10 Elements of Weather and Their Measuring Instruments

Quick Answer

The elements of weather are measurable atmospheric quantities. This overview covers air temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, solar radiation, cloud cover, visibility and sunshine duration, with the instruments used to observe them.

Each weather element is measured using a corresponding meteorological instrument or sensor. Modern automatic weather stations combine several sensors into one monitoring system and can continuously collect, store and transmit weather data for agriculture, hydrology, environmental monitoring, research, solar energy and industrial applications.

Weather Elements and Their Measuring Instruments

1. Air Temperature

Air temperature describes how warm or cold the atmosphere is. It is one of the most fundamental weather elements and is normally expressed in degrees Celsius (°C) or Fahrenheit (°F).

Traditional meteorological observations use thermometers, while modern automatic weather stations normally use electronic temperature sensors. For outdoor measurements, the sensor is typically installed inside a radiation shield to reduce errors caused by direct solar radiation.

2. Relative Humidity

Relative humidity indicates the amount of water vapor in the air relative to the maximum amount the air could hold at the same temperature. It is normally expressed as a percentage (% RH).

Humidity can be measured with a hygrometer or an electronic humidity sensor. In automatic monitoring systems, air temperature and relative humidity are commonly measured together because both parameters are closely related and normally require similar protection from direct solar radiation.

3. Atmospheric Pressure

Atmospheric pressure is the force exerted by the atmosphere on a surface. It is commonly measured in hectopascals (hPa) or millibars (mbar).

Traditional instruments include mercury and aneroid barometers. Modern automatic weather stations normally use electronic barometric pressure sensors that continuously provide measurements to a data logger.

Recommended Product: NBL-W-LBTH Air Temperature, Humidity & Pressure Sensor

Measures air temperature, relative humidity and atmospheric pressure in one sensor. RS485 or 4–20 mA output options are available for weather stations and environmental monitoring systems. View Product →

4. Wind Speed

Wind speed describes how fast air is moving. It is measured using an anemometer and is commonly expressed in meters per second (m/s), kilometers per hour (km/h) or knots.

Common designs include cup anemometers, propeller anemometers and ultrasonic wind sensors. Cup anemometers are widely used for general meteorological monitoring, while ultrasonic sensors are useful where a design without conventional rotating wind-measurement components is preferred.

Recommended Product: NBL-W-SS Cup Anemometer

Designed for continuous wind-speed measurement in meteorology, agriculture and environmental monitoring. RS485, 4–20 mA, voltage and pulse outputs are available depending on configuration. View Product →

5. Wind Direction

Wind direction describes the direction from which the wind is coming. It is traditionally measured using a wind vane and can be expressed as compass directions or degrees clockwise from north.

Automatic weather stations may use a separate wind direction sensor or an integrated ultrasonic wind-speed and wind-direction sensor. NBL-W-SS and NBL-W-DS are specified with IP65 protection.

6. Precipitation

Precipitation includes rain and other forms of water falling from the atmosphere. Rainfall is commonly expressed as an equivalent water depth in millimeters (mm).

A rain gauge is the standard instrument used to measure liquid rainfall. Automatic weather stations commonly use tipping bucket rain gauges because each tipping event can be recorded automatically by a data logger, PLC or weather station controller.

A standard non-heated rain gauge should not automatically be treated as a snow-depth sensor. Frozen precipitation and snow depth may require dedicated instruments or a suitable heated precipitation measurement system.

Recommended Product: Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge

Suitable for automatic rainfall monitoring in meteorological, agricultural and hydrological projects. RS485 and other output configurations are available depending on the selected version. View Product →

7. Solar Radiation

Solar radiation is electromagnetic energy received from the sun. Meteorological and solar-energy applications commonly measure solar irradiance in watts per square meter (W/m²).

A pyranometer is commonly used to measure broadband hemispherical solar irradiance. A PAR sensor is a different instrument used specifically to measure photosynthetically active radiation within the wavelength range important for plant photosynthesis.

Recommended Product: NiuBoL Pyranometer / Solar Radiation Sensor

Designed for meteorological, agricultural and solar-energy monitoring, with RS485 or analog output options depending on configuration. View Product →

8. Cloud Cover

Cloud cover describes how much of the sky is covered by clouds. Traditional meteorological observations may express cloud cover in oktas, where the visible sky is divided into eight parts.

Automated meteorological stations may use specialized instruments such as ceilometers for cloud-base height and cloud detection. These instruments are normally used in professional meteorology and aviation rather than standard agricultural or general-purpose weather stations.

A standard general-purpose weather station does not directly provide cloud cover without additional observing equipment and processing. Cloud-base height alone is not cloud cover. The National Weather Service ceilometer description explains how cloud-hit observations and time-averaging algorithms are used to determine cloud amount.

9. Visibility

Meteorological visibility describes how far an object can be seen and identified under current atmospheric conditions. Visibility is commonly expressed in meters or kilometers.

