Bought a $40 weather station, the barometer was off by 12 hPa from day one

Tbh I set it up last Tuesday thinking I'd get real pressure data for storm tracking. The readings looked fine until I checked the local airport METAR and saw a huge gap. Anyone else notice these consumer sensors are just guessing compared to real stations?

2 comments

2 Comments

kaih361d ago

The whole "off by 12 hPa" thing kind of misses the point. That's like complaining your kitchen scale isn't lab grade when you're just trying to bake bread. These sensors are made to give you a rough idea, not to replace the airport's million dollar equipment. Plus, you compared to one METAR reading, but pressure varies by elevation and microclimate, your backyard at 250 feet will read different than the airport at 150 feet. If you want dead on numbers, that's what weather service websites are for, the $40 gadget is for seeing trends and storm fronts roll in, not for publishing research papers. Honestly, a 12 hPa offset is annoying, but it's consistent, so you just adjust your readings and get on with it.

adam_patel5h ago

My buddy Dave mounted his $30 anemometer on a 6 foot pole and spent a whole weekend convinced it was broken because it read half what the local weather station showed. Turns out he'd put it right behind his chimney and the wind was just bouncing off the bricks. He never adjusted the thing, just moved it and it's been fine since. Point is, these cheap gadgets are just for the ballpark, not the bullseye.