Thursday, 26 March 2026

Don't need a weatherman...

...to know which way the wind blows.

So opined Sir Robert of Zimmermanshire. Similarly, I don't need a weather station in my back garden, but I have one anyway because: (a) the weather is interesting; (b) I like data; and (c) I guess I'm just a massive nerd.

Anyway, the night before last, weather was happening fast.

You know when Tomasz Schafernaker gets on the TV in front of his weather map green-screen and talks about a cold front moving in? Well, this is what it looks like when it happens quickly.

Data from my weather station

Yes, this is data from my weather station, which gets uploaded to Weather Underground in near-real-time. Look at that drop in temperature, around half ten. I believe the technical term for that is "fell like a stone". From 10.6°C at 10.28pm to to 7.1°C at 10.49pm. That isn't usual. And the wind, which had been building since 9 o'clock, really ramped up, peaking with gusts of ≈30mph.

I know, this is boring, sorry. I remember learning, in O-level Geography, that a weather front would pass over you entirely in 24 hours. But it can also move quicker. I'll spare you the barometric pressure graph for the day, that pointed to this happening. Let's have an appropriate song instead.

More soon, when I take a deep dive into why the pump don't work (spoiler alert: the vandals took the handles).

12 comments:

  1. I thought it was interesting but then I might be a nerd as well

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  2. I feel that our little community is exclusively nerdish

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  3. As already said above. Nerds united!

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  4. My son-in-law got a garden weather station for his last birthday. I'll tell him Martin from New Amusements calls him a nerd. (He thinks of us as nerds anyway so now he's joined the club.)

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  5. Dew Point would be a good name for a band or project- something ambient maybe

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    Replies
    1. Their Peel Session was ace.

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    2. I'd give Weather Underground a listen too.

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    3. Pretty sure they signed to Rough Trade.

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