Weather Instruments, Kits, Suppliers

Since meteorology is an observational science, instruments play an important role in gathering information about the atmosphere. Weather stations can be built and outfitted with weather instruments, but they typically are expensive, so price comparisons should be made prior to purchase. Catalogues and price lists may be obtained from reputable scientific supply houses. Selected updated address lists of suppliers of scientific and instructional equipment can be found in the annual issue of the Science Education Suppliers Supplement and other publications from the

National Science Teachers Association (NSTA):
1742 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20009-1171.
Phone: (202) 328-5800

Before purchasing weather instruments, the following references should be read:

• Snow, J.T., and S.B. Harley, 1987: Basic meteorological observations for schools: Temperature. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 68, 486-496.
• Snow, J.T., and S.B. Harley, 1988: Basic meteorological observations for schools: Rainfall. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 69, 497-507.
• Snow, J.T., M.E. Akridge, and S.B. Harley, 1989: Basic meteorological observations for schools: Surface winds. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 70, 493-508.
• Snow, J.T., M.E. Akridge, and S.B. Harley, 1992: Basic meteorological observations for schools: Atmospheric pressure. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 73, 781-794.
  
• Virgo, S.E., 1976: Some simply made and inexpensive meteorological instruments.
  Weather, 31, 404-411.

Weather Kits

To aid teachers with limited experience in weather instrumentation, several supply companies package sets of instruments and other instruction materials which can be used as a self-contained kit for weather study. Some teachers create their own weather kits from an assortment of materials, or augment the kits with additional instruments. Suggested components for a weather kit are a thermo-meter, maximum/minimum thermometer, soil thermometer, anemometer, rain gauge, sling psychrometer, radiometer, sundial, barometer, barographs, and thermograph. Other desirable features include an atmosphere chart, a good book, weather log, and five-day weather watch.

• BoxTopics: Storms and Weather Forecasting Pullouts, flip cards, stickers, and activity book. $34.95. 1997
  Briarpatch
  P.O. Box 604
  Short Hills, NJ 07079.
• Children's Pack 5-day weather watcher, radiometer, sundial, cloud chart, tornado tube, weather information cloud chart, and weather activity book. $25.00 plus $5.00 shipping.
• Wind and Weather, The Albion Street Water Tower
  P.O. Box 2320
  Mendocino, CA 95460.
  Phone: (800) 922-9463
• Weather Guide Photo Anthology I & II
  Postcard collection of photos from Weather Guide Calendars. $6.95 for both volumes.
  Accord Publishing Ltd., 1407 Larimer Square, Suite 206, Denver, CO 80202-1723
  Phone: (303) 595-3839
• Weather Watcher Kit
  Maximum/minimum thermometer, 2-inch rain gauge, and handbooks. $16.90.
  Fisher Scientific
  Phone: (800) 621-4769

Weather Instruments and Science Equiment Suppliers

Several companies only supply weather instruments for professional purposes or the serious amateur. Usually, instruments obtained from these supply houses are of high quality and may be expensive. Other companies have instruments for a range of disciplines and educational institutions. They stock some instruments for the home and school. These instruments usually suffice for beginners and the more casual weather observer. In addition, some suppliers have instructional materials, as in other sections of this publication. Companies usually will furnish catalogs on request. Some models and teaching aids are also offered.

