MetService taps private weather stations' data

WEATHER WATCH: Lynda Carlton's private weather station now feeds data to the MetService.

For Lynda Carlton, talking about the weather is more than an ice-breaker. With a private weather station just out of Wanganui, she knows what she's talking about.

Hers is one of two private Wanganui weather stations now displaying data on the MetService website.

Last year the MetService launched Your Weather, a section where people could register their private weather stations and feed the data into the site.

The private stations are located near the prison and on Durie Hill.

Lynda Carlton's is the one near the Wanganui Prison. Called Wiritoa Woolshed, she's had the weather station for about five years with data feeding into various sites around the world.

"I've always had an interest in science of one sort or another," she said.

The station measures various aspects and sends data every 35 seconds.

Ms Carlton lives in a caravan on farmland and says: "Living in a caravan, because we're closer to the weather, we sort of need to know.

"It's just one of those things I just got more and more in to it."

She said Your Weather, a joint project between the MetService and Met Office in Britain, was very good.

"It's an exciting way of people being able to go online and they can see the data from other weather stations."

Having several stations on display gave a more comprehensive view of weather in the wider city.

All three Wanganui stations - including MetService's own - regularly show varying temperatures, and Ms Carlton said the Wiritoa Woolshed had its own micro climate.

"During the day it's warmer but it can quite often get a bit cooler at night - and we always get a bit less rain."

A MetService spokesman said there was also a registered station near Kowhai Park but information was not yet being fed through.