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Conisbrough Weather Station


mick
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After a couple of weeks where there's been very little activity on the weather front, the past few days have finally livened up a bit and allowed me to compare the readings I obtained from the weather station when it was located in Selby with the new ones from Conisbrough.

The actual weather station remains unchanged but its location is markedly different. Selby is situated just a few metres above sea level and the terrain is very flat whereas the home in Conisbrough is at an elevation some 60 metres higher. In Selby the sensors were in direct sunlight during the summer months and the wind gauges were in the shadow of the house and a fair number of overhanging trees. Although I could record data as a record of the weather specific to our back garden, it didn't closely match the data being recorded at neighbouring stations.

The property in Conisbrough is single storey, in an elevated position, and is free of obstructions from trees. Although not at a recommended height by any means, the wind gauges now provide much more accurate recordings. Even during the severe winds of 12th September this year, the highest gust recorded by my station in Selby was 28.9 mph with an average high wind speed of 9.8 mph and a total wind run for the day of 110.1 miles. The winds that day seemed much stronger than those we have experienced in Conisbrough today. I remember them well because it was just after we had erected our greenhouse and it proved a stern test of its durability - a test that it thankfully passed.

By way of comparison, the highest wind gust recorded by my station today (Saturday 26th November) was 36.5mph with an average high wind speed of 17.4 mph and a total wind run for the day of 217.3 miles. The previous 2 days have also similarly exceeded those Selby figures from 12th September.

In its current situation I have the option to elevate the wind gauges by an extra two feet without having to resort to any additional work or expense, which should provide even greater accuracy. First, I need to concrete the supporting post firmly into the ground.

I remember a time when I used to detest strong winds, cold weather, and heavy rain. If you're the same then do yourself a favour and get a weather station - it'll change your outlook on extreme weather completely.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Over recent days I've had the opportunity to compare data from 2 different weather stations located within a matter of feet of each other. The temperature and humidity sensors of one station are sited in an area with an open aspect whilst those of the second station are in a more shaded area. The open aspect station is currently 3 feet from the ground whilst the shaded station is 4ft 6ins.

At most times of the day there is very little difference between the data recorded by the 2 stations. Any discrepency between temperatures is usually within 0.4C and is fairly constant throughout the daylight hours. Humidity levels are also extremely similar with no more than a 2% variation at any time. The barometer readings from the 2 stations are almost identical throughout the entire day.

The most significant difference in temperature occurs during the night when the station in the shaded area can be as much as 0.8 degrees C cooler, as is currently being reported.

The point of all this? - well one station cost me less than £70 while the other would cost at least ten times that amount.

Are budget weather stations really worth getting and can they begin to compare with stations costing several times more? Well yes, I believe they are. The cheaper stations, now obtainable for less than £40, require a little more thought about their location and additional care with getting them set up but the results obtained can closely mimic those from a 'professional' station costing much more. I've had to carry out several guarantee-voiding modifications to my cheapo weather station in order to get it reporting with greater accuracy, and locate it in an area shielded from direct sunlight falling on the sensors but sufficiently exposed so that some sunlight falls on the solar panels for recharging of the batteries but I'm now happy with its current location.

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  • 7 months later...

Well the weather's certainly been making the news this year even though it's been for all the wrong reasons but as it's now just over a year since I was given my first weather station I thought it about time that I added to this thread.

The older station, used when I lived in Selby, has now been replaced by a more professional model and I do admit that my interest hasn't waned one bit. I still monitor the data many times during the day and have a website dedicated to displaying live and historical data as recorded in my back garden. I have the main sensors and transmitter unit located above an area of grass close to the house and with the anemometer mounted on a tall pole further down the garden. The anemometer is currently connected to the sensor/transmitter by a length of cable that is laid around the lawn and across the planted borders and all the data from the transmitter is then sent wirelessly to an indoor display unit that connects to the PC. The problem is that when I'm cutting the grass or tending the borders I have a tendency to cut through the exposed cable. I've now got so fed up of doing it and having to solder the cables together again that I've purchased a separate transmitter unit to connect the anemometer directly to the indoor display panel meaning I can now get rid of that trailing cable. Connecting the new transmitter unit up will be my first task once this rain stops!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Is your weather station purely a hobby or do you send reports to official bodies of what the weather is in your particular area. Such as when they say it's going to be a sunny day with warm temperatures and where you are it's raining cat and dogs.

Roy.

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Oh it's just a hobby Roy but I do upload the data to a couple of websites where it's used to provide current details of local weather. Local weather is the key I guess. Normal forecasts are more general for the country or region rather than your immediate locality which is why you often get a good soaking shortly after you've listened to the weather forecast and lathered yourself in sun lotion.

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  • 6 years later...

I can't believe this is a thread I started in 2011 and haven't posted to since 2012! My interest in collecting my local weather data hasn't diminished one bit since then and presenting that data online is still one of my daily tasks.

The point of this post is simply to record that yesterday, 12th April 2019, was the first 'frost' day (temperature below freezing) we've have had in Worsley Dale country since the 3rd February. Not what I expected at all but then like buses, you wait 68 days for one and two come along together - today falling to  -1.1.

Not been a bad period though I don't think.

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  • 6 months later...

Working on the attic layout hasn't left me much time for doing anything on the outdoor line but the fact that we have just endured our wettest October month since we moved to 'Worsley Dale' country back in 2011 certainly hasn't helped. We had 95.4mm of rain during October 2019 which is almost double our average rainfall for that month.

Autumn 2019 is already our wettest Autumn since 2011 and we still have another 25 days to get through before the season ends. Our average rainfall for Autumn is  currently 145.8mm but our running total for 2019 so far is 216.2mm.

