Weather Instruments and their Uses

a) Barometer

A barometer is a scientific instrument used in meteorology to measure atmospheric pressure. Pressure

tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather. Numerous measurements of air pressure are used
within surface weather analysis to help find surface troughs, high pressure systems and frontal
boundaries.Barometers and pressure altimeters (the most basic and common type of altimeter) are
essentially the same instrument, but used for different purposes. An altimeter is intended to be transported
from place to place matching the atmospheric pressure to the corresponding altitude, while a barometer is
kept stationary and measures subtle pressure changes caused by weather. The main exception to this
is ships at sea, which can use a barometer because their elevation does not change. Due to the presence of
weather systems, aircraft altimeters may need to be adjusted as they fly between regions of varying
normalized atmospheric pressure.

b) Hygrometer

A hygrometer is an instrument used for measuring the moisture content in the atmosphere. Humidity
measurement instruments usually rely on measurements of some other quantity such as temperature,
pressure, mass or a mechanical or electrical change in a substance as moisture is absorbed. By calibration
and calculation, these measured quantities can lead to a measurement of humidity. Modern electronic devices
use temperature of condensation (the dew point), or changes in electrical capacitance or resistance to
measure humidity differences. The first crude hygrometer was invented by Leonardo da Vinci in 1480 and a
more modern version was created by polymath Johann Heinrich Lambert in 1755.

c) Anemometer

An anemometer is a device used for measuring the speed of wind, and is also a common weather
station instrument. The term is derived from the Greek word anemos, which means wind, and is used to
describe any wind speed measurement instrument used in meteorology. The first known description of an
anemometer was given by Leon Battista Alberti in 1450.

d) Wind vane

A weather vane, wind vane, or weathercock is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. They are
typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. Although partly functional,
weather vanes are generally decorative, often featuring the traditional cockerel design with letters indicating
the points of the compass. Other common motifs include ships, arrows and horses. Not all weather vanes
have pointers. The word 'vane' comes from the Old English word fana meaning 'flag'.

e) Rain gauge

A rain gauge (also known as an udometer, pluviometer, or an ombrometer) is an instrument used

by meteorologists and hydrologists to gather and measure the amount of liquid precipitation over a set period
of time.

f) Hail Pads
 Hail Pad - used to measure hail. Constructed using florists foam and aluminum foil. Hail usually last for only a
few minutes so this device can record hail occurrence and size even if the observer is not present. If you look
closely on the larger image, you can see the dimples in the foil caused by hail.

g) Campbell Strokes Recorder

The CampbellStokes recorder (sometimes called a Stokes sphere) is a kind of sunshine recorder. It was
invented by John Francis Campbell in 1853 and modified in 1879 by Sir George Gabriel Stokes. The original
design by Campbell consisted of a glass sphere set into a wooden bowl with the sun burning a trace on the
bowl. Stokes's refinement was to make the housing out of metal and to have a card holder set behind the
sphere. The unit is designed to record the hours of bright sunshine which will burn a hole through the card.
This basic unit is still in use today with very little change. It is widely used outside the United States, where
the Marvin sunshine recorder is generally the instrument used by the National Weather Service.