdoor event, you'll appreciate the convenience of a home weather station. Compact in size, these gadgets provide you with 24/7 monitoring of meteorological trends and conditions, including humidity levels, barometric pressure, time and tide, and so much more. At hayneedle.com, we offer a wealth of configurations to whet your forecasting appetite. You'll find trusted brands including Acu-Rite, Bey-Berk, and Cape Cod, and options from analog to digital to wireless. Plus, drum roll--or thunder roll--please, all of this important information is housed within decorative facades in your choice of finish, so the instrument can double as an accent piece!

Tending To Trends

Some basic features include monitoring of temperature, wind speed and direction, wind chill, and frost. Acu-Rite models have a plethora of helpful functions such as real- time programmable alerts for oncoming storms, temperature and humidity highs and lows, dew point, inches-per-hour rainfall rate, and more. Those alerts are delivered easily to you via email, texts, and customizable alarms. As Acu-Rite weather stations are Windows- and Mac-compatible, you can view data online from any web browser. A customizable information dashboard lets you monitor what matters most to you. Whereas real-time notifications make your day-to-day a little less of a guessing game, Acu-Rite designs also feature charts and graphs so you can observe and track trends daily, weekly, and monthly. Bet you never thought of keeping a weather diary!

Inner Workings

So how exactly does a weather station work? Outside sensors monitor atmosphere conditions and transmit that information back to the unit. The display console communicates to the sensors through cables or cable-free (wireless) transmission. The console has programmable alarms, tracks basic information such as highs and lows, and can even connect to your home computer for more advanced data collection.

What's In It For You

Take a lightning-quick glance at this list and see how a home weather station can simplify your life…or simply entertain you!

• Be alerted about oncoming storms and prepare for them
• Check out heat index and wind chill levels--and dress accordingly
• Remotely monitor dog house temps to make sure your pooch is comfy
• Know when to plan for outdoor home improvement projects or outdoor events
• Monitor your home to help prevent bacteria and mold growth