The WeatherFlow Tempest Weather System Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
- I have owned many weather stations over the years, but the Tempest is by far the best one I have used and owned. The number of instruments, size, and ease of use make it hard to pass up. The ultrasonic anemometer and haptic rain gauge are state-of-the-art and hard to find in consumer weather stations. I highly recommend this system. This link will offer you a 10% discount on the station. shop.weatherfl... use the Coupon Code wxbrad
I work in IT. You know INFORMATION technology. I love it when technology companies, weather in this case, use IT for it's first name, INFORMATION! Why do so many IT based companies forget their first name???? INFORMATION!!! Get with it folks. Learn from companies like this. Awesome review!
Brad this is really cool. I had no idea these even existed. I'm sold. Thanks for sharing sir!
I've had my Tempest for about 3 months. It's been flawless, 100% uptime, zero issues. It replaced an older Sky/Air setup (basically Gen 1 of what became Tempest with Gen 2). Super easy to setup with Weather Underground and other 3rd party tools. 100% happy camper.
Hello. I e been procrastinating buying a station for years now. I stumbled on this and started watching reviews. EXCELLENT review sir, thank you so much. I just subscribed. 👍🏻👍🏻
Brad thank you for the video. My old station was destroyed by hail looking at replacing it. This is my top now. You explained it very well.
Thanks Brad! Your review of this weather station has blown away the negative reviews on Amazon. I will be buying this product!
I got the fb ad and started yt reviews, all over the spectrum.You are a professional meteorologist but this seems almost a silver plated infomercial. Too many negative yt's still pondering but still liked the info you put on this yt..
My father-in-law is gifting one of these to me since the company is currently having a BOGO deal on this weather station. I can’t wait to get it! Thank you for the informative video!
'Thank GOD'🙏🏾 and thank you very much for sharing your support and time 😉 What countries do not have weather stations 🤔
Brad! Thank you for taking the time to make and post this excellent review The *Tempest Weather System Review* ... You did a great job covering all the high points of the unit....
I have a Davis Instruments Weather Wizard III that is still running after 24 years, but have been looking for another one. Fellow weather geek got one for Christmas so I watched this video.....I AM SOLD!! It is cheaper than the Davis Instruments cheapest one. I WILL be getting one soon!
I just got one one these for Father's Day and I love it. The "no moving parts" was probably the best part of the deal I've seen too many back yard anemometers with a cup missing and they never move, the plastic is dried out and it's become worthless. Maybe still a good thermometer etc but I want all the data.
Thanks, Brad! 💙 You explained this very well. Excellent review!
I'm convinced. Have been researching haptic stations since my tip and dump style station on the roof keeps getting leaves in it and my wife HATES that I go on roof to clean out. (I'm 75) So I hope this no moving parts station is as good as you say. Arriving today, will let you know. Thank you for great info.
I've had my Tempest up and running here in Landis, NC for about 3 weeks now. Love the app. Lots of data in a concise format. I find there is good agreement between my Tempest readings and the readings from a Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 Plus device I follow a few miles away. My only concern is my lack of confidence in the haptic rain gauge readings I'm getting. I realize the device needs time to register some rain events and to allow the AI algorithm to refine the rain gauge sensitivity. Hopefully, in time the rain readings will increase in accuracy. We have really only had one significant rain event in Landis since the device has gone up. Anyway, thanks for the review. I appreciate you sharing your training and expertise in offering this review.
Yep I can attest the rain gauge gets better over time but I will likely never be getting rid of my cocorahs manual gauge anytime soon.
@@BradPanovich I use my CoCoRaHS gauge over my Vue readings, hands down!
Great review and appreciate the honesty in it.
I’ve had mine in operation since June 4, 2020. Initially, the rain accuracy, with light to moderate rainfall, was within maybe 10-15%. As time went on, and especially with heavier rainfall rates, the accuracy plummeted to somewhere between 30% & 50%. “Rain Check” is worthless to me since reading data from other stations and then sending an update the next day doesn’t help me when I need CURRENT data from MY station. And with other Tempest and Air/Sky units suffering the same ills, it’s like setting your clock based on the time on other clocks in the house, all of which are known to have inaccuracies. My CoCORaHS gauge is co-located with my Ambient Weather WS-5000 and my Tempest. The WS-5000 is within +/- 5% or better but the Tempest is WAY off and getting worse.
