Brian Wakem wrote:
wrote:
Having just read the piece on observation timing on the FAQ pages, I
wanted to see what the majority do with regards timings.
10 or so years ago, as a teenager with admittedly not much of an eye for
detail, I used to take my readings at 1800 local time each day, noting the
max/mins for the previous 24 hours. However, having had a little look on
various sites I see 0900 local seems to be a more common time, along with
splitting the climatological day into two periods. Or is a "normal" day
seen as acceptable (00-24 local)?
Thanks,
Luke
Personally I use actual days i.e. 00-24 as that is the only way that makes
any sense to me at all.
The "official" climatological day in this country is 0900 GMT to 0900 GMT. This
has its origins back in the days when observing meant taking manual readings
from instruments i.e. when there was none of the technology available today.
For the sake of continuity the 0900-0900 GMT system remains the standard today.
Having said that, the lifestyle of many "amateur" observers makes the 0900-0900
GMT climatological day impossible. In that case, do what suits you. The
important thing is to have a system that you can replicate day after day so
that there is internal consistency in your observations. However, if you do
want to make comparisons with "official" sites you should endeavor to use the
0900-0900 GMT climatological day. With today's automated equipment that's more
achievable than it used to be.
--
Norman Lynagh
Tideswell, Derbyshire
303m a.s.l.
http://peakdistrictweather.org
@TideswellWeathr