The Weather Blog

How-To

Rain Gauge Placement and Calibration: Getting Accurate Rainfall Totals

A rain gauge seems the simplest instrument of all, yet most give wrong totals because of where they are placed. Here is how to get rainfall measurements you can trust.

July 16, 2026·5 min read

Read article →

How-To

Setting Up an Anemometer and Wind Vane Correctly: Siting, Height and Alignment

An anemometer in the wrong spot gives readings that are worse than useless. Here is how to site, mount and align wind instruments so their data means something.

July 15, 2026·5 min read

Read article →

How-To

Calibrating a Hygrometer: The Salt Test and Beyond

Hygrometers drift over time and are notoriously inaccurate out of the box. The simple salt test lets you check and correct one at home with no special equipment.

July 14, 2026·5 min read

Read article →

How-To

How to Set and Calibrate a Home Barometer, Step by Step

A barometer out of the box tells you almost nothing until it is set for your altitude. Here is how to calibrate one properly and keep it accurate.

July 13, 2026·5 min read

Read article →

Explainers

The Science of Feels-Like Temperature: Heat Index, Wind Chill and Apparent Temperature

The thermometer tells you one number, but your body feels another. Here is the science behind feels-like temperature, and why it is often the figure that matters most.

July 12, 2026·5 min read

Read article →

Explainers

Why Coastal Weather Is Its Own Science: Sea Breezes, Fog and Marine Layers

The coast makes its own weather. Understanding sea breezes, coastal fog and the marine layer explains why the shore so often defies the regional forecast.

July 11, 2026·5 min read

Read article →

Explainers

Reading the Sky: Cloud Types and What They Actually Predict

Long before satellites, people forecast the weather by reading clouds. That skill still works, and it connects you to the sky in a way no app can.

July 10, 2026·5 min read

Read article →

Explainers

How Airlines and Pilots Use Weather Data (and What You Can Learn From It)

Aviation treats weather with a rigour that puts the rest of us to shame. Here is how pilots read the sky, and what their methods can teach anyone.

July 9, 2026·5 min read

Read article →

Guides

A Practical Guide to Frost: Predicting It, Preventing It, and Protecting Plants

Frost is one of the most predictable weather hazards once you know what to look for. Here is how to see it coming and protect what matters.

July 8, 2026·5 min read

Read article →

Explainers

The Weather Behind Great Wine: How Vineyards Live and Die by the Forecast

Wine is agriculture's most weather-obsessed craft. From frost at budburst to rain at harvest, here is how the seasons in the sky end up in the glass.

July 7, 2026·5 min read

Read article →

Explainers

Understanding Humidity: Why 30 Degrees Feels Different in Dubai, Tokyo and Phoenix

The same temperature can feel wildly different depending on humidity. Understanding why explains everything from muggy summer nights to why deserts cool off so fast.

July 6, 2026·5 min read

Read article →

Explainers

Microclimates Explained: Why Your Garden's Weather Differs From the Forecast

The forecast is made for a region, but weather happens at the scale of a single garden. Understanding microclimates explains why your patch differs — and how to use it.

July 5, 2026·5 min read

Read article →

Guides

How Cyclists Should Actually Use a Weather Forecast (Wind Matters More Than Rain)

Most cyclists check the forecast for rain. The professionals check it for wind — because on a bike, wind is the factor that shapes the whole ride.

July 4, 2026·4 min read

Read article →

Guides

Boating Weather: How to Read Wind, Waves and Marine Forecasts Before You Cast Off

On the water, weather is a safety issue as much as a comfort one. Here is how to read wind, waves and marine forecasts the way experienced boaters do.

July 3, 2026·5 min read

Read article →

Guides

The Complete Guide to Weather for Farmers: Spraying, Planting and Harvest Windows

For farmers, weather is not small talk — it is the difference between a good year and a ruined crop. Here is how the professionals read conditions for the three decisions that matter most.

July 2, 2026·5 min read

Read article →

Explainers

Why Weather Forecasts Go Wrong (and How to Read One Like a Meteorologist)

Forecasts fail in predictable ways. Once you understand why, you can read them far more accurately — and stop being caught out by the same mistakes.

July 1, 2026·5 min read

Read article →

Guides

What Hygrometer Readings Are Trying to Tell You About Your Home

Indoor humidity affects your health, your comfort and even your furniture. Here is how to read a hygrometer and act on what it shows, room by room.

June 26, 2026·2 min read

Read article →

Explainers

Why Two Thermometers in the Same Garden Disagree

It is not a fault. Sun, surface, height and airflow can make two thermometers metres apart read several degrees apart. Here is what is really going on.

