Meteorological instruments come in many shapes and forms, as do the companies and businesses that rely on them. Weather instruments are crucial to utility companies, hospitals, schools, transportation and government agencies. Meteorological equipment ranges from weather stations, weather gauges, solar radiation instruments and barometers to software and communications tools.

Meteorological instruments don't just help forecast the weather; they also gauge water levels, measure soil moisture and potential snow melt rates, and determine rain and snowfall amounts, dew points and moisture distribution. To aid in forecasting, weather instrument suppliers offer weather instruments that measure factors such as air temperature, precipitation, evaporation, infiltration and solar radiation.

Utility companies need meteorological instruments to forecast inclement weather that may disrupt service. Hospitals and schools rely on weather instrument suppliers for equipment that provides data that help them decide on institutional staffing plans. Government agencies from NASA to NOAA use meteorological instrumentation to forecast both clear skies and hurricanes.

Find online such meteorological supplies as:

1. Weather forecasting stations;

2. Weather forecasting software and communication equipment;

3. Weather alert radios;

4. Lightning strike detectors.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Match weather instruments to your business need

A professional weather station is a useful meteorological instrument if your business is dependent on the weather. It can measure rainfall, wind speed, wind direction, humidity, wind chill and soil, air and water temperature.

I recommend: Two of the most complete meteorological instruments are the LaCrosse Technology WS-7391UD Wireless Forecast Station and the Texas Electronics, Inc. Complete Weather Station CWS-1.

Protect employees with meteorological supplies like weather radios

A weather radio is a meteorological instrument that can protect your employees from severe weather all year.

I recommend: Weather radios that come with SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) technology give you the option of hearing only those warnings directed at your local area. Two such weather instruments are the PCR507W Atomic Projection Clock with NOAA and FM Radio from Honeywell and the WR113 Portable Alert Weather Radio with Temperature and Freeze Alert from Oregon Scientific.

Use weather instruments to protect outdoor workers from lightning

A handheld lightning detector is one of the best weather instruments to protect workers in the landscaping and golf course industries.

I recommend: The Strike Alert Lightning Detector can sense lightning as far as 40 miles away and notifies you with a loud audible alarm and LED light. Spectrum Electronics’ ThunderBolt Storm Detector removes the element of surprise by tracking storms from 75 miles away.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make sure your weather equipment operates on auxiliary power or batteries so an electricial outage will not put your employees, or your business, at risk.