13 Surefire Ways To Make Sure Your Home Weather Station Fails And A Few Related Weather Misconceptions

13 Surefire Ways To Sabotage Your Weather Station

When setting up your home weather station, especially more advanced systems with an array of outdoor sensors, it can become very confusing to find the right location to place your various outdoor sensors (or where NOT to place them) to get the most accurate and consistent readings...

Similarly, when we watch weather forecasts on television, online, or on an app on your mobile device, we are bombarded by different terminologies associated with certain weather conditions. This can often lead us to form misconceptions about the weather that may lead us to make wrong conclusions and take the wrong actions as a result.

If this statement sounds a bit confusing, don't worry. It will become clear very quickly through the course of this article.

To make things interesting and help you get a better understanding of how things should or should not be done or perceived, I am taking a slightly different approach.

Instead of showing you what to do when it comes to installing your home weather station or how to correctly perceive some weather terminologies and phrases, I am going to the direct opposite. I am going to highlight the worst possible decision or deduction you can make in each case and then explain to you exactly why.

Why Choose This Approach And Why These Two Seemingly Unrelated Topics?

So Why Do I Use Such A Seemingly Ineffective Approach?  

This is a very fair and legitimate question to ask.  Why don't I just tell you what steps to follow to set up your outdoor weather sensors correctly? (By the way, I do just that in this article if you are interested.)

And why don't I just point out the correct way to interpret all the weather terminologies and lingo used in weather forecasts, as well as what else to keep in mind?

The answer lies in 2 simple reasons...

a) We Don't like To Be Told What To Do!

Do not like to be told what to do

It's just human nature and that little rebellious part we all have. Maybe it's from being told what to do from a young age by our parents and school teachers, which, to be honest, we hated most of the time.

As adults, our managers/supervisors continue this trend by telling us how and when to do our jobs. The last thing we want is a set of instructions telling us to do something to get a required result.   

b) Sometimes We Only Really Learn After Making A Mistake...

Yes, most of the time, we know or accept what to do. (And sometimes we don't have a clue don't want to admit it.) Yet, there's always that little voice in the back of your head (or the friend who always "knows better") telling you that maybe there's another or better way of doing things.

It's only after we made a mistake, sometimes more than once, that we realize that maybe getting some real and honest advice or following the instructions may not be such a bad idea after all. ( As you might have guessed, I am obviously talking from personal experience.)

Why Do I Combine Weather Station Setup Mistakes With Common Misconceptions About Weather Terminologies?

Maybe the answer may not be so unclear in this instance. After all, they are both weather-related. But there is a much closer tie between the two than just the general and very broad term, weather.

This can also be explained by looking at 2 specific points or explanations:

a) Incorrect Weather Sensor Setup Leads To False Readings & Forecasts

An incorrect outdoor weather sensor placement may seem fairly harmless and insignificant to you. The result, however,  may be enough to give your sensors readings so far removed from the real weather conditions that all the wrong data is recorded.

Wrong Weather Station Placement

A couple of things happen as a result. First, apart from getting false readings on your weather display console, your weather station gives you inaccurate forecasts as a result.

Naturally, the weather will not react the way it was "forecasted" by your weather station. You may start thinking you bought a useless weather station, or in the long run, develop the misconception that all weather stations are unreliable and pointless.

All of this because you didn't follow a few simple rules when it came to setting up your outdoor sensors correctly.

This brings me to my second point, as the way we use and measure our weather stations' capabilities is not just by seeing how accurately they display and forecast the weather and how the predicted weather actually turns out.

We also compare them to local weather forecasts and the current and conditions of future weather conditions they predict.

b) Using Weather Forecasts To Better Understand Our Weather Stations

One of the best ways to see how well your weather station is performing and how accurate it can forecast the weather is to compare to a trusted professional local weather service.

detailed weather forecast

Depending on a multitude of factors, the readings and forecasts of your home weather station and that of your local weather service can be almost identical. In some cases, however, they may have very different readings or forecasts.

Before you start getting alarmed, there are several reasons for these discrepancies between your weather station  weather service:

  • Your weather station's outdoor sensors may simply be set up incorrectly. 
  • Your specific location may have different atmospheric conditions than the much broader area a professional weather service's measurements and forecasts cover.
  • A home weather station can only accurately forecast weather conditions 12-24 hours into the future. The unpredictable nature of weather, specifically variables that may suddenly influence it, is often out of its "sensor range." This sometimes makes it difficult for home weather stations to consistently make accurate forecasts, especially long-term forecasts. (Professional weather services have access to long-range sensors like radar and satellite images and remote weather stations that takes all these variables into account, enabling them to make much more accurate forecasts, especially over the long term.) 

