Tempest: The best home weather station, by a mile

[@PortugalCarp]

Love the "Ice Station Zebra" name!

[@jayjacobs1504]

This unit is amazing . Solar powered. No changing batteries . No moving parts. No wires. But omg the software is even better. Plus you can see other stations from local to around the world . Best 300 bucks spent.

[@YukonHawk1]

How has the accuracy of the haptic rain sensor been? I am contemplating buying one but have read many reviews that the rain totals aren't very accurate.

[@SharingtheRoad]

Perfect review! Loved the details and the humor, exactly what we needed! Great job!

[@arlo.guthrie]

glad you enjoyed it!

[@SoulStarLA]

Very nice review that helped me make the decision to purchase one, thank you! Also, love your music by the way.

[@arlo.guthrie]

I'm guessing you realise I'm not THAT Arlo Guthrie. He's a little older than me. And he has more hair.

[@vy1w1yv]

Good review, thanks. I'm deciding between this unit and the WS-5000. Thanks for mentioning the ""always on mode" -- perhaps I could use an old tablet for continues feed, similar to the screens that ship with the AW systems, e.g., the ws-5000. ...also, I'm wondering if sharing my weather data with WU will allow add free access to the wundermap.

[@YukonHawk1]

I love your humor. Absolutely brilliant video. Thank you. New sub here too.

[@arlo.guthrie]

Thank you ... glad you enjoyed it!

[@lhunterdds]

My weather flow tempest is due to arrive today or tomorrow so I have been scouring the Internet for set up information. Your channel is by far the most realistic, entertaining and informative. I would consider it Dr. science meets Monty python. The dinner party confrontation was not only very funny but very evocative of me banging on to a group of disinterested people about my new weather station.

[@arlo.guthrie]

Wow, very flattered to be talked about in the same sentence as Python. Thank you!

[@lhunterdds]

@@arlo.guthrie My station is due for delivery today and the anticipation is greater than that I experienced before my honeymoon. I see by the setup videos that I must name my weather station and Aesthetic Blight Upon the Neighborhood comes to mind but I guess I'll have to select something shorter.

[@arlo.guthrie]

@Leonard Hunter 🤣🤣 about honeymoon, but i think aesthetic blight is a bit harsh. It’s pretty discrete, really. I’d be more inclined to give that name to my satellite dish.

[@chipsawdust5816]

I just bought one of these and have it on a pole 20 feet in the air. Not a permanent location yet, but up there in the wind at least. So far I love the device and support from Tempest has been way above par for most companies. I asked them about an Apple Watch complication and they say that is coming with their next major iOS release of the software. We've been having a heat wave here in the NW US, temps above 100F and it appears to match other weather stations quite well. And I've found that YAY my home is five or so degrees cooler than the airport from where most weather data comes. Although chances of lightning hitting the pole are remote, I like your idea of tapping a copper stake in the ground and fastening a good cable to it. Don't need a lightning strike to start my house on fire just because I was lazy or cheap. :)

[@maysrg]

Watch out for ants!

[@tvold9204]

I've had mine for 1 week now and am very happy with it!

[@clawdawg7248]

Brilliant review. Cheers.

[@arlo.guthrie]

Thank you!

[@DaveTinNY]

Love mine! Have had it one week and it measured 4.01" of rain here in NY.

[@arlo.guthrie]

Wow. Wet week. Meanwhile, over on the other side of the Atlantic, about 0.2” in the west of England.

[@mikep628]

Great review...I laughed aloud, which is a feat considering the subject matter.

[@arlo.guthrie]

Thank you very much - and yes, that is often the challenge! The car tyre pump was even harder!

[@ralphtaylor9968]

Hmm nice gadget, now how do I convince her indoors that I can have one! :-) Good review, interesting as always and love he light hearted humour. Thank you.

[@arlo.guthrie]

Thank YOU! And my suggestion would be to tell her you'll program it to place an order for a new dress automatically when the temperature goes above 80 degrees.

[@paulbond1518]

Nice review,always had a weather station but way more basic than this one,maybe one for the future,cheers

[@akbarshoed]

Good review!! Price up front!! Details are fantastic!

