Do you have a weather enthusiast in the family? Wondering what would make the perfect gift for them this holiday season?
Modern technology has made several advancements when it comes to owning your very own weather station. Several affordable models exist that can give you information on a wide range of variables, no longer limited to just temperature. You can now get an affordable weather station for well under $300 that will give you everything from wind speed and direction to even rainfall measurements! Here’s a quick buying guide to help you choose the perfect one for your family member or friend. These are rated: Good -> Better -> Best
GOOD: AcuRite 02064 Wireless Weather Station with USB Connection and MyAcuRite Mobile App
Retail Price: $115
Average Rating: 4.0/5.0 on Amazon.com
One of the more popular and affordable personal weather stations on the market, this setup provides all the essential weather data including temperature, humidity, dew point, wind direction, wind speed, and rainfall. It is also wireless meaning you won’t have to run a cord from the console to the station itself. You can even upload your data to the internet including popular websites like wuderground.com
BETTER: Davis Vantage VUE Wireless Weather Station
Retail Price: $350 (can be higher depending on the reseller)
Average Rating: 4.5/5.0 on Amazon.com
Davis is a company that has been making professional grade weather stations for over 50 years. They are a market leader in the segment. In fact, both of our weather stations that we use for SaukValleyWeather.com are Davis instruments! Their support is top-notch. You’ll pay more for the station, however, the quality of the data is more precise with this particular model and it also can be combined with some very powerful software. This station would be recommended for the serious weather enthusiast. This station also features wireless transmission from the station to the console. An additional add-on of about $120 is required to log data into a computer or broadcast it to the internet.
BEST: Davis Vantage Pro 2 Wireless Weather Station
Retail Price: $600 (can be higher depending on the reseller)
Average Rating: 4.5/5.0 on Amazon.com
The Vantage Pro 2 Wireless Weather Station is for the ultimate weather enthusiast. This is the same model weather station that we use for our Sterling observation location. It features an ultra-precise temperature sensor housed in a fan-aspirated chamber to give you the most accurate temperature readings. An all aluminum tipping-bucket rain gauge also ensures high accuracy rainfall measurements. Station data is updated more frequently, around every 2-3 seconds. A new aerodynamic rain-cone is also included with this package to measure rain more accurately during high wind scenarios. To connect the console to a PC you’ll need an additional add-on costing around $120. This station features several expandable opportunities including a UV sensor, leaf wetness sensor, and soil temperature sensor. Without breaking the bank, this is truly the best professional weather station on the market.
If you have any questions regarding any of these models, feel free to contact us! We’ll be happy to share our experiences with these products.
