Cumulus Support

Woke up this morning I use alexa for my alarm (yeah I know)

Alexa tells me the temperature and the expected temperatures in my area. "At the moment it's -1 degrees Celsius and you can expect a high of 2 degrees"

I check my weather station - and it's -7.9C. Huh? No way can there be that much of a difference! Ok so the weather station is recording air temperature at x feet and it's likely alexa gets it from a lower down temperature -- check the greenhouse, oh that's -4.5C and inside the garage is -1C So I then start questioning - My station is not really that exposed/sheltered is it? I'm still not accepting my data - Alexa can't be that wrong can it? I mean they wont be collecting data from amateur stations. They must have a contract with the MET office - right?

soooo, apprehensively I check weather underground and all the stations in the surrounding 5 mile radius have a range between -5 and -7C -- Closest airport Prestwick is 30 miles away and even that is at -5C

Jesus Amazon - get a grip! I don't remember this much of a variation in the summer. I wonder if there is a way to collect what Alexa says and compare and contrast between your own data. At the very least it would probably give you a laugh.

And yes, the quicker I interface my own station with alexa the better.

Amazon likely use forecast temperatures from weather models, and you possibly get assigned the value from the nearest model point. If you are near the coast then it may well be that the model point used is closer to the coast than you are. Or that there is spurious cloud in the model forecast that is affecting the radiative balance and hence air temperature.

It dropped to -5.2°C here in Cheshire this morning. Still below freezing now in my shaded back garden.

Lowest min since Feb 2018 and Beast from the East.