[@cb86258]

Coming a little late from the States. Stumbled on your channel and review after unexpected severe thunderstorm hit our area out of no where (0% chance of rain on all apps) and rained in the Jeep with no doors/top on. Needless to say, looking for a more local robust solution to telling me when to put things in the garage. Subscribed. Cheers!

[@SteveMartinUSA]

I like larger dedicated displays, such as the Ambient Weather Stations. If you're OK with the phone then maybe just use Weather Underground to get the reading off your neighbor's setup. I wonder if you could set alerts on the neighbor's device... Anyway, my phone is busy doing a lot of things and I don't want to fuss with it. Wouldn't it be more accurate if the sensors were separated so that you can put them in different locations, as with the WS-5000? Like keep the temperature sensor in the shade and the wind on the roof. I wonder how people like Big Sky on Amazon Alexa...

[@jmdds]

Very well said.A weather station without a console is like drinking a beer with a straw.

[@barrylangley2894]

Do you know when they are starting to ship to the UK. Great Review.

[@arlo.guthrie]

Thank you! I think reasonably soon, but will ask.

[@arlo.guthrie]

Just had an answer back, and it is: 'early 2021; you can subscribe for a notification of when they become available here: weatherflow.com/shopify-keep-me-posted/'

[@jmdds]

@@arlo.guthrie I just contacted them and is not in Australia as per mid June 2021.I will also recommend the Ecowitt one ..www.ecowitt.com/shop/goodsDetail/34

[@arlo.guthrie]

@@jmdds that’s disappointing, but I think worth waiting. It really is a great product.

[@Dr._Mikes_Videos]

So, how far above the chimney does the unit have to be to ensure that they chimney exhaust doesn't modify the temperature reading?

[@arlo.guthrie]

I guess that depends on your chimney (www.govopps.co.uk/cbi-comments-on-energy-statements/industrial-chimney-5/)! My chimney is only used to vent an extractor over a kitchen hob, so it is not likely to have any significant impact on the readings. Weatherflow says avoid siting close to active chimneys, but have a couple of images showing Tempests attached what looks like about 1M above the stack. help.weatherflow.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005229767-Siting-Installation-for-Tempest You have to bear in mind, too, that vibration in the wind may cause incorrect rain readings, and the longer the pole, the more vibration you might get.

[@simonjohnson2897]

An utterly brilliant review!

[@arlo.guthrie]

Thank you Simon. Much appreciated :)

[@simonjohnson2897]

@@arlo.guthrie Did you consider purchasing the Netatmo weather station?

[@arlo.guthrie]

@@simonjohnson2897 No I didn’t! I prefer the way that the Tempest is an all in one product, whereas with the Netatmo, you have to have two additional modules for wind and rain. Also, the Tempest is solar powered, so you can site it somewhere well out of the way and forget it. The Netatmo modules need recharging every year or two. Only had one problem with the Tempest so far, which is that after a month of pretty much no sunshine, the power levels in the Tempest dropped enough that it stopped recording rainfall for a few hours. It worked again when the sun came out the next day, and I gather that Weatherflow are working on an additional power boost for people who live in places with less sunshine.

[@simonjohnson2897]

@@arlo.guthrie Thank you for the comprehensive reply. I might buy the Tempest, but they don’t sell a retail version in the UK yet. In the forums they mention they are working on a Apple HomeKit “Pro board”. That might be a nice option to completely unleash my inner nerd. I was surprised that the Tempest can transmit a signal from your roof to your WiFi. Is that because it’s especially powerful or do you happen to have a WiFi booster upstairs?

[@arlo.guthrie]

​@@simonjohnson2897 it communicates direct with a hub, but has a range of 300m. See: help.weatherflow.com/hc/en-us/articles/360052101413-General-Tempest-FAQs

[@dougtaylor7724]

I can see a knife fight breaking out over the rainfall. A sticky subject at my home too. lol

[@edwatts9890]

Nice review! The ultrasonic anemometer is a nice touch. In any event, "You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant."

[@arlo.guthrie]

Thank you!