Read the complaints and comments in the Weatherflow Facebook group and you’ll find the problem with the rain accuracy is a widespread problem that continues to go unresolved. What a shame, because this unit has great potential. I’ll keep it as a novelty item but it’s so limited that I can’t really rely on it. My WS-5000, by contrast, is very expandable, very accurate, and costs the same.
Nice fanboy video though. Makes me wonder if some dollars changed hands for it.
Brad's over exuberance for this device makes me a little suspicious of the authenticity of the review as well. Thanks for posting this as I was strongly considering the Weatherflow but will look into the WS-5000 unit you mention above.
Seriously? Brad Panovich is a meteorologist. He would not endorse something that he didn’t truly like. Stop with the nonsensical comments. I’ll take his thoughts over an amateurs any-day. We love our conspiracy’s don’t we.
@@braedonshelton2305 just because he's a meteorologist doesn't change the fact that the Tempest has significant design defects that find of users are complaining about.
@@braedonshelton2305 What, meteorologists can't be paid for endorsements? Are they not human? Get real.
@@maidenminnesota1 can you prove you got a Tempest ? I don’t think 🤔 so
Thank you Brad, great review. I believe I will be buying one!
I am in Australia..hopefully they start shipping to us here next month. I cant wait to get hold of it. It will be up at my farm. I have a Weatherduino I made with better wind sensors than the Davis but the rain gauge is std type...this will make it so much better especially to get notified when it rains as we dont get a lot of rain. Thanks for the review...now I am really wanting it to get here fast :)
Im in Aus as well mate. I emailed them the other day and they are saying shipping to Australia will be late this year.
@@ckandelaars did you fill out that paperwork they sent? for shipping etc. it was about 3 weeks ago...I think they will ship end of October...cant wait to get my hands on it...should have ordered 2 I think
@@SimjetAU, any update if they are shipping to aust yet mate?
@@MynameisGeoff82 Yes Geoff. I got mine 2 weeks ago... I had a issue with the Tempest not connecting to the hub..it was a firmware issue that they were able to fix over the net and then the units talked to each other. I have now installed it at my farm and so far I am very pleased with it. Not sure about the rain side of it yet as no rain to speak of but later this week it is suppsoed to get some rain. Its pretty cool how well it works the wind speed and direction works well too. It is very configurable here is the direct link to it and I also out the data to Weather Underground and it works seamlessly to my phone no matter where I am about 300km north of Brisbane I got mine from the original crowd funding but you can buy them now on the website. I may even get another for my home in Brisbane tempestwx.com/station/35614/
When you go to the link I sent click on the little tempest drawing at the top right that is the direct connection to the actual Tempest but they both show the same data
This is the Wundergroung slave link but its not configurable so you will see different wind speeds etc www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/IBOOYA1
Brad, nice review, couldn't agree more with it, during your review I believed you said the cocorahs rain is the more accurate rain gauge which is correct however between that plastic gauge is the NWS cooperative weather station 8-inch rain gauge. I am surprised that someone hasn't marketed a third-party software that maps the lightning which the strike data runs neck and neck with the NLDN data and the distance from the CG strike to the station.
I had an acurite it was okay for a starter, but after many company updates and upgrades I couldn't use it for content on my personal weather station anymore. I like the looks of this.
Great review, thanks. Straight to the point and is very helpful.
Great Review, Brad. i just placed my order for the WeatherFlow Tempest. I'll follow up after some experience with it. Thanks
I received mine one week ago. So far it is functioning great. Awaiting the App update that will give more control over notifications instead just on or off. Currently you get multiple notifications for lightning strikes, if there is lightning in the area. My station is in Indian Trail.
yep turned my off, I would love a distance filter for lightning notifications.
I have owned a BUNCH of weather stations and some have been really good, till the cups fall off or the tipping bucket gets a wasp nest or, or, or you just won't have that with the Tempest with no moving parts. I love mine. It's one of the early ones but is holding up to Hatteras NC weather just fine. Cooperative Observer here with a lot of other instruments available and all in all the Tempest is right in there as far as accuracy. Way to go WeatherFlow.
should of bought a davis......
Mine doesn't measure rain accurately, it literally misses more than half the accumulation since it's majority drizzle. So keep your old rain gauge.
Outside of that, I love it!
I just ordered one to try it out. Hopefully it does well in salt air climates. I also have 2 VP2
Hey Brad... so after a year how would you rate this weather station on a 1-10 scale overall performance now? I'm seriously considering a purchase! Don in Ohio.