Combine all these factors, and you will begin to understand how closely connected your home weather station and local professional weather services really are.

Better understanding professional services and what the terms they use really mean (or nor mean) will go a long way to better understand and use your home weather station effectively.

So after this extensive introduction (and IF YOU ARE STILL AWAKE), let's dive straight into these mistakes and misconceptions and see how e can correct them.

Home Weather Station Mistakes To Avoid

It will be best to start off closest to home and take a look at some of the wrong decisions you can make when it comes to installing your home weather station, specifically when it comes to placing your outdoor sensors.   

1) Place Your Weather Station Close To A Body Of Water, Or Right In The Middle Of Some Lush Green Bushes

One of the three most important weather variables to be measured, is humidity. Combined with temperature and air (barometric) pressure, it provides the crucial data necessary for a weather station to make accurate weather forecasts.

Needless to say, it is therefore vital that you get an accurate reading of the general humidity in the surrounding air. And that is exactly why making this mistake is so important to avoid.

You need your sensor array's hygrometer to measure the humidity in the air without any type of outside (or artificial interference). Placing your sensor next to a body of water or in between lush green bushes is the worst possible thing you can do to achieve this.

weather station placement next to water

Due to the amount of moisture evaporating from the water's surface and the moisture released by the leaves from plants & bushes, the humidity in the surrounding air is much higher than the actual humidity present in the air in your location.

Especially during the day (but also during the night) when the heat from the sun causes water to evaporate at an accelerated pace, the humidity in water's direct vicinity can easily be more than three times that of the actual humidity in your area. 

You can imagine what effect this completely skewed reading will have on a weather's station ability to make even remotely accurate weather forecasts.    

The obvious solution will be to place your weather sensor array as far away as practically possible from any of these artificial sources of humidity. This is not always possible when you have limited space to move your sensors around in, like a very small or non-existent backyard or garden.

This where you can use the advantage of height. By placing your sensor array a minimum of six feet from the ground, you limit the interference from unwanted sources of moisture to a large extend.

Combine this with maximizing the distance you are able to put between your sensors and sources of moisture, and you have all but eliminate the negative influences of these sources.

2) Affix Your Sensor Array Against Or Underneath A Large Solid Structure 

The whole point of placing your weather sensors outside is to expose it to all the weather elements without any form of interference. These elements include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed & direction, as well as rainfall.

So if you place your sensors right against the sidewall of a building or underneath a big tree, what are you actually doing?

The first thing a wall will do is obstruct or completely block the movement of air. So there goes your anemometer's ability to measure wind speed and your wind vane's ability to accurately measure wind direction.

Depending on the location of the wall in relation to the sun, its surface will either be directly exposed to the sun or shielded from it for a large part of the day. This simply means there is no way for a thermometer affixed next to the wall to get an accurate temperature reading.

Add to this the fact that an exposed wall will heat up & reflect some of this heat onto objects close to it, while a wall which has cooled down during the night though and is shielded from the sun will help to keep the temperature much lower than the surrounding air. 

It will become very evident how these factors mentioned above will serve to only amplify the already compromised readings of your sensor array's thermometer.

One last variable that is influenced to a large extend by walls and trees is rainfall. As painfully obvious as this mistake may seem to most of us, there may be some uninformed users who will still find it convenient to place a full sensor array, complete with rain gauge and hygrometer, underneath the thick canopy of a tree of the overhang of a roof next to a sidewall.

I don't even need to explain why this is such a bad idea when it comes to measuring rainfall. Apart from preventing the rain from reaching the rain gauge for accurate rainfall readings, you also need to take into consideration the fact that rain and wind often go hand in hand.

This means rain often falls at an angle and not always straight down. Therefore a wall, even without a roof overhang, can act as a shield to block any rain being blown from the opposite side and prevent it from being captured and measured by a rain gauge.

Wrong Weather Station Placement Next To Walls

Some other variables are also negatively influenced by placing sensors close to large structures. With the ones already mentioned, though, I think you get the idea.

So what can be done to avoid this mistake? Obviously, placing the sensor as far away as possible from any large structure will be the logical solution.

To be more specific, normally, a 4 X 1 rule is recommended. This simply means that the weather sensors should be placed 4 times the distance away from the height of the nearest structure. This means if the structure is 10 feet tall, the weather sensors have to be placed 40 feet away from it.

