weather station

Figuring Out The Weather Puzzle With The AcuRite Pro 5-in-1 Color Weather Station!

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I remember learning about weather in my science classes as a child. It was boring. I would learn the terms, learn the concepts, and I would forget it as soon as I passed the exam. I simply couldn’t connect to it despite how hard my teachers would try.

There is however, one lesson that did manage to stick with me. I remember every time I would go to my grandparents house, I would stop and I would look up at the wall. There was a strange machine, with three ‘clock’ faces on it. I remember asking my Pepere (French term for grandfather) how to tell time on it, and he told me that it wasn’t a clock. It helped him know if a storm was coming, because of barometric pressure. I was fascinated. It was the same information that I would learn later in school, but it stuck with me far better because it was tied to a memory of my Pepere. He’s no longer with us, but I’m sure he’d smile knowing he made an impact.

That’s one of the lessons of every parent. We have to find ways to connect information with our children, and to stoke fires in them for them to learn more. So when I got my hands on an AcuRite Pro 5-in-1 Color Weather Station, I was thrilled. The system comes with two primary pieces. There is the AcuRite Pro+ 5-in-1 Weather Sensor, and there is the AcuRite Display with PC Connect portion. Both of them are fascinating for the kids. They get to see the data on the screen, as well as the equipment that generated it.

So I figure the best starting point about this AcuRite Pro 5-in-1 Weather Station is to talk about the AcuRite Pro+ 5-in-1 Weather Sensor.  It has already generated quite a few questions from my kids, notably my five year old.  “Daddy, why does that thing turn?  Why does that piece move in different directions?”  I was delighted.  One of the primary reasons I wanted the AcuRite Pro 5-in-1 Color Weather Station was for this very purpose!  I went on to explain how the wind speed anemometer, or turbine, measured the wind speeds, and how the weather vane told us which direction the wind was blowing.  She loved it.  Being five years old, I doubt she’ll remember it growing up… but the seed was planted.

Mission accomplished.

And speaking of seeds, there was something major to consider when it came to the AcuRite Pro+ 5-in-1 Weather Sensor.  Just like in real estate, location is very important.  It can’t have any kind of obstructions to block the wind, and you want to make sure the solar panels will get plenty of sunlight so it can transmit the data back to the AcuRite Display with PC Connect.  It actually produced quite a challenge in finding its home.

weather sensor

I originally wanted to mount it in the backyard.  It has to be a minimum of five feet off the ground, and I wanted to keep it away from the kids.  I looked at every inch of my backyard, from the wooden playset to the shed.  Every good candidate I came up was eliminated by leaves.  I have four trees in my backyard, plus the neighbors’ trees eliminated my side yards.  I was prepared to plant it in the middle of my front yard when inspiration struck me.

weather sensor

Back in November of 2015, I created a sign with removable boards.  Each board could be tailored to say whatever you want, ‘It’s a Girl!,’ ‘Happy Holidays!,’ ‘Girl Scout Cookies,’ or whatever you may want it to read.  With a simple modification to the post, I could get the desired height for the AcuRite Pro 5-in-1 Weather Sensor, and still keep the functionality of the slats.  It was perfect!  It would get plenty of sun, with zero wind obstructions, and more importantly, it looked good.  My wife was ecstatic!  My kids could see it and put two and two together, and even became a conversation starter with the neighbors.  It’s a win-win all around.

weather station

I know what you’re thinking, ‘That’s great and all, but what does it do?’

The AcuRite Display with PC Connect translates a lot of data.  It measures both the outdoor and indoor temperatures.  It shows the wind speed, direction, and even keeps track of the wind peaks.  The AcuRite Pro 5-in-1 Weather Sensor is equipped with a rain gauge, and you can see how much it has rained in a given day, month, or even the whole year!  It’s actually pretty cool.

It also keeps track of the heat index, the wind chill, and the most important part of it all, how warm (or cold) it actually feels like!  There’s no more guessing involved!  How beautiful is that?

weather station

Think about it.  Back when I was a kid, I had three ways of knowing what the temperature was going to be like.  I could read the newspaper – which let’s be honest, as a kid I would have headed straight for the comics.  I could watch the evening news, but what child would rather watch the news when they could be playing video games.  The other way I would usually find out about the weather was by going outside, and I can’t tell you how many times I caught in a rainstorm.  I would come home with a sour attitude, cold, and it was my own fault.

So one of the bonuses of having the AcuRite Display with PC Connect is that my kids can SEE what is going on, and can act accordingly.  It sure beats the alternatives of unsupervised Internet, or an additional phone bill for weather applications.

The weather forecast that is generated is reliable, and based upon the EXACT location of the AcuRite Pro+ 5-in-1 Weather Sensor!  I don’t know about you, but the local news, and I use that term sparingly, is anything but local.  The forecast they give is great for Philadelphia, but that’s an hour away, and the weather on the shore is TOTALLY different!

There’s one more amazing feature about the AcuRite Display with PC Connect, and the words are right there in the title.  You can connect it to your computer to track the data over time, and if your PC is set up, you can tie it in right to your phone.  So if you’re at work, away on a vacation, or on a business trip and you’re worried about the dogs being out in the heat, you have something to go on.

There are other features too, but I’ll let you discover them on your own.  Consider them welcomed surprises.

All in all, the AcuRite Pro Color Weather Station is a must have for every house.  It spurs learning, and the accessibility options for littles will keep them prepared for whatever comes their way.

BUY:

Purchase the AcuRite Pro 5-in-1 Color Weather Station on sale for $169.98 at AcuRite.com!

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*The Quirky Mom Next Door received the above item(s) in exchange for our honest review. All opinions and experiences are our own only.

20 thoughts on “Figuring Out The Weather Puzzle With The AcuRite Pro 5-in-1 Color Weather Station!

  1. Really neat post. Great review…I learned alot from reading this post..thanks for sharing with is…

  2. Looks like an awesome device! Really great and detailed post! Would be great for a school meteorology program!

  3. This is right up my alley. I check the weather every day and at times 2 or 3 times a day. All the things this tells you are the very things I’m checking for.

  4. I have been thinking of getting one of these for my husband. He is really into weather & bring an outdoorsman he’d appreciate the extra info provided with this. My kids would be interested too!

  5. I like the look of this modern weather station. These are very useful to have in a home or business. It is handy to know what the temperature is by just glancing at the weather station. This would be a great gift.

  6. I learned a lot from your post Thank you for sharing this knowledge of a weather station who knew you could have this in your own yard.

  7. As someone with asthma and copd,like me, this could be a godsend! Barometric pressure, temperature, humidity, etc all play a part with triggers!

  8. OMG this is so cool. I’m sure it would be an attention grabber for the neighborhood. Love your review of it.

  9. This is so cool! We have an organic garden and knowing the weather is vital. This would give us all the information in one easy to read place.

  10. This looks like a wonderful product and so easy to use! This would be a great birthday gift for my husband!

  11. I loved reading this review! this sounds really amazing. I didn’t even know something like this existed.

  12. Really like that you can check this on your phone from anywhere, and that it connects to the pc. It looks like a professional weather station!

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