Don, did you purchase one of these units? I'm also in Ohio (Columbus area) and, if you did get one, just wondering how it's working for you?
@@sjerzyk I did. Didn't have it a year! Sold it. Missed far too many wind gusts, rainfall was rarely if ever on with my CoCoRaHS rain gauge. Nice beginners unit, set up was fairly easy, lightning detection was accurate, as were most other variables. But I can not and will not use a weather station that I know at times was off by over 25 mph on peak wind gusts.
@@BuckeyeWX43832 I appreciate the response and the feedback. The CoCoRaHS gauges are the best. Never giving that up! Have you found a better wx station? My Davis isn't very good with wind, either. To be fair, it is 15 years old.
@@sjerzyk peer Brothers Ultimeter 2100 is pretty good. The accessories are extra such as rain gauge, humidity, but well worth it. Do a Google search for them.
This looks very similar to my Netatmo station I’ve had for years. It would be interesting to have a side by side comparison.
As for contributing to weather data Netatmo did that for Weather Underground for years until WU decided too many novices installed the stations wrong and they stopped accepting data from Netatmo users.
NO MOVING PARTS!!!!! We are running on our 3rd Davis station and it also failed it's wind sensors as did its predecessors. will be trying this one based on your review.
Do you know if they offer a display to keep on in house instead of opening app?
Buy a dedicated iPad or Android Pad.
Ich wohne in Deutschland und habe meins heute bekommen und installiert...kinderleicht !
Ein Superteil...muss man haben..!!
I took possession of the Tempest when it was a deal with a Yeti coffee cup, a nice sweat shirt with hood and the device itself for $225. Love it and would never use another brand of PWS's ever.
But what i am wondering is if you are a HAM radio operator? If you are not then you should be. Contact me for study materials if you would like them. I am also a certified ARRL VEC of all 3 classes.
I can't seem to find this information anywhere...
How does the Station communicate to the hub? WiFi or Bluetooth? and at what frequency?
Got one. Love it. Great review.
Great informative video. Actually agree on the technical aspects of the product-almost great rating. However, after 6 months, either the solar charging, or basic battery began to weaken, such the the unit only did periodic readings. Voltage barely charged up enough to function.
Eventually, the voltage no longer supports any function.
Customer service has been nearly nonexistent. Almost no response other than to suggest moving it toward more sunlight.
So almost great product, but they have work to do on their power supply. Far too expensive to only function for 6 months.
They are ruining their Marketing by not working w customers to solve this.
Good products fall by the wayside just like this.
So--unacceptable performance by my experience...
Ron A.
Hey Brad how safe is it to put the station on your roof with a lightning threat? Does it need grounded?
I can see ISP providers hating this but I might have to test this out.
Hey Brad do you feel this would be a good portable option when flying into areas and renting cars to storm chase or even just taking it and putting it on your own storm chase vehicle? I like the lower profile all in one and it seems hard to find just ultrasonic anemometers to magnetically or suction to a vehicle. I like the solar aspect but of course the car won't be pointed north all the time LOL.
Thanks for this video! I've been trying to determine the best system to get to replace one that was damaged over time (broken moving parts, just as you called it). This solidified my leaning towards the Tempest System. One question - I see at the end credit you have yours mounted on your roof near what I assume is your furnace/gas chimney. Do you notice if that affects the data at all if the wind blows from the chimney towards the station? I'd be in a similar set up situation, and would rather mount it to the roof of my main home instead of the garage which is partially covered by a tree.
Thanks!
Will it work in Southern Hemisphere orientated 180 degrees so that solar panels face north for sun??
Great review!!
Is it able to measure snowfall and ice accumulation? Does snow or ice buildup on the sensor(s) affect the overall performance? 😀
Great looking device!
Does this product advise where the best place to mount the weather monitor? (Ex, how how off the ground, within so many feet from other obstacles).
*WOW* !! *LOVE this SMART weather station* !! *This is the best choice for home use* !! #BradPanovich
also can you please describe what product you used to get two stations on the same pole? i have two stations too and would like to see the differences at the same height
Hey Brad....thanks for this review..... I'm finally jumping in the Tempest pool. I noticed you mounted on your roof. I'm curious on your opinion of how a roof mounting location could impact/skew temp and wind observations but possible other readings.