Unfortunately, very few of us have a backyard or garden that size, so this can be a very limiting factor for many users. Luckily there is a simple solution that solves this and many other sensor placement problems for many weather enthusiasts.  

Using height to eliminate almost any source of interference has turned out to be a lifesaver for many weather station users worldwide. Elevating your sensor array at least 6 feet above the nearest source of interference helps it to achieve the most accurate and consistent readings critical for reliable recording and forecasting. 

(To find out more about sensor placement, you can read in-depth information in this article.)

3) Place Your Indoor Display Console Anywhere You Want

Especially when owning an advanced home weather station with a complex outdoor sensor array, you may be forgiven for thinking that the placement of your indoor display console is not that important. 

This will be a huge mistake. In fact, the ideal location for your indoor display console should be the room or space that most closely matches the outside weather conditions and trends.

There are basically 3 main reasons for the importance of correctly placing your indoor weather station for optimal readings.

By having your indoor device closely resemble outside weather trends, you get a better and more complete picture of all weather conditions (both inside and outside), as well as a global overview of how these atmospheric conditions compare and interact with each other.

kitchen weather station placement

If you own a starter weather station, you may not even have the luxury of an outdoor weather sensor. In this case, it is absolutely critical to choose the right location, as the indoor weather station will rely solely on its own built-in sensor to take measurements and make forecasts. 

When you have a weather station that displays both indoor and outdoor weather conditions, it is very impractical and very confusing to have 2 completely different trending weather conditions displayed right next to each other. (This can happen very easily in rooms like bathrooms or kitchens, where variables like humidity and temperature fluctuate often and extensively, creating very inaccurate measurements.) 

I cover indoor weather placement (as well as the artificial sources that influence their ability to take accurate readings) extensively in this article. If you need more detailed information, feel free to go, and have a look. 

4) Use The Maximum Wireless Distance Stated To Place Your Indoor Weather Station And Outdoor Sensors Apart From Each Other

It is really no secret that many manufacturers use the maximum distance able to be obtained between an indoor base station and the outdoor weather sensors as a selling point for their products. There is a very important fact they don't tell you straight away and is often added as an afterthought, though.

The maximum wireless range between the display console and outdoor sensor array (normally around 300 feet or 100 meters), is measured under the ideal circumstances.

This means the two devices have a direct line of sight with each, with no obstructions between them, and the measurements are taken under ideal weather conditions. Unfortunately, these ideal conditions very seldom exist in the real world.

More often than not, there is at least a few walls, roof or other obstructions between the two devices which will limit the distance the signal can travel. The materials any obstruction consists of also have a large impact on the distance a signal can travel. (For example, a glass window will have very little effect on signal strength, while a metal construction will almost completely block a signal.)

Display Console And Sensor

The best way to make sure there is a strong & stable connection between your sensor array and display console is to start with the two devices next to each other. (Besides, need to have the sensor array and display console very close to each other when setting up for the first time to allow the two to synchronize/pair.) 

With the sensor array in position, you can start moving your display console inside and towards the position you have chosen for it to be placed. Make sure you keep an eye on the display console to make sure it is still receiving the signal at the set intervals from the sensors.

If you manage to reach your desired location with the display console still receiving the sensor signals, you are all set. If not, try and find a location closer to the sensor array where you will be able to start picking up the signal again.

This may be a process of trial and error at first and may feel a bit cumbersome and take up some time. It is very important, though, to ensure you keep a constant and reliable connection with your sensor array and accurate records and forecasts are able to be made.

5) When Setting Up An Advanced Home Weather Station, Always Use The Default Settings

I am very aware of the warnings that come with many electronic devices and appliances, telling you in no uncertain terms to leave the device in its default settings if you are not a specialist or advanced user. 

When it comes to advanced home weather stations, however, it is critical that you set up your device correctly. This means NOT leaving it in its default setting.

Most advanced weather stations actually need you to set it up correctly for your specific location to enable it to make the correct calculations, display the right information, and make accurate weather forecasts.

My Ambient Weather WS-2902A Osprey Weather Station for example, required me to set the correct date, time, and time zone. I also had to customize the barometric pressure to that of my specific location, and the setup even made me specify whether I am located in the Southern or Northern Hemisphere.

And unlike you might be thinking right now, it was actually a ridiculously easy and quick process with the easy-to-follow instruction guide. (Most modern-day systems make it very easy for you to set up and customize your personal weather system.)