[@AndrewJones-tj6et]

Most awesome review of this gadget I've seen. Interested in how's it going now for you? Been some mention that the haptic rain sensor can be pretty inaccurate.

[@arlo.guthrie]

Most awesome review of this review I've seen 😀. Thank you. I'm getting on well with it. I wouldn't know whether the haptic rain sensor is inaccurate, because I haven't compared it with a traditional rain gauge, and my day-to-day interest in rainfall doesn't extend much beyond 'is it raining?' or perhaps 'how heavily?"!

[@FrancoisTCS]

Does it have capability of logging of data without the phone?

[@arlo.guthrie]

Yes, it's stored in the cloud. Here's an example of one installed at a nearby lake: tempestwx.com/station/51389/. Click the weatherstation icon top right. Then click any of the parameters listed to see the historical data.

[@michiel2797]

Very funny video with at the same time some handy info

[@alonso3089]

Tank you, from Mexico.

[@arlo.guthrie]

My pleasure, from UK

[@jameslibby5215]

Delta-T would be change in T or change in temperature probably. I’m an senior engineering student and usually when delta is placed before anything, it’s talking about the change or difference of something or somethings. It’s usually the Greek letter delta that looks like a triangle instead of the word “delta”

[@arlo.guthrie]

Interesting - thanks James. Your post prompted me to google it, and I found: "Delta T, also known as “wet bulb depression”, is an atmospheric moisture parameter whose use in spraying has made its way to North America from Australian operations. It is defined as the dry bulb temperature minus the wet bulb temperature, and provides an indication of water evaporation rate." So I guess that should give me an indication of how long I've got to drink my beer.

[@cresshead]

Q. is there a companion computer program for windows/mac? i'd prefer a computer program a can see on a 24" monitor than a 4inch app on a phone myself

[@arlo.guthrie]

Hi, I find I use it mostly on a mobile phone, but prompted your by your question, I tried downloading the app to my macbook, and whaddyaknow, it works! apps.apple.com/gb/app/tempest-weather/id1125427067

[@ukweathervideos]

That was me when my DHL van arrived with mine as well XD

[@arlo.guthrie]

Hahaha. Glad I wasn't the only one.

[@mikeybikey1966]

Just waiting for mine to be delivered, hopefully today, I was under the impression that you needed a 1inch (25.4mm) diameter pipe, but you state 33.4mm above. Can you confirm what I need so I can get mine ordered please?

[@arlo.guthrie]

Oh gawd, now you've got me worried that I've been sending people off to buy the wrong pipe! But I have double checked. Here you go: help.weatherflow.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005229767-Siting-Installation-for-Tempest (para 4, 1st bullet point). It's a nominal one inch pipe with an outer diameter of 33.4mm.

[@mikeybikey1966]

@@arlo.guthrie Great thank you

[@ThingsOffTape]

Just to let you know I used a 30mm (external) aluminium pipe and it fitted into the Tempest base perfectly.

[@arlo.guthrie]

@@josesilva90 ?

[@josesilva90]

@@arlo.guthrie sorry, mistype...

[@darrenmilner4040]

Good morning this looks a great set up do you know of any Uk stockists ? Cheers Darren

[@arlo.guthrie]

It is! It's still amongst my top ten gadgets, a year later. Looks like they are now shipping direct to the UK from: weatherflow.com/tempest-weather-system/ (I don't know any UK stockists).

[@shonaguthrie848]

Hi, unfortunately I can’t find it for sale in Australia. Are you a long lost cousin? And I love Arlo’s music.

[@arlo.guthrie]

Laughed out loud. Maybe. I enjoy his music too. He sings a lot better than I do! Weatherflow will be shipping to Australia in due course: shop.weatherflow.com/collections/frontpage/products/tempest?variant=32133446303846. I think probably early this year. Else I guess you could use a forwarding service to order it in the US and have it sent on to you. See info in description.

[@jmdds]

once can get www.ecowitt.com/shop/goodsDetail/34 at a cheaper price on amazon

[@clashingwithjally5982]

This is the amazing vdo 👍👍

[@arlo.guthrie]

Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it.

[@kmain0]

what beautiful homes you have in your area... that level of craftsmenship is not found in America unless you are rich as hell.

