Topic: an Official Met Office station UK

[G.Brown]

I often pass Loftus S.A.M.O.S while out on my bike and have always wanted a look in and today there was a car there so I got the chance.
Chap was doing some work on the Satalite/GPS system in the hut and had nothing to do with the Met office so couldn't give much help.
Instruments included :-
Stevenson screen,  new Met office standard white upvc with second set of black louvers inside (145)and just 3 electronic probes in there...surprised there was a paving slab (168) up to it but otherwise on grass/weeds.
https://www.metcheck.co.uk/collections/instrument-screens/products/metspec-m12-excel-acrylic-stevenson-screen
Concrete slab temperature probe.
Buried probe.
Rain collector bucket - in needed of a clean, fair bit of grass etc in it. (159)
Normal wind and direction up a mast. (150)
Round thing looking at sky...maybe lazer for cloud base.? (151)(161) (Ceilometer)
Thing looking down at artificial grass...(temperature)? (165)(161)..(snow depth?)
Thing with two moving tubes looking at the sky and moving occasionally...also has a small leaf wetness board near it - related?? (177) down and (153) pointing up
Thing like cow horns with two cut off tubes angled towards sky ...(156)
What also surprised me was the use of artificial grass (162) and (165)- I thought temperature was measured a certain height above (real)  grass for a reason and the use of artificial grass ie plastic seems to be wrong solution.
I'll have a trip up there with a camera sometime...update - done.
Its often the coldest place in England...Loftus Poultry run has been cancelled a few times due to snow.

update....I think the cow horn and cut off tube device (156) is a visibility device measuring MOR - meteorological optical range.

https://wow.metoffice.gov.uk/observations/details/20240622t3qdcu3ouce69kyhyyguis1hko

list of met office instruments below
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/binaries/content/assets/metofficegovuk/pdf/weather/guides/10_0230_fs_17_observations.pdf

[G.Brown]

a few photo's from today.

[G.Brown]

few more...

[miraculon]

I often pass Loftus S.A.M.O.S while out on my bike and have always wanted a look in and today there was a car there so I got the chance.
Chap was doing some work on the Satalite/GPS system in the hut and had nothing to do with the Met office so couldn't give much help.
Instruments included :-
Stevenson screen,  new Met office standard white upvc with second set of black louvers inside (145)and just 3 electronic probes in there...surprised there was a paving slab (168) up to it but otherwise on grass/weeds.
Concrete slab temperature probe.
Buried probe.
Rain collector bucket - in needed of a clean, fair bit of grass etc in it. (159)
Normal wind and direction up a mast. (150)
Round thing looking at sky...maybe lazer for cloud base.? (151)(161) (Ceilometer)
Thing looking down at artificial grass...(temperature)? (165)(161)..(snow depth?)
Thing with two moving tubes looking at the sky and moving occasionally...also has a small leaf wetness board near it - related?? (177) down and (153) pointing up
Thing like cow horns with two cut off tubes angled towards sky ...(156)
What also surprised me was the use of artificial grass (162) and (165)- I thought temperature was measured a certain height above (real)  grass for a reason and the use of artificial grass ie plastic seems to be wrong solution.
I'll have a trip up there with a camera sometime...update - done.
Its often the coldest place in England...Loftus Poultry run has been cancelled a few times due to snow.

update....I think the cow horn and cut off tube device (156) is a visibility device measuring MOR - meteorological optical range.

The "cow horn" thing is a Present Weather and Visibility Sensor. It detects precipitation types and give visibility measurement.

Out local weather station has one. (or a Vaisala competing unit, I don't remember)

See https://www.campbellsci.com/cs125

Greg H.