Quote:
Originally Posted by *Touring Ted*
I've seen digital hand held barometers for £150. Are they any good at predicting the weather.
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When stopped for the night you can check a handheld barometer for the pressure in the evening and then in the morning to get an idea if a high pressure system is moving in (fair) or low pressure moving in (foul).
If you're moving it's more difficult. Riding 400km from here to central New Hampshire would drop the barometer by 4 inches of mercury or 140 millibars. This clearly says "storm" even if the weather is the same as here at the coast.
Weather stations all adjust their barometric pressure to pretend they are at sea level. When stations in Miami, Florida and Denver, Colorado tell the pressure on nice days, the numbers they use are similar. Coastal Miami's are "real" and mile-high Denver's are "corrected".
Some GPS units and smart phones include barometric pressure sensors that automatically calibrate the barometer while changing elevation. The Garmin 76s, for example does this. My Garmin Montana does not.
EDIT: Error in edit above; my Montana DOES report a steady, compensated barometric pressure even while I ride from the ocean over 400 meter hills.
I completed my field testing AFTER Bertrand posted below.
Last edited by Grinnin; 10 Jun 2014 at 20:56.
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