Afternoon Brad I have enjoyed your video. I am a PhD student studying microplastics(MP) in remote areas of Botswana. Weather plays a very important role in the distribution of MP. Rainfall droplets have a scavenging ability and will collect MP as they descend. I need to measure MP against rainfall. My problems are
1. Almost all rain gauges are made of plastic which will contaminate the sample. I need the rain sample.
2. Remote areas are remote with or with our connection to the Internet.
Any ideas.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Mike Paxton
Wouldn't you get a different reading from above your roof than ground level where you're actually at?
Great review
Any preference for mounting: roof, 10' plastic pole in yard?
interesting here.
So is there a network of weather station I can go view in my area once I get the APPS , something like Wunderweather website? And what about warranty? 1 year 2 maybe?
Do you still feel the same way today?
So presumably with no moving parts, they give it a very long or lifetime warranty?
I believe their web site says 10 YEARS!
Outstanding review! I’m sold! I was a little weary of the price point but it sounds like this one is the most capable and well designed product for the money. Is it better to mount it on the roof as you’ve done or my chimney since that is the highest point of my house or would it be better to mount it in the tree in my front yard which is substantially higher than my roof and also hangs over a portion of my roof? Thank you!
Hi Brad. At the end of the video you show two WeatherFlows on your roof. One of them looks different from the one you reviewed. Is that an older one or a different model? Great video! Thanks.
The one on the left is the 1st generation Weather Flow Smart weather station. That was is the Sky unit, the air is on the ground in a radiation shield.
great review thank you...on their website they saw ideal height for mounting is 6-8 feet above ground but i see yours is on the roof, can you speak to that ?
First of all thank you for the great review on this product.
I know you said that this unit was powered by solar panels but what powers the unit during the night to keep it working? Is it a capacitor? I didn't hear you mention anything about battery replacement for those nighttime hours. I have the Davis vantage view which also has solar power for daytime use but I also need to change the battery approximately once a year because that battery powers the unit at night.
Thanks again for the great video.
Looks cool. Reasonable price and has an API!
Yeah the API is open and free looking to play with it and see what we can do for a weather network.
Brad Panovich looked like a simple REST API from what I saw. Should be easy to get data from.
Just ordered one.
Can that unit mount to the top of a flag pole?
Great video Brad! Does the satiation so metric? Celsius? Thank you
Will this system allow wind direcction to be expressed in degrees rather than compass points?
Yes it allows either one.
Awesome review...but i hope if you put a metal rod on you roof you grounded it....lighting hits it no place to go but inside the house please DO NOT do this folks. Lightening rods need to be grounded use pvc or wood as your mounting point.
Your comment about the WeatherFlow is better because no moving parts which makes it more reliable... in my opinion is is, well, questionable. I have had to replace mine because the temp humidity sensor failed, So...
My Davis Vantage Pro that I have had for 15 years has yet to fail, and I live in the North East. Your milage may vary.
You mentioned several times that this gets roof mounted, but what are the mounting location requirements? I live on a south-facing corner lot so the roof mount may or may not be necessary. What should be taken into account if I want to mount this on a fence post away from the house? (above the fence line, of course)
Does this not contain a home base unit? And ONLY the app? If so very disappointing
Anyone know how the Tempest holds up in snowy mountainous climates? Does it measure snowfall at all? How about sleet and hail throwing off the haptic gauge?
Now that it is 2 years later, How is the rain gauge? In the review you noted it was roughly +/- 10%. How is it now? ::I am also curious (if you know that is) how is it in the freezing cold winters with snow?
Thank you..
loving mine!
Very nice review, thank you! Do you know what the wind eating is fir the pipe/tube mount? Would that thing stay on your roof in a tropical storm or a hurricane?
My question re: the rain gauge is I live in a cold weather state where we get significant snowfall. The weight of the snow is going to be putting constant pressure on that plate until evaporation and melting removes it. Would that constant pressure eventually cause damage? Also, would it freeze up in a freezing rain, snow melt/freeze situation? Has anybody tested this in a snow situation to see what the results would be? Currently I have the Davis Vantage Pro 2 on my roof. It's my third station, and the highest quality I've had so far. The only problem I've had with it is pine needles filling up the rain gauge from a nearby tree that I can't do anything about (not my tree). My husband is pushing me to have this one because we're getting to an age where going up on the roof isn't a great idea, anymore (not that any age makes it a good idea).
Any way to keep ants out? Ours was basically destroyed by invading ants that destroyed the wires controlling solar charging. We noticed that it was off line, took it down, and saw that it was full of ants. Tempest says it can not be repaired, says must buy a new one.