• American Weather Enterprises
  P.O. Box 1383
  Media, PA 19063
• Beckley-Cardy
  917 Hickory Lane
  Mansfield, OH 44901-8105
• Carolina Biological Supply Co.
  2700 York Road
  Burlington, NC 27215-5551
• Central Scientific (CENCO)
  11222 Melrose Avenue
  Franklin Park, IL 60131
  Phone: (800) 262-3626
  Fax: (708) 451-0231
• Clearvue
  6465 North Avondale Avenue
  Chicago, IL 60631-1996
  Phone: (800) 253-2788
  Fax: (800) 444-9855
  Web: www.clearvue.com
• Cloud Chart, Inc.
  P.O. Box 21298
  Charleston, SC 29413
  Phone: (803) 577-5268
• Davis Instruments
  3465 Diablo Avenue
  Hayward, CA 94545-2778
  Phone: (800) 678-3669
  Fax: (510) 670--0589
  Email: info@davisnet.com
• Delta Education
  P.O. Box 3000
  Nashua, NH 03061-3000
  Phone: (800) 442-5444
  Fax: (800) 282-9560
  Web: www.delta-ed.com
• Edmund Scientific
  101 East Gloucester Pike
  Barrington, NJ 0800
  Product information: (609) 573-6879
  Orders: Phone: (609) 547-8800
  Fax: (609) 573-6295
• ETA 620 Lakeview Parkway
  Vernon Hills, IL 60061-1838
  Phone: (800) 445-5985
  Fax: (800) ETA--9326
  Web: www.etauniverse.com
• Fisher Scientific Co.
  4901 West LeMoyne Street
  Chicago, IL 60651
  Phone: (800) 621-4769
• Forestry Suppliers, Inc.
  P.O. Box 8397
  205 West Rankin Street
  Jackson, MS 39284-8397
  Phone: (800) 647-5368
  Fax: (800) 543-4203
  Web: www.forestry-suppliers.com
• Frey Scientific Co.
  905 Hickory Lane
  Mansfield, OH 44905
  Phone: (800) 225
  FREY H & R Corporation
  401 East Erie Avenue
  Philadelphia, PA 19134
• Hubbard Scientific
  P.O. Box 104
  Northbrook, IL 60065
  Phone: (800) 221-9884
  (312) 272-7810
• Nasco Science
  901 Janesville Avenue
  Fort Atkinson, WI 53538-0901
  Phone: (800) 558-9595
  Fax: (414) 563-8296
• Nasco West
  1524 Princeton Avenue
  Modesto, CA 95352-3837
  Phone: (209) 529-6957
  Fax: (209) 529-2239
• Northeast Discount Weather Catalog
  Viking Instruments, Inc.
  524 Main Street South
  Weymouth, MA 02190
  Phone: (781) 331-3795
  Fax: (781)331-9040
  Orders: (800) 325-0360
• NovaLynx Corp. (Division of Qualimetrics, Inc.)
  WeatherMeasure and Weathertronics
  P.O. Box 240
  Grass Valley, CA 95945-0240
  Phone: (916) 477-5226
  Fax: (916) 477-8339
• PGC Scientifics
  9161 Industrial Court
  Gaithersburg, MD 20877
  Phone: (800) 424-3300
  (301) 840-1111
  Fax: (301) 9990-0740
• Radio Shack
  One Tandy Center
  Fort Worth, TX 76102
• Robert E. White Instruments, Inc.
  34 Commercial Wharf
  Boston, MA 02110
  Phone: (800) 992-3045
• Schoolmasters Science
  745 State Circle Box 1941
  Ann Arbor, MI 48106
  Phone: (800) 521-2832
  Fax: (800) 654-4321
  Email: schscience@aol.com
  Web: www.schoolmasters.com
• Science Associates
  31 Airpark Road
  Box 320
  Princeton, NJ 08542
• Science Kit and Boreal Laboratories
  777 East Park Drive
  Tonawanda, NY 14150
  Phone: (800) 828-7777
• Simerl Instruments
  238 West Street
  Annapolis, MD 21401
  Phone: (301) 849-8667
• Storm Tech
  P.O. Box 474
  Hales Corners, WI 53130
• Teacher's Video Company
  P.O. Box SCE-4455
  Scottsdale, AZ 85261
  Phone: (800) 262-8837
  Fax: (602) 860-8560
  Web: www.teachtsp.com
• Tom Snyder Productions
  80 Coolidge Hill Road
  Watertown, MA 02172-2817
  Phone: (800) 342-0236
  Fax: (617) 926-6222
  Web: www.teachtsp.com
• Taylor Scientific Instrument
  95 Glenn Bridge Road
  Arden, NC 28704
• Viking Instruments
  The Northeast Discount Weather Catalog
  532 Pond Street
  South Weymouth, MA 02190
  Phone: (800) 325-0360
• VWR Scientific Products
  P.O. Box 5229
  Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
  Phone: (800) 727-4368
  Fax: (800) 676-2540
  Email: sarwel@sargentwelch.com
  Web: www.sargentwelch.com
• Ward's Natural Science Establishments, Inc.
  5199 West Henrietta Road
  P.O. Box 92912
  Rochester, NY 14692-9012
  Phone: (716) 359-2502
  (800) 962-2660
• Weatherwise Affects
  440 Middlesex Road
  Tyngsboro, MA 01879
  Phone: (978) 649-8387
  Email: wxaffects@aol.com
  Web: www.weatheraffects.com
• Weatherwise Books and Instruments
  Main Street
  New London, NH 03527
• Wind and Weather
  P.O. Box 2320
  Mendocino, CA 95460
  Phone: (707) 937-0323