June 25, 2026·2 min read

Read article →

Explainers

Anemometer vs Wind Vane: Why You Need Both to Understand the Wind

An anemometer tells you how fast the wind blows; a wind vane tells you where it comes from. Here is why the two instruments answer completely different questions.

June 23, 2026·2 min read

Read article →

Troubleshooting

The Five Mistakes That Ruin Weather Instrument Readings (and How the Pros Avoid Them)

Most bad weather data is not caused by faulty equipment but by where and how it is placed. These are the five siting and handling mistakes that quietly wreck readings.

June 21, 2026·2 min read

Read article →

Troubleshooting

7 Reasons Your Barometer Is Giving False Readings (and How to Fix Each One)

A barometer that drifts or sticks usually has a simple, fixable cause. Here are the seven most common reasons home barometers go wrong, and exactly what to do about each.

June 19, 2026·3 min read

Read article →

Explainer

Reading a Weather Map: Isobars, Fronts and Pressure Systems

Those swirling lines and triangular symbols on a weather map are a language. Once you can read it, a single chart tells you the whole story of the coming weather.

June 14, 2026·3 min read

Read article →

How-To

Connecting Your Personal Weather Station to Public Weather Networks

Sharing your station’s data to networks like Weather Underground and the Ambient network is free, easy, and turns your hobby into something useful to others. Here’s how it works.

June 9, 2026·3 min read

Read article →

Explainer

How Weather Stations Measure Temperature (and Why Yours Might Be Wrong)

Measuring air temperature accurately is far harder than it looks, and most home stations get it wrong for one avoidable reason. Here’s what’s really going on.

June 4, 2026·3 min read

Read article →

Explainer

Understanding the Beaufort Wind Scale

Two centuries old and still in daily use, the Beaufort scale lets you estimate wind speed just by watching the world around you. Here’s how it works and why it endures.

May 30, 2026·3 min read

Read article →

Explainer

What Barometric Pressure Tells You About Incoming Weather

High pressure, low pressure, and the speed of the change between them are the atmosphere’s early-warning system. Here’s how to read the signals.

May 25, 2026·3 min read

Read article →

How-To

How to Test a Hygrometer’s Accuracy with the Salt Method

Humidity sensors drift more than any other, and a wrong reading quietly corrupts your dew point and comfort data. The salt test checks one in an afternoon, for free.

May 20, 2026·3 min read

Read article →

Gear

Rain Gauge Types Compared: Tipping Bucket vs Manual vs Weighing

Not all rain gauges measure the same way, and each design has blind spots. Here’s how the common types work and which one suits a home weather watcher.

May 15, 2026·3 min read

Read article →

Explainer

What Is a Wind Vane and How Does It Work?

The oldest weather instrument still in daily use, the wind vane looks simple but hides some clever physics — and reads in a way that trips up newcomers.

May 10, 2026·3 min read

Read article →

How-To

Where to Mount an Anemometer: A Practical Siting Guide

Wind is the measurement most ruined by poor placement. Here’s how high to mount your anemometer, how far from obstructions, and the compromises real backyards force.

May 5, 2026·3 min read

Read article →

How-To

How to Calibrate Your Home Weather Station for Accurate Readings

Even a good weather station drifts and mis-reads if you don’t check it. This is a practical, sensor-by-sensor calibration routine you can run in an afternoon.

April 30, 2026·3 min read

Read article →

Explainer

Relative Humidity, Absolute Humidity and Dew Point: What’s the Difference?

Three different ways to talk about moisture in the air, and they answer three different questions. Understanding which is which makes weather data far easier to interpret.

April 25, 2026·3 min read

Read article →

How-To

How to Read a Barometer to Predict the Weather

The single most useful weather skill a barometer gives you isn’t the number — it’s the trend. Here’s how rising and falling pressure translates into what the sky is about to do.

April 20, 2026·3 min read

Read article →

Gear

Choosing a Personal Weather Station in 2026: Features, Limitations and How the Top Systems Compare

Davis, Ambient Weather, Ecowitt and Tempest dominate the home weather station market, and they take very different approaches. Here’s an honest look at what each does well and where each falls short.

April 15, 2026·3 min read

Read article →

Explainer

Barometer Settings Explained: hPa, inHg, mb and What They Mean

Hectopascals, inches of mercury, millibars — barometers come labelled in several units and it’s easy to get lost. This guide untangles them and explains what the numbers actually tell you.

April 10, 2026·3 min read

Read article →

How-To

How to Set a Barometer: A Step-by-Step Guide

A barometer is only useful once it’s calibrated to your altitude. Here’s how to set both an aneroid dial and a digital barometer correctly, using a reliable local reference.

April 5, 2026·3 min read

Read article →