At this very moment we are sitting beneath a weather front that has already deposited almost 17mm of rain on us today and it's moving ever so slowly over and around us. I was looking on YouTube yesterday evening and noticed that it was two months since I last posted a video featuring trains running in the sunshine on Worsley Dale - it seems such a long time ago now.

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No such respite for us yet Roddy, according to local weather reports it's moving across us and we've got it until later this evening - probably another 9 or 10 hours - and we're now at 24mm. It's not particularly heavy - just persistent. Fortunately we're in an elevated location so flooding isn't a concern but I fear others won't be so fortunate.

Blue sky sounds really good.

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Sorry for continually going on about things that don't include my garden railway layout but as it's down to the weather that there's been no progress for some time then it's only appropriate to include further details here.

After another 24 hours of rainfall I would imagine that those in the UK are wondering why on earth anyone would set up a Garden Railway forum! If your decision to build an OO gauge garden railway has been down to me or to what you've read elsewhere on the forum then I can only apologise. The recent rainfall totals have been extreme although not entirely unheard of. Here's some figures from my weather station in Conisbrough:

Currently this month we have recorded 112mm of rain up to the 14th day - the highest previous November total to the same day was 28mm.

Currently this Autumn we have recorded 291mm of rain up to 14 November - the previous highest for the entire Autumn season to 30 November being 186mm recorded only last year in 2018.

Currently this year we have recorded 668mm of rain - the previous highest by this time of the year being back in 2012 at 663m, the year we recorded our highest ever annual rainfall total (813mm). Our average annual rainfall for the entire year is currently 591mm.

It's just been a lousy mid to late Autumn but they do say that these things even themselves out over time so hopefully we'll have better weather to look forward to when you can thank me and fellow members of the forum for introducing you to the wonderful world of OO Garden Railways.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Meteorological 'Autumn' has drawn to a close thank goodness and you won't need me to remind you that it's been a wet one, not just here in 'Worsley Dale' country but in many other parts of the UK too. I do hope that it hasn't dampened the spirits of too many OO gauge Garden Railway enthusiasts but if it has then I would fully understand. Seasoned enthusiasts will have learned already that this is how nature sets out to test our individual methods of construction and she may inform us right away of our errors or defer judgement until a little later down the line.  If you manage to get through the examination unscathed then you should have a wonderful summer of glorious running to look forward to otherwise you'll probably be thinking of an indoor layout or progressing to a larger scale by now.

Just as an indication of how wet it's been here I've produced a couple of rainfall tables the first one showing that this November I've recorded double the amount of rainfall we have seen in any November month since 2012 - in fact it has been the wettest of any month during that time with 152.2mm of rain.

novemberrainfall.jpg.d2cedd20f5cc5734fdfa474af4b97c7f.jpg

The second table shows Seasonal rainfall totals for each year since 2012 with the green 'autumn' period of most significance here. I recorded 331.2mm of rainfall for the period 1st September to 30th November 2019 which is by far our wettest Autumn period since 2012 but also the wettest of any seasonal period we have experienced during that same time.

seasonalrainfall.jpg.7d0ff1cf4e74d18cf783b3df83dccfed.jpg

2012 was a poor year for garden railways with a rainfall amount of 308.0mm during the Summer season alone and our highest annual rainfall total to date but 2019 is now only very slightly behind when you compare the annual rainfall totals at the same corresponding time of year.

And to conclude, it might be of interest to point out that November 2019 was the second least sunniest of any month since 2012 with a paltry 59.5 hours of sunshine recorded - 11.4 hours of which were recorded in the final 2 days of the month!

Here's to a drier, brighter, warmer future.

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I have lived in Derby all my life and I have never seen so much rain, I can’t believe how much flooding there has been, I was very lucky but many people in Derby  had there homes and businesses badly damaged. My layout is in the carport however to get to my carport I need to go through my garden which is like a mud bath and it’s freezing cold out there .I wish I had the space inside for a decent size layout or even better a train room, I must say I miss running my trains.

Sorry rant over

Deano

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  • 2 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Another month and more alarming statistics recorded at the Conisbrough Weather Station

No matter which part of the country you live in you will no doubt be aware of the amount of rainfall experienced in most areas of the UK over the past month and while here in Conisbrough we do not see rainfall amounts as severe as most other areas, the trend has been remarkably similar.

februaryrainfall.jpg.3f0fb35d747c2eaf31e6e728a682656c.jpg 

February 2020 has been our 3rd wettest month ever since our records began in December 2011.

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  • 1 month later...

In stark contrast to the previous months rainfall totals, here's the rainfall table for March showing that this year has been the driest March since I erected the weather station in late 2011.

marchrainfall.jpg.4f06f78af27689b03b523c82f7973430.jpg

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It's surprising just how quickly the ground recovers from a good dousing. Just a few weeks ago there would have been no way you could have done anything outdoors but now, for us fortunate enough to have escaped the flooding, it's as if those winter rains never happened. A pleasant weekend on the cards too so for those lucky enough to have a garden or outside space - make the best of it, but stay safe!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Rain is forecast for the coming days but before it does I'll just post the latest graph showing April rainfall totals recorded here in Conisbrough since 2012. The amount for 2020 is correct to 27 April - all other years are for the entire month.

aprilrainfall.jpg.caefc886696890cdfa6bfa7598d73289.jpg

 

With the phrase 'April Showers' I always expected April to be a wet month but apart from the exceptionally wet 2012 and a drab 2018 it's not actually been a bad month at all. When added to the March rainfall total for 2020, seen earlier, that's only 22mm of rain in the past two months!

 

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