[@arlo.guthrie]

Same in England :)

[@markvk42]

Hi Arlo, thanks for the review. Im hearing reports on the Hubitat community that this station isnt performing well in the UK due to inadequate charging during the winter months. the solar collector just isnt big enough to handle our overcast days. There is also no way of adding a supplementary power supply. Are you having these issues? maybe you might want to pin this information to the top? i wouldnt want anyone to buy this until the issue is corrected.

[@arlo.guthrie]

Hi Mark, I've had mine installed in the south west of England since 6th December 2020 (2 months). Precious little sunshine since then. In that time, my Tempest has only once run out of juice and only for a few hours. But I did talk to Weatherflow at the time and I understand there is a supplementary power unit in development, expected later this year. So it's been a very minor problem for me, and one with a solution on the way. I am still very happy with my purchase!

[@markvk42]

@@arlo.guthrie Hi Arlo, yes im aware that a fix is in the pipeline, my concern is that anyone shipping via your "myus" link will get the current model without the added power supply. its not weatherflows fault they wont know where they are shipping the station to, because its via an agent. i just thought people in the UK should wait for the updated model. I too live in the southwest and its likely that it wouldnt be much of an issue, but as its my intention to use this equipment for my reference external temp/humidity/lux, it needs to work constantly.

[@arlo.guthrie]

​@@markvk42 Weatherflow tells me the fix is a power booster accessory which will attach to the existing Tempest. So there really is no problem buying a Tempest now. If you find you are not getting enough sun, you'll be able to attach the booster later. But as I say, one dropout for a few hours in the wettest, drearyest, most depressing two months I can remember is not what I would call a national disaster!

[@markvk42]

@@arlo.guthrie ill check with them directly this is not what other users are saying, ill let you know what they say.

[@arlo.guthrie]

@@markvk42 Check with who directly? Weatherflow? I already have, this is what they said: "We're in the process of making a power booster accessory that will attach to the Tempest device and keep it powered. This will help owners with siting limitations or installations at high latitudes with limited sunlight in the wintertime."

[@Top-Jimmy]

Very nice if you have a spare 1.5k laying round. Absolutely no need to spend this much on a WS. Enjoyed the video though, cheers from Western Australia.

[@arlo.guthrie]

It doesn’t cost anything like 1.5k!! It costs $329 US, or about $450 AUS. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@Top-Jimmy]

@@arlo.guthrie The link in description, The price was or maybe still is mate..

[@arlo.guthrie]

​@@Top-Jimmy No, the link in the description isn't the price, it was the money they raised to produce it on Indiegogo. And it was 1.5 million pounds, not 1.5K!!!

[@Top-Jimmy]

@@arlo.guthrie Oh.. I am so sorry my friend..Indeed you are right, My apologies mate!

[@Kyle_Hubbard]

How has it held up? Have you looked into other readings others around you might have had to see if it's accurate or not?

[@arlo.guthrie]

With the exception of one time it ran out of battery for a few hours, after weeks of cloudy weather here in the UK in winter, it has performed flawlessly. No, I haven't compared it to others, but readings seem to mirror what I see outside.

[@kmain0]

Temporarily lost control of your bowels... LMAO

[@youdrhnews]

Is yours still running? Mine already broke since I got it thru KS. Can't be fixed. It needs a full replacement! Unbelievable!

[@arlo.guthrie]

Yes - Mine has run flawlessly since I bought it (except when it ran out of power one winter when we had had so little sunlight. But other than that, 100% reliable). I guess inevitable that there will be the odd manufacturing glitch with any product, most important thing is that they replace it promptly.

[@Redridge07]

How will his setup be accurate when it will be influenced by the chimney exhaust

[@arlo.guthrie]

Its not an active chimney. It vents from over the kitchen hob, which is not enough to affect the readings

[@Redridge07]

@@arlo.guthrie copy

[@Weather_Nerd]

WF stations always read poorly with rainfall, at least every single one of them in my area does. Also seem finicky in update interval at times but perhaps those people need to update firmware or something. I’d 100% take an AW WS-5000 over these for slightly cheaper, any day. I like the WF stations though, not bad. Decent alternative. Coming from the owner of three different AW stations (one of which I paid $150 for in 2015 and is still working perfectly 6 years later) as well as a much more expensive Davis VP2 6153. I also run two other AW 2902s in my area. All my AW stations track almost directly with my 24hr fan aspirated VP2.