Automatic visibility sensors commonly use optical scattering or transmission principles. They are used for roads, airports, ports, meteorological stations and transportation-safety monitoring.

10. Sunshine Duration

Sunshine duration describes the amount of time during which direct solar radiation is strong enough to satisfy the sunshine criterion used by the measurement system or applicable meteorological standard. It is generally reported in hours.

Traditional Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorders use a glass sphere and recording card. Modern systems can determine sunshine duration electronically using a dedicated sunshine-duration sensor or an appropriate radiation-based measurement method.

Sunshine duration should not automatically be treated as the same parameter as total solar irradiance. A pyranometer measures irradiance in W/m², while sunshine duration is reported as time and requires an appropriate measurement or calculation method.

What Is the Difference Between Weather Elements and Weather Instruments?

A weather element is the atmospheric quantity being measured. A weather instrument is the device used to measure that quantity.

Temperature is a weather element; a thermometer or temperature sensor is the instrument.
Humidity is a weather element; a hygrometer or humidity sensor is the instrument.
Atmospheric pressure is a weather element; a barometer or pressure sensor is the instrument.
Wind speed is a weather element; an anemometer is the instrument.
Wind direction is a weather element; a wind vane is the instrument.
Rainfall is a weather element; a rain gauge is the instrument.

How Does an Automatic Weather Station Measure Weather Elements?

An automatic weather station (AWS) combines several meteorological sensors with a data logger, power system and communication equipment.

Weather Sensors → RS485 / Analog / Pulse → Data Logger → 4G / Ethernet / Wi-Fi / LoRaWAN → Cloud Platform or Private Server

The weather sensors perform the physical measurements and send data to the data logger through interfaces such as RS485 Modbus, analog signals or pulse outputs. The data logger records the measurements, while a compatible gateway or integrated communication module can transmit data through 4G, Ethernet, Wi-Fi or LoRaWAN to a cloud platform or private server.

A typical automatic weather station can measure air temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall and solar radiation. Specialized measurements such as cloud height, visibility or snow depth may require additional dedicated instruments.

Recommended Product: Ultrasonic Weather Station

Compact multi-parameter weather stations can combine wind, temperature, humidity, pressure and other weather measurements in one sensor body. View Product →

Which Weather Instruments Are Needed for Different Applications?

How to Choose Weather Sensors for a Project

The correct weather instruments depend on what the project actually needs to measure. Adding more sensors does not automatically make a monitoring system better. Sensor range, accuracy, communication, power supply and installation conditions should be considered together.

Project Decision FAQ

Q1. What are the main elements of weather?

The main elements of weather include air temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, solar radiation, cloud cover, visibility and sunshine duration.

Q2. What instrument measures temperature?

A thermometer measures temperature. Modern automatic weather stations normally use electronic temperature sensors installed inside a suitable radiation shield for outdoor air-temperature measurement.

Q3. What instrument measures humidity?

A hygrometer measures humidity. Automatic weather stations commonly use electronic relative-humidity sensors, often combined with an air-temperature sensor.

Q4. What instrument measures atmospheric pressure?

A barometer measures atmospheric pressure. Modern automatic weather stations normally use electronic barometric pressure sensors and commonly report pressure in hPa or mbar.

Q5. What instrument measures wind speed?

An anemometer measures wind speed. Common outdoor types include cup, propeller and ultrasonic anemometers.

Q6. What instrument measures wind direction?

A wind vane measures wind direction. Automatic monitoring systems can also use electronic wind-direction sensors or integrated ultrasonic wind sensors.

Q7. What instrument measures rainfall?

A rain gauge measures rainfall. Tipping bucket rain gauges are widely used in automatic weather stations because each rainfall increment can be recorded automatically by a data logger.

Q8. What instrument measures solar radiation?

A pyranometer is commonly used to measure hemispherical solar irradiance and normally reports the result in watts per square meter (W/m²).

Q9. Can one weather station measure all weather elements?

Not necessarily. A typical automatic weather station measures common parameters such as temperature, humidity, pressure, wind, rainfall and solar radiation. Specialized measurements such as cloud height, visibility or snow depth may require separate instruments.

Q10. Can weather station data be sent to a private server?

Yes. Compatible data loggers and IoT gateways can collect sensor data and transmit it through 4G, Ethernet, Wi-Fi or other supported communication methods. MQTT, HTTP or other protocols can be selected according to the required monitoring architecture.

Summary

NiuBoL provides automatic weather stations and meteorological sensors for agriculture, hydrology, environmental monitoring, solar energy, research and industrial projects.

Available measurements include air temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, solar radiation, PAR, visibility and other environmental parameters. Communication and data-transmission options depend on the selected sensors, data logger and gateway configuration.

For a weather monitoring project, provide the required parameters, measurement accuracy, communication interface, power supply, installation location and whether a data logger, solar system, mounting pole, cloud platform or private-server integration is required.

For complete system selection, see the NiuBoL Automatic Weather Station page for sensor combinations, data loggers, communication options and solar-power configurations.