2 years later what's your thoughts now on this unit? Thanks for the feedback! @Brad
which two weather stations do you have? and do you upload to wunderground i just got mine today, temp report was high and wasnt connecting the way i wanted but called support and got that fixed. Will see how it handles rain in a couple days
Does this hold up in heavy snow areas?
Does this give you any details/data on cloud cover? If not, do you recommend a weather station that does? Thanks
It does have collect and measure the UV index , solar brightness and solar radiation measurements. Not necessarily cloud cover.
Brad Panovich thanks. I am looking for something that does cloud cover specifically. I’m using it for astronomy. Thanks
This video is now 2 years old, are you still using the tempest system, and if so, has the rain alert improved since the making of this video?
I set up my station in Baja California, Mexico. How do I orient the sensor by compass direction? I.E. Is there a way to place the sensor so it is directionally accurate? The wind directions showing on my app are inaccurate by 30º to 45º. Plus the wind speed feature appears to be inaccurate as well. I race sailboats and know winds well, and the gauge does not appear to be accurate.
Where did you get the tripod for your station and does this uint have batteries that you need to change out so often?
great video.
Have you had any issues in 40mph or more winds that say t is raining when it is not?
Considering I live in the suburbs would it be best to place it above my tv aerial? If so, how much metres above that to get accurate readings? Also I have 2 two-storey houses around my house. Would I need to put the tempest a certain distance away from these houses? Just want all the sensors to be able to function properly considering I live in a built up area and don't want interference.
How long does the battery last? In case I don’t get sun through out the entire day. I’d like to put it on roof but wouldn’t know how to secure it
Two questions: How does the rain gauge handle a hail storm and how often does the wind speed indicator update?
Wind speed and direction updates every 3 seconds.. not sure about your other
If I use this weather station outside support region, will it work?
I want just windspeed and direction for wind watersport purpose.
What if there’s is hail? Would this withstand the brute force of hail damage? How about warranty for hail damage or other weather related damage? This is a great tool but……
Do you need to put it on your roof
Did you test the rain sensor accuracy? Lots of reports of inaccurate rain reporting.
Yes I talk about that specifically. The haptic rain gauge gets more accurate over time, it will never be as good as a manual cocorahs but it’s within 10% of my rain gauge in the back yard.
I can attest to those reports and total failure to measure drizzle type of rain is why I am sending my unit back after using it for 55 days.
WF admits that the haptic sensor is incapable fo measuring fine, misty drizzle type of rain. Yet, a good deal of the rain we get here in Seattle is drizzle.
It's enough to soak everything and produce puddles on the driveway, but Tempest simply doesn't "see" it.
The humidity van be pegged at 99% and the Tempest itself van be soaking wet... yet it still happily reports that there's no precip!
For a station that costs upwards of $300 I find that simply unacceptable.
Back it goes and I'll probably replace it with an Ambient Weather WS-5000. It also uses a sonic anemometer but uses a regular see-saw type rainbucket for precip measurement.
Will this system work with gen4 ipad
Anyone using this in a marine location? Needs to with stand regular storms with +60 mph winds and salt environment. All previous stations have failed with in 12 months.
Brad, how high above the roof line do you recommend for mounting? Too low would have a warm bias I assume.
I've heard 8' is good.
I'm suspicious of the rain gauge part. What happens if it gets hit by hail? What if it rains after an ice storm?
I think it should hold up against mild hail, but I don't think it's made for colder temperatures. More for southern states that don't go below 0F often
We have poor broadband speed in our neighborhood, so would this still work decently well?
Yes. You actually don’t have to have wifi. You can connect via Bluetooth to your phone. Therefore, if you lose power, you can’t broadcast to the internet but, you personally can still obtain data.
Dean Phillips Thanks!
Yeah they will work with limited bandwidth the data sockets are small but that’s only if you want it online. You can always connect via Bluetooth at home without internet.
👍 guess you're good to go then
@@Sgt2881 thanks good info. That means i could use it on a boat
How do u move the forecast cards to the order u prefer. Explain
Wondering if this will operate through a hotspot dedicated to just the Tempest. Wondering also about how mb's of data a month you think it might use...
What does it tell you if 6" of snow falls on it.
Will it detect snow? How about hail?
Yes and no it would dectect it as rain, but not as snow or hail.
Does it read the wet bulb glob temperature
Does it have Fan aspirated radiation shield?..if not, temperature will be above the real value..
Hi Brad. I see your posts on Twitter.