[@jperks6943]

You didn’t think you where to close to the chimney?

[@arlo.guthrie]

Nope, that chimney is not used for a fire, only for an extractor over a kitchen hob, which is only used a couple of times a day, and even then would not give off enough heat or steam to affect the readings.

[@maysrg]

The only problem we have had with ours was an invasion of ants that disrupted the wiring inside, preventing it from charging. We have managed to restore the wiring, but have not thought of a way to prevent ants from invading.

[@arlo.guthrie]

Perhaps wrap fly tape around the base of the pole? It's so sticky, I bet that would stop ants climbing up the pole to the weather station: www.amazon.co.uk/Pesticide-Sticky-Catchers-Indoors-Outdoors/dp/B01LY7O55T

[@patriot7734]

Too bad they dont have a console, I dont want to look at my phone for details///i'm out

[@NateFord]

I just don’t know if I can trust a rain gauge without a cup. No way those haptic sensors are really that accurate

[@arlo.guthrie]

I suppose it depends on your use case. I don't know in what instances (other than scientific) it is necessary to have really precise rain measurements. Farming perhaps? I haven't actually tested it vs a cup, all I do know is that it accurately describes the rain I see (light, medium, heavy). Elsewhere, I see mixed reports from other users, some saying it struggles to detect very light rain and can get confused when it is raining and windy. For my use case, though, it seems accurate enough.

[@eddiejones.redvees]

If I Bought one I could put it on top of the telephone phone pole that feeds my house I have been up to the top of it a few times over the years it is the same age has my home 1976 the only thing that is stopping me I am now retired from my job has a telephone engineer

[@lfs-x1r]

I would buy one if it had a fan aspirated shield. Weatherflow, just put a fan inside. I would not set up the station near a chimney..even if you dont use it...it is made up of metal that heats up with the sun and transmits heat to the station..

[@dw6015]

I would do anything not to mount it above a chimney like that.

[@arlo.guthrie]

Its not a working chimney.

[@shaolin95]

Best???? Mhm...nice Ad...

[@arlo.guthrie]

Nah. Not an ad. Just an opinion. And I wasn't even bribed. Had to buy the thing myself!

[@peetpixel-cowboylegend-3996]

Hilarious!

[@TheoSmith249]

You know the barometric manufacturers of yore had the transitional part of the scale correct. The only part they left out was 'climate' which should have been attached to 'Change'...how close they came to being trendy! This appears to be a product where the person 'paying' for the device will be a forever 'data contributor" (aka the product)to WeatherFlows Network. It also appears that your location could be the only one in a region, and would be augmented by WF's local ECMWF data. The concept is good but until a substantial install base of the units(I suspect the UK will be somewhat sparse for short term) you are really relying on the same data that is emitted from free services like Windy et al. Interestingly, using a haptic engine for rain measurement calculations is challenging when it lands as a snow flake. I would be interested in how your real world measurements align with published data from local weather sources. Now there is a post Covid dinner debate! Sorry I've rambled but really appreciate your review and piqued my interest in a shared interest... I'm just not 'bowled' over as you are.

[@arlo.guthrie]

I bought the Tempest less for its forecasting ability and more for what it can measure and record at my house. Also for how it might integrate with smart home devices. But, since you mention it, there seem to be a fair few of these things already in the UK. There's a map showing them here: tempestwx.com/map/. I really don't mind being a data contributor for something like this, which contributes to the common good. Interesting point re haptic engines and snow. Time will tell, but if it doesn't measure snow very well, that would be a relatively small problem in my part of the world, were we don't get very much of it.

[@TheoSmith249]

@@arlo.guthrie ahh. I stand corrected, thank you for the install base map!...and appreciate the the chimney gymnastics from review!

[@arlo.guthrie]

@H A Z M A T Must admit, a couple of moments on the chimney when I was wondering what my epitaph might be. 😀