Autumn & maintenance

Along with many parts of western Europe we've had a fairly settled October, but November certainly was more blustery with heavy and thundery rain at times. With the wind and rain the last of the leaves have been blown from the trees along with other garden debris.

So what does this mean for your weather station and preparing it for the coming months?

It's a good time to clean your rain gauge and also check that anemometer if it's easy to reach.

On the Davis Pro2 stations the rain gauge can be unplugged from the transmitter for cleaning just to prevent false readings. For others the tipping mechanism can normally be held level whilst a wet cloth is used to clear the dirt and grime before a dry one is used to finish off the job. 

Rain funnels should washed, the feed hole cleaned and also have debris screens rinsed to remove leaves and grime. Ensure they are locked back into place with a twist and click to prevent them heading off into a neighbours garden or beyond.

Any extra weight in a rain gauge tipping spoon can cause an early tip and higher than normal rain being recorded.

Winter storms can cause all sorts of damage to anemometers, so if you can make sure they are still securely mounted and the wind cups and direction vane still tightly in place.  We've recently replaced our 11 year old anemometer after it suffered damage from an exceptional hail storm and a gust front at the start of November. The local TV aerial engineer was contacted as they have all the equipment to hand to get the job done quickly and safely.

See something unusual or out of the ordinary with your equipment, drop us a message or even a photo and we'll try and help you out.