The Fifth meeting of the Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-5) will showcase the innovative MeteoHelix® micro-weather stations

MeteoHelix® weather station monitoring a beach

With the fifth meeting of the Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-5) in Apia, Samoa quickly approaching, BARANI DESIGN Technologies team has set off to showcase the latest meteorological technology to the PMC's NHMS members and senior government officials from SPREP member countries. Additionally, their development partners, Council of the Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP), United Nations' agencies, collaborating organisations and institutions with also be present to discuss mitigation strategies of accelerated global warming and the adoption of early warning weather monitoring systems.

BARANI DESIGN Technologies will showcase the MeteoHelix® weather stations which are capable of surviving impacts of flying debris as found in cyclones. Being the only professional weather station to be able to survive such conditions while meeting WMO requirements for precision and accuracy of measurement, makes the MeteoHelix® IoT Pro a one of a kind proposition for island nations most affected by climate change.

The hydrometeorological equipment exhibition will be held on 5 - 9th August 2019 alongside the PMC-5 and is organized by Varysian.

HMP155 & sensor response time effect on measurement error

Its worth noting that the temperature time constant listed for the HMP155 is at a hefty 3 m/s airflow speed as shown in the photo from its manual. Thus the HMP155 temperature time constant converted to still air will, unfortunately, be significantly higher and hence the HMP155 temperature measurement error due to fluctuating air temperature will NOT be per WMO recommended guidelines as specified in the WMO – The CIMO Guide – Guide to Meteorological Instruments and Methods of Observation, 2014 Edition updated in 2017.

Due to the slow time response of this temperature sensor, an air temperature fluctuation of 2 °C over a period of 2 minutes in 3 m/s airflow will show a measurement error of 0.29 °C (at 3 m/s air speed) on top of the basic sensor accuracy/uncertainty.

Flow obstruction caused by a radiation shield will significantly increase this error for low wind speeds. Despite the status quo, it will be very hard to justify the HMP155’s use for precision climatic measurement. In 1 m/s air, the time constant can rise to 35 seconds and in 0.5 m/s air to 49 seconds, thus producing errors over 0.5 °C due to only the sensor’s slow response time.

• To reduce most air temperature errors due to sensor response time below 0.2 °C a sensor time constant of 13 seconds is required for air speeds of <1 m/s.

• To reduce the errors below 0.1 °C a τ63.2 % time constant of 7 seconds is required for air speeds of <1 m/s.

• The above values were calculated using the online Web calculator at the following link:

  • Influence of sensor response time (τ 63.2%) on climatic temperature measurements

• Below results were calculated using the Web calculator for sensor step response at this link:

  • Calculation of sensor stabilization time for climatic temperature measurements with heated humidity sensors

MeteoHelix® weather station watching over the international Pohoda music festival

The Pohoda music festival weather will not only be monitored by the SHMU but also by the ultra-precise MeteoHelix® IoT Pro weather station connected to the international Sigfox wireless network operated by SimpleCell Slovakia. Being the only micro-weather station capable of providing accurate meteorological data in all climates and weather conditions, the MeteoHelix and its about to be released MeteoWind® Compact IoT are perfectly suited for monitoring crowded and vandalism-prone places such as music festivals and inner cities.

With heat indexes climbing every year, it is important for music festival officials to have accurate data on air temperature and humidity and also on the intensity of solar irradiation to prevent heat strokes and other heat-induced emergencies.

For detailed weather information including weather forecast for the next 24 hrs at the Pohoda music festival, please see the following link:

• https://preview.allmeteo.com/#/ws/1891019 (login to allMETEO.com may be required)