Siting New Weather Station

[WhiteFox]

I've finally got a weather station and am very excited to start measuring! I got a good deal on the Davis Vatage Pro2 wireless and now have to figure out the siting.

So, I know that the main sensor should be away from walls and above grass. Above grass is not a problem, but the garden is surrounded by walls on three sides (one side being the house obviously) and a fence on the fourth side. How far from the wall do I need to be in order to remove any influences on temperature readings (especially in this weather!)? Or, if I put the mounting pole on the wall, how high would it need to be to remove influence? I know that the second option is not ideal as the temperature should be recorded closer to the ground.

The other question concerns the anemometer; the garden itself has too many obstacles to get anything like accurate measurements, so the roof would seem the likely option. I can foresee an issue with the slope of the roof however, as I would suspect that wind would accelerate on the upslope and skew speeds upwards would it not?

Where have others placed their own units, and have you had any issues, or can you give any advice?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[JP_WxObservation]

Hi WhiteFox.  Lots of great questions here on the siting of your new Davis Vantage Pro2.  Although it can seem to be a challenging task, especially when you start to look at the recommendations available to us from sources like the National Weather Service, following a few simple guidelines will help ensure you get more accurate readings.  The most common complaint in a new weather station is its lack of accuracy, but I many cases, it has more to do with proper siting techniques than the product itself.

You asked about how far from the wall to remove the influence...the rule of thumb is 2 times as far as way as the height of the obstruction.  So, if the wall is 6ft tall, make sure you're at least 12ft away from it.  

You also asked about the anemometer.  33ft off the ground is the "ideal" height.  The roof is an ok idea, just mount it so the anemometer is ABOVE the roof's apex.  

I've written a detailed article on this topic and produced an infographic that will help you with proper siting of your weather station.  Here's a link, I hope it helps.

Article:  Weather Station Installation and Siting Guide

Please let me know if you have any specific questions.  I'd be happy to help.