How does my WH1080 know when it is snowing?

[gee-bee]

Anyone know?

[steve]

It doesn't. It's presumably guessing, based on the temperature. It may even be slightly more clever and take the dew point into consideration, which would be more likely to be correct.

But where is it displaying that? According to the manual for mine, it only has icons for sunny, partly cloudy, cloudy, and rainy.

[gee-bee]

It hasn't snowed since I installed my station, but I was wondering how/if it could? Presumably snow would simply accumulate on top of the rain detector and then give a false rain reading when it thaws?

[steve]

Presumably snow would simply accumulate on top of the rain detector and then give a false rain reading when it thaws?

Yes, that's right. People have different ways of dealing with this, ranging from doing nothing (which is what I do, but we don't get a lot of snow here) to covering the rain gauge when snow is expected, measuring the amount of snow each day, and calculating the rain equivalent and adding that to the daily rain total (which I believe is the "correct" UKMO approach).

A heated rain gauge is another possibility.

[6719jason]

I have seen the Snow/Sleet Cloud Tendency Icon many times over the last 6weeks. But, I thought I was correct in understanding that....The WH1081 did not measure the Dew Point?
So, If it was guessing and taking the Dew Point into Consideration...Then it must do?

[steve]

But, I thought I was correct in understanding that....The WH1081 did not measure the Dew Point?
So, If it was guessing and taking the Dew Point into Consideration...Then it must do?

It displays dew point, calculated from temperature and humidity. Press the temp, then press + to cycle through temp, wind chill and dew point.

[6719jason]

Thanks Steve - Its been so long since I changed anything on the display....I had clear forgotten about that.
Can the Dew Point Figure be used in Cumulus?
I currently have Calculate Dew Point ticked in Cumulus.

[steve]

Can the Dew Point Figure be used in Cumulus?

No, it's only on the display.

[6719jason]

Okay Steve - Thanks for the clarification