The 10 Best Home Weather Stations of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

We all keep an eye on the weather to plan activities, pick outfits, and know when it’s time to plan a beach outing or a day for using an umbrella. Luckily, you can glean that information and more from a home weather station