Weather, especially air movement, reacts differently in the Southern and Northern Hemisphere. Barometric pressure also varies from one location to another. Setting the correct time zone also helps to calculate a variety of parameters.

You will now begin to understand the importance of giving your weather station the best possible information regarding your specific location. Using these inputs in conjunction with the different sensor readings allows it to make the best possible calculations and accurate forecasts for your specific location.

(Spending 10-15 minute setting up your weather device correctly and getting years of accurate readings, data recording, and weather predictions clearly outweigh leaving a weather device in "default mode" and end up with a very unreliable and inaccurate white elephant.)

6) Rely Solely On Your Personal Weather Station's Forecasts For All Your Local Weather Information

I have mentioned it in so many articles I have lost count, but if you are a regular reader of my posts, you know how enthusiastic I am and shamelessly I promote the use of home/personal weather stations.

But as much as I love them and promote their numerous benefits and features for any weather enthusiast, I am painfully aware of the limitations of personal weather stations.

Yes, they provide users with weather information specific to their location. They provide owners of large areas of land, like farmers and plantation owners, with invaluable rainfall and thermal readings to help them monitor & plan a variety of activities. 

Using a home weather station in isolation however, will be a very big mistake. Although it provides you with the most accurate and up-to-date data of your specific location's weather conditions, it can't match the capabilities of a professional weather service.

Professional Weather Services

The first and biggest advantage of a professional weather service is its access to a vast array of weather sensors. From satelliteradar images, weather balloons to remote weather stations, they have access to detailed data of approaching & changing weather conditions up to thousands of miles away.

By tracking and analyzing this wealth of information, they are able to make very accurate forecasts of weather conditions in your location 5-7 days in advance. Variables that your home weather station's sensors will only be able to pick up a day before your weather conditions are affected. 

The second advantage of professional weather services is the complex and powerful algorithms they use to process all the received data with advanced computing hardware. 

The sheer amount of data and computing power necessary to perform all these algorithms and weather predictions is simply out of reach for the wealthiest and most enthusiastic home weather station user.  

For these reasons, home weather stations should be seen as complementary to your region's professional broadcasting services. Combined, they provide you with a much more complete and accurate picture of current and future weather conditions in your area.

While your weather service can give you the big picture of upcoming weather events, your home weather station can fill in the gaps and show you all the fluctuations and weather conditions, as well as short-term forecasts of your specific locations.

Use these 2 resources at your disposal together, and you will always be one step ahead of the weather and become quite an accomplished weather expert.

7) The Amount Of Weather Sensors Determine The Quality Of Your Home Weather Station

Many modern-day home weather stations come with so many weather sensors attached to their outdoor sensor array that it can actually be a bit overwhelming. 

Is this a good thing? Well, I would say the answer is yes and no...

My latest weather station (Ambient Weather WS-2902A Osprey Weather Station) is equipped with a total of 10 weather sensors. To be honest, I very seldom pay attention to more than 5 of the readings.

I may find the remaining variables measured useful in the future, but there is no more than a handful of features really necessary to monitor and make accurate weather forecasts.

As already mentioned in other articles on this website, there are really 3 critical variables necessary to be measured and recorded:

  • Temperature
  • Humidity
  • Air (Barometric) Pressure

These 3 measurements are used extensively by most advanced weather stations to establish weather patterns and calculate forecasts.

There are a few other variables, however, that play an important role in establishing and recording weather patterns. Recording weather elements like rainfall, wind speed, and direction helps you establish specific patterns and associate certain weather conditions with these patterns.

As important as all these sensors are, it is the accuracy and consistency with which your weather sensors are able to take measurements that matter the most. This is literally a case of quality over quantity.

This does not by any means imply that making use of a sensor array with a comprehensive set of weather sensors will not be very beneficial, and give you the most complete picture of your weather conditions. (Especially if you don't need to sacrifice quality and price is not an issue.)

It simply means if you have to choose between fewer but better and more accurate sensors, or a full & comprehensive but inferior set of sensors, choosing the less but more accurate set of sensors will always be the better choice.     

Common Weather Misconceptions Leading To Confusion & Inaccurate Conclusions

As important it is to avoid making any of these weather station mistakes mentioned in the previous section is the knowledge and ability to correctly interpret weather forecasts, as well as the terms and weather systems mentioned in them.

Failing to do so will lead you to correctly interpret the different weather systems and variables mentioned while watching forecasts or reading a detailed online report from a professional weather service.

This, in turn, will lead you to make the same mistakes when trying to interpret your own weather station's readings or understanding the different variables measured.    

