The national maximum temperature yesterday (the 25th)was 15.1C at Aboyne. However, 15 miles from Aboyne, we measured 15.5C. We have a good open observing site, a Stevenson Screen and the same thermometers the MO use, though these are about 40 years old. But the MO won't want to know, of course.

Ian Bingham,
Inchmarlo, Aberdeenshire.
80m asl.

On Monday, 26 December 2016 09:56:25 UTC, wrote:
The national maximum temperature yesterday (the 25th)was 15.1C at Aboyne. However, 15 miles from Aboyne, we measured 15.5C. We have a good open observing site, a Stevenson Screen and the same thermometers the MO use, though these are about 40 years old. But the MO won't want to know, of course.

Ian Bingham,
Inchmarlo, Aberdeenshire.
80m asl.

Try them, Ian. They can test your thermometer if interested, or just say no..
Ken
Copley

Met office mercury in glass thermometers have a five year calibration period.

On 26/12/2016 11:31, Desperate Dan wrote:

Met office mercury in glass thermometers have a five year calibration period.


Why just 5 years - surely the only thing that can go wrong is if you
drop them?

--

Paul Hyett, Cheltenham

"Vidcapper" wrote in message
...
On 26/12/2016 11:31, Desperate Dan wrote:

Met office mercury in glass thermometers have a five year calibration
period.


Why just 5 years - surely the only thing that can go wrong is if you drop
them?

--

Paul Hyett, Cheltenham

Not so. The glass can creep due to changes in the glass of the bulb, which
contracts slowly over time.

--
Bernard Burton

Satellite images and weather data for Wokingham at:
www.woksat.info/wwp.html



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Mercury thermometers being phased out at all MetO sites beginning 2017. Not sure what we'll get as replacement yet.
Ken
Copley
Teesdale

On Monday, 26 December 2016 16:36:24 UTC, Ken Cook wrote:
Mercury thermometers being phased out at all MetO sites beginning 2017. Not sure what we'll get as replacement yet.
Ken
Copley
Teesdale

The "official" recording of Met office site temperature data has been switched to ERT thermometers for a quite a few years now, using mercury kit only as a backup. The Met Office observing Network, recently/currently being renamed SurfaceNet is totally electronic, and has been since the old defunct SAMOS network back around the Y2K era. SAMOS was the mainstay of the observing network from the mid 90s.

Mercury in glass has until recently been used as a backup...this has been stopped also by now at all MetO manned sites...or was instructed to have been stopped over a year ago! I believe a few sites may still keep mercury in the background store rooms etc.

The remaining observation stations at third party sites or at the sites of collaborating organisations will have MIG thermometers taken away during 2017.

On Monday, 26 December 2016 16:36:24 UTC, Ken Cook wrote:
Mercury thermometers being phased out at all MetO sites beginning 2017. Not sure what we'll get as replacement yet.
Ken
Copley
Teesdale

Hi Ken,

As I understand it you will get a small electronic device, which is still being trialled/procured. I recently spke to one of the team about it.

These could well be used as backup devices at MetO sites across the world too.

On Monday, December 26, 2016 at 9:56:25 AM UTC, wrote:
The national maximum temperature yesterday (the 25th)was 15.1C at Aboyne. However, 15 miles from Aboyne, we measured 15.5C. We have a good open observing site, a Stevenson Screen and the same thermometers the MO use, though these are about 40 years old. But the MO won't want to know, of course.

Ian Bingham,
Inchmarlo, Aberdeenshire.
80m asl.

I did contact the MO but got an oblique reply; not quite sure what they were saying. I was sorry to hear that thermometer bulbs contract with time; I was hoping that they stretched. Of course, if they contract that would cause my thermometers to overread. Pity.

It was, of course, Dyce that had the record reading, not Aboyne as I said before. However we're 15 miles from them as well!

Ian Bingham,
Inchmarlo, Abeerdeenshire.
80m asl.

Thanks for that. There seemed to be a couple of possibilities for replacing mercury at the Climat sites. One was a liquid in glass familiar looking alternative and the other electronic thermometry which would be completely new to us voluntary observers.
I do use electronic thermometry for my own interests, but not MetO standards gear.
It will be interesting anyway.
Best wishes
Ken