What data is collected?
Rainfall is collected continuously at over 220 locations across Victoria, often accompanying river monitoring or contributing to our flood warning systems.
Weather parameters are collected continuously at a small number of sites. Parameters measured include air temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, solar radiation, wind direction, and wind speed.
What do weather parameters mean?
-
The temperature of air is a measure of the average thermal energy of the molecules in the air - the higher the temperature, the higher the energy of the molecules. Historically, the most common instrument used has been a liquid-in-glass thermometer mounted in a Stevenson screen. Modern automatic weather stations generally use an electronic sensor. We measure air temperature in degrees Celsius.
-
Barometric pressure is the measure of air pressure in a given area. Barometric pressure is measured using a barometer. We measure barometric pressure in hPa.
-
The total liquid product of precipitation or condensation from the atmosphere, as received and measured in a rain gauge. Rainfall is measured in mm.
-
Humidity is defined as the percentage of water vapour in the air. Relative Humidity (RH) is the most common measure of humidity. It measures how close the air is to being saturated - that is how much water vapour there is in the air compared to how much there could be at that temperature. Warmer air can hold more water vapour because there is more energy available. If the RH of the air is 100% then it is fully saturated. we measure RH in %.
-
A solar radiation sensor monitors the intensity of sunlight. Solar radiation is measured using a pyranometer. We measure solar radiation in W/m2.
-
Direction is based on true north orientation. Direction is where the wind is blowing from, for example a northerly wind is blowing from the north.
Wind direction is measured in degrees and has a range of 0-360.
Reviewed 11 June 2024