This handbook provides a comprehensive, practical, and independent guide to all aspects of making weather observations. The second edition has been fully updated throughout with new material, new instruments and technologies, and the latest reference and research materials. Traditional and modern weather instruments are covered, including how best to choose and to site a weather station, how to get the best out of your equipment, how to store and analyse your records and how to share your observations. The book's emphasis is on modern electronic instruments and automatic weather stations. It provides advice on replacing 'traditional' mercury-based thermometers and barometers with modern digital sensors, following implementation of the UN Minamata Convention outlawing mercury in the environment. The Weather Observer's Handbook will again prove to be an invaluable resource for both amateur observers choosing their first weather instruments and professional observers looking for a comprehensive and up-to-date guide.

One of the primary objectives of this program was to design a developmental model ALWOS for the lowest possible cost. Reliability and maintenance costs over the life of the system were considered in addition to the initial purchase and installation costs. To this end, field proven, off the shelf components were used wherever possible throughout the system. Another primary objective was modularity of design. The hardware and software were constructed to allow flexibility in interfacing a variety of sensors or adding additional sensors to measure new parameters. The ALWOS as configured at Dulles Airport is a low-cost and flexible system which can provide an automatic weather observation from the data acquisition, processing and display point of view, with the potential for good long-term system reliability. After a period of familiarization with the equipment and dealing with an assortment of system and sensor problems, the functioning of the system became relatively trouble-free. Evaluation of the ALWOS supports the generally accepted concept that automated, low-cost weather observation systems can indeed perform such a function given suitable sensing devices. (Author).