Keith Allen, a
Verizon Communications weather broadcaster since 1988, says everyone needs a weather alert radio to pick up round-the-clock forecasts and warnings from
NOAA, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Allen, who watches the skies from his Maryland home, also couldn't get along without a home weather station.
While his snazzy setup measures everything from dew point to drizzle, he realizes that most people don't need as many thermometers as he has (six, at last count). So he and fellow weather buff Kevin Shaw, an NOAA cartographer, gave us their suggestions for choosing a system to fit every budget.
Starter station
If you want only basic weather information, the Oregon Scientific BAR913HGA (left, available at www.amazon.com), which retails for about $150, makes forecasts and measures temperature, humidity and barometric pressure.
Mid-range station
The Davis Vantage Pro2 (www.amazon.com and other online retailers) gives forecasts, tracks weather highs, lows and averages, reports moon phase, wind chill and more. Shop around, as prices range from $400 to $600. Add WeatherLink—optional PC software—for about $200 more. Or purchase the optional console to monitor outside equipment.
High-end stations
Try the Ultimeter Weather Station with an optional Weather Picture wall display (Peet Bros. Company, 1-800-872-7338, www.peetbros.com). Allen paid around $1,000 for his equipment, which monitors temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, flash flooding and much more, from atop his garage. Again, you'll mount equipment outside and monitor it on a custom console (right) or your computer.
Can you throw more money into the wind? Go industrial-grade with the Texas Instruments WLS-8000 station, complete with lightning and leaf wetness sensors, for about $3,800 (www.ambientweather.com).