(Photo Credit: John Hart, State Journal Archives) A large raindrop, about the size of a house fly, has terminal fall speeds of about 20 mph. Your yard has its own “nano climate” and will report the truth of the exact location where your AIR is sited: that means it will be wetter near things like trees, ground cover, wet decks, dryer vents, etc.The typical speed of a falling raindrop depends on the size of the drop. Remember, this is YOUR WEATHER, not the weather from the Airport that your phone or the TV news reports. An accurate measurement may differ dramatically from other sources you’re used to. Most of the time, your data will differ from other weather stations - because that’s in a completely different location and siting situation! A home station should measure the conditions at YOUR home, and allow you to make decisions accordingly.Įxample: If your humidity reading seems high (or low) compared to nearby stations, remember that AIR is reporting hyper-local conditions. Where you choose to locate your sensor devices will make a significant impact on your weather data. Your Smart Weather station is specifically designed to measure the unique environmental conditions in your immediate location. The Hub does need to be powered, requiring 1 A, 5v power supply. The Tempest device transmits data over radio to the Hub. A phone or tablet with a Bluetooth connection to the Hub is all you need to get current data from the Tempest device.

The Hub (base station) connects to WiFi but it is not necessary aside from the occasional software update.

When you’re parked at a location, the system is also a great asset for weather observations (such as an RV). That said, Tempest is still used by many storm chasers who have shared various creative ways of collecting useful data during a chase. Rain readings are triggered by vibrations detected by the haptic rain sensor, so a moving platform, especially on the road or water, would cause false rain readings. Wind direction is determined by aligning the device to true north.

There is no GPS in the hardware, so the station location needs to be updated manually if the equipment were to be relocated. The device and software is not designed to support use on a moving platform.

Raindrop meter