I like to think of myself as a weather geek. I follow my local favorite meteorologists, I know all about the different weather models like the European model or the American model, and whenever there is a hurricane, snowstorm, or any extreme weather event I am all over it tracking it.
But that is about my extent of weather forecasting knowledge. It’s a fun hobby to follow.
When I received an opportunity to try out WeatherFlow’s Tempest weather system I jumped on it. WeatherFlow did send me the Tempest to try out but the review is all my own.
Here is a little more information about the Tempest Weather System from their website:
An Ai-Powered Weather App With Guaranteed Accuracy
While weather apps abound, the Tempest app leverages real-time data, advanced forecast modeling and the oversight of in-house meteorologists. Data from each Tempest is processed with advanced machine learning which checks the information for accuracy, allowing us to apply daily calibrations and ultimately improve your forecast over time.
A revolutionary design with no moving parts, nearly zero maintenance, instant online data, a free personal webpage, and a rich API powering a growing list of third-party applications. Install the Tempest home weather system in less than five minutes and it will do the rest!
A leader in the private weather technology industry
For more than 20 years, WeatherFlow’s team of atmospheric scientists, forecasters, and developers have specialized in weather networks, data science, and forecast modeling. Our weather technology is used by the National Weather Service, Coast Guard, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and thousands of satisfied consumers around the globe.
Trigger your outdoor lights based on the actual brightness of the sky. Enable your thermostat to use the weather conditions outside your home to conserve heating and cooling use. Automate your sprinklers to operate based on rainfall. Get text alerts when lightning is approaching. Save time and money with a home that can optimize itself.
Accurate measurements from your location, along with data from other Tempest Systems, flows to our data processing center. There we also collect ALL other relevant weather data, including measurements from satellites, aircraft, radars and other surface weather stations. Our process ultimately yields standardized data and a real-time analysis product. Not every measurement is of equal value (e.g. wind ‘shadows’ affect how wind data is utilized) but our big data analytics adjust accordingly, meaning every Tempest System can make a difference.
Do Something About The Changing Weather
Tempest data, along with all our real-time useful information, is part of data sets which are shared with the National Weather Service (NWS-NOAA) and other met agencies across the world, supporting their mission of predicting dangerous weather and warning the public of potential risks. As forecasting becomes more difficult and weather patterns increasingly unpredictable, each Tempest helps contribute to a better global forecast.
WeatherFlow stands behind their product
I feel good recommending The Tempest weather system because it has a 60 day money back guarantee, a 2 Year Warranty, and a 10 year extended warranty.
There is also a robust support system setup. The website has a live chat feature, support forums and a great knowledge base.
Setting up the Tempest
Tempest is super easy to set up. While it might sound intimidating to setup a weather station it's surprisingly simple. You can mount it with either a pole attached to something, or flat on top of a surface.
My plan was to mount it on our fence toward the back of the yard, Tempest shouldn't be too close to a building, but our fence is vinyl and it would not be able to screw into it. If you have a wood fence this would work fine.
Since the fence was not going to work we put it on top of our children’s playground which is a wood beam. It's perfect for screwing the base of the weather station onto it.
Next download the Tempest weather app and follow the instructions to get set up. The weather system uses WiFi and has a solar battery. Setup is easy and was done in minutes.
Within minutes I could see weather data from my own backyard. So of course I immediately sent it out to my friends who jokingly said they expect daily weather updates now.
I would love if I could make another account for my husband to share the app data too. So far I have not figured this out. While you can share a public link to your weather data with anyone, it seems he has to log into the app as me to use it as well. This is fine and no big deal at all.
Next will be figuring out how to integrate Tempest into my smart home. It works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT. I use both Alexa and Google in my home, although most of my devices are Google and Nest now. I love the idea of controlling my home devices with data from my own weather station. It seems the possibilities are endless.
Another cool feature is that Tempest has a map on their website with all of the weather station locations all over the world. You can open it and view the weather at any of these stations. Talk about being able to get real weather information anywhere anytime!
I have also heard you can choose to send your data to other third party weather apps and that this will sometimes give you premium access to those apps but I have not tried this myself yet.
Kids STEM activity
The Tempest weather station also makes a great STEM activity for kids. My elementary age kids are fascinated with weather right now and understanding how it forms and why.
Setting up the weather station is a fun activity for kids. The whole family got involved with picking out a place for it. They love that it's on the swingset and they can keep an eye on it.
I can show them all the weather data on the app and they can check the forecast on their laptops. We have already integrated with Siri so they can ask Siri for the current conditions and get an answer right from our backyard. This is super fun for kids!
Conclusion
You can find the Tempest weather system right here on the WeatherFlow website or you can find it here on Amazon!
You can find the Tempest app for iPhone here.
Please let me know if you have any questions about it at all!
