The new AWS
This automatic weather station (AWS) was installed in 2018. It measures and records air temperature and humidity, pressure, wind speed and direction, ground (concrete) temperature, soil temperature at 30 and 100 cm, and rainfall.
Most instruments are located on or within the central station at the south-east corner of the Met Enclosure, with the soil thermometer in the ground nearby, and the concrete thermometer and automatic rain gauge in the west of the enclosure.
AWS 2006-2012
This automatic weather station was installed in July 2006 to replace the old one. It measured and recorded air temperature and humidity, pressure, wind speed and direction, solar radiation, ground temperature, soil temperature at 30 and 100 cm, and rainfall.
AWS 2001-2006
This automatic weather station logged various parameters of weather data and displayed the results in almost real time. The sensors measured air temperature, ground temperature at 1 metre depth, rainfall, barometric pressure, sunshine, wind speed and wind direction.
AWS 1867 (Board of Trade)
When the Board of Trade decided to establish seven automatically-recording weather stations around the British Isles in 1867, it was – due to Robinson’s enduring interest in the field as well as his valuable contributions to it – natural that Armagh was chosen as one of the sites. Every hour for 50 years the wind direction and speed were recorded at the newly-constructed Meteorological Building next to the Observatory (roughly in place of the Library today). Though this large body of data has never been properly analysed, it remains one of the earliest complete wind surveys undertaken. Temperature (dry and wet), barometric pressure, vapour tension (vapour pressure), and hourly rainfall were also recorded automatically.
For more information, follow the button below for the Internet Archive link to:
“A Description of the Self-recording Instruments recently erected by the Meteorological Committee of the Royal Society in various Parts of the United Kingdom”; Report of the Meteorological Committee of the Royal Society for the Year ending 31st December 1867. pp.27–54