8) A Cold Front Leads To Rainy Weather, While A Warm Front Is Associated With Dry & Calm Weather Conditions

All meteorologists will immediately point out the mistake in this statement, but it's not so obvious to the normal observer. The word, "cold" is very often mentioned in the same breath as wet and rainy weather, while the word "warm" is mentioned just as often in the same breath as dry and pleasant weather conditions.

It actually happens so often, that it resulted in an almost unconscious tendency by most people to automatically associate cold with wet, and warm with dry weather conditions. This is completely normal, so you cannot really be blamed for making such an assumption. 

To put the record straight, both cold and warm fronts have the potential to bring cloudy and rainy weather with them. Their characteristics and the impact they have on their environment, is what sets them apart, however.

thunderstorm

The arrival of a cold front is normally very abrupt, accompanied by heavy rains and stormy weather conditions, including strong winds and thunderstorms, which normally moves very quickly and can dissipate as quickly as it arrived. 

(This dramatic and violent nature of cold fronts helped to establish this strong association many people have formed between cold fronts and stormy wet weather.)

A warm front, on the other hand, takes much longer to build up as it moves much slower than a cold front. It is also characterized by a light but much more sustained rainfall, which can last for several hours to even days.

There is a variety of reasons for the different characteristics of the two fronts. There are also much more complex mechanisms at work that are responsible for the formation and behavior of the different weather systems. 

For the purpose of this article, it is not necessary to examine these two systems in much more detail. If you are interested, you can read more in-depth information in this article.   

9) Hurricanes, Typhoons, And Tropical Cyclones. Why So Many Different Storm Systems?

I know it can be very confusing when weather forecasts often refer to different devastating storm systems around the world and randomly use terms like "hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones and tropical storms." 

Luckily there is a fairly simple answer to this complex looking question...

They are all one and the same type of storm!

So why all the different names. Luckily for this, there is also a fairly simple answer for this one, and it's all got to do with location. In the Northern Hemisphere, these storms are called Hurricanes, while they are called Typhoons in the Southern Hemisphere. 

The last term, "Tropical Cyclone," is the umbrella term used by meteorologists to describe all forms of these storms, from tropical depressions and tropical storms to hurricanes and typhoons. (All these storm systems originate over the warm waters of the oceans in tropical and subtropical regions.)

And that is really all there is to it when it comes to the different names given to what is basically the same type of storm system. 

There are obviously some small differences in their characteristics, but not really of much importance in the context of this article. I dedicated a complete article to the subject of hurricanes/typhoons, so if you are interested, you can read all about them in this article.

10) The Same Type Of Weather Systems Have Exactly The Same Wind Characteristics, No Matter Where On The Planet They Occur

This statement is mostly true as far as wind behavior is concerned. When it comes to wind direction, however, this is statement doesn't really hold up. 

In big storm systems like hurricanes and typhoons, the winds rotate in different directions depending on where on the planet you live. 

In the Northern Hemisphere, the winds rotate counterclockwise in a hurricane, while they rotate clockwise in a typhoon in the Southern Hemisphere. The reason for this phenomenon all has to do with the rotation of the earth...

The earth's rotation (the direction it spins in) is always in an easterly direction. Combine this with the fact that the diameter of the earth is much bigger at the equator than at the poles (which means the earth's rotational speed is much faster at the equator than at the poles).

The effect it creates is called the Coriolis Effect. And it is this Coriolis effect that is responsible for the counterclockwise rotation of hurricane winds in the Northern Hemisphere, and the clockwise rotation of typhoon winds in the Southern Hemisphere.

In fact, the Coriolis Effect can be applied to all wind movements around areas of low pressure. Even on much smaller systems, like cold fronts, this effect can be seen in the respective hemispheres.

As surprising as this bit of information may be, it should also serve as a word of caution for all our home weather station users. Whenever you look at weather reports and take note of the wind rotation and resulting weather conditions, always remember in which hemisphere you are, as well as the location to which the weather forecast is referring.

(Especially when you keep a record of your location's wind speed & rotation, as well as the resulting weather conditions, this will be crucial to keep in mind when you are trying to calculate accurate weather patterns over the course of time.)

11) When A Hurricane/Typhoon Passes Over You, It Is Safe To Go Out Once The Weather Suddenly Clears Up

If you are a weather expert or have been in the unfortunate position of having personally experienced the destructive power of a hurricane, you will know just how dangerous this assumption is.

This may actually be the most dangerous time to leave the safety of the location you were sheltering it. To best understand it, we need to take a look at the structure and characteristics of a hurricane.

Hurricane

As the picture above shows, a hurricane has a circular/oval shape. The low-pressure system in the center is called the eye of the hurricane,  which is normally a calm area with clear skies. (And therein lies the danger). The dense clouds surrounding the eye (called the eyewall) contains the strongest winds and heaviest rainfall. 

From there, the storm forms the typical bands of clouds spiraling out from the center in the shape that is so characteristic of a hurricane. (As previously mentioned, the winds in a hurricane rotate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.)

It is the eye of the hurricane that makes it so dangerous, as it causes the stormy weather to suddenly calm down and the skies to clear, creating the false impression that the storm has passed and it's safe to leave your shelter.

The eye is normally about 24 km (15 miles) in diameter, and it can stay over an area for up to an hour or more, depending on how fast the storm system is moving. When it has passed, the area is hit by the back eyewall of the storm, bringing with as much if not more devastating winds & rains.

People who didn't heed local warnings or are unfamiliar with hurricanes and their characteristics are often caught off-guard by this back eyewall, resulting in serious injury and even fatalities.

12) Flooding Is The biggest Cause Of Death As A Result Of A Monsoon

The very heavy rainfall during a monsoon and the resulting flooding is indeed a big contributor to a large number of fatalities in India and Southeast Asia. Especially the unexpected flash-flooding that occurs after a heavy downpour can be deadly.

Surprisingly though, flooding is not the biggest cause of fatalities as a result of a monsoon. In fact, the biggest and deadliest consequences of a monsoon occur long after it has passed.

By far the biggest cause of deaths in the aftermath or result is actually waterborne diseases.

Monsoons leave a lot of standing water in their wake, which serves as a breeding ground for many of these waterborne diseases.

Some of the potentially deadly diseases include Typhoid, Malaria, Dengue, and Viral Fever. These diseases can cause thousands of fatalities each year during the monsoon season.

They are also transmitted in a variety of ways, including bathing in contaminated water, contact with infected bodily secretions, and eating contaminated food.

13) Hiding Under A Highway Overpass or Crossing a River Will Protect You From A Tornado

When it comes to tornadoes, there are a wealth of theories out there telling you what to do and what not to do when confronted by this violent storm.

One very popular piece of advice that has been circulating for ages and even made popular by some disaster movies is to leave the relative safety of your car and take shelter underneath an overpass on the highway.

Tornado

Experts have now debunked this theory. Contrary to popular belief, the effect of the tornado can be made worse by the construction of an overpass. The overpass can cause the tornado to funnel and even accelerate underneath it, worsening its impact and potential to cause damage and harm.

Also, being completely exposed puts you at risk of being hit by flying debris, and the force of the tornado can also slam cars into the overpass.

The advice given is to rather take shelter in the nearest possible ditch, or if you don't have any other choice, stay in the relative safety of your car.

The second part of this section relates to another misconception, or popular belief that crossing a river will protect you from a tornado. It is unclear where this myth originated from. While it is true that the cool air near bodies of water can be disruptive to thunderstorms, which can lead to tornadoes, it has no clear impact on a tornado itself.

Actually, the lower friction over the water of a river or dam may actually help to increase the wind speed inside a tornado. In other words, you are no less safe after crossing a river or two in an attempt to escape a tornado.

(The Tri-State tornado of 1925 killed almost 700 hundred people and injured more than 2000, all while crossing both the Mississippi and Wabash rivers.)

Some tornadoes actually form over water. You may have seen videos and images of these water funnels, called water-sprouts. 

Conclusion

Ok, this article turned out to be a bit longer than expected. If you made it all the way through it, you can really give yourself a pat on the back.

It was important, though, to not just touch lightly on each subject. We dug a little deeper and explained exactly why making the mistakes you can with your home weather station can have such a big effect on the observations & conclusions you make.

Apart from the last 2 weather misconceptions, all the other misconceptions can also influence the way you view and interpret the data from your weather station.

It was therefore critical that the reasons for these misconceptions are thoroughly explained, as well as the correct way to interpret them.

I trust this post helped you to gain a better insight into the workings of your home weather station and how the way you view and understand weather terms and variables used in weather reports & forecasts impact your ability to make the best use of your own station and have a more complete understanding of weather interactions.

Never miss out again when another interesting and helpful article is released and stay updated, while also receiving helpful tips & information by simply  clicking on this link .

Until next time, keep your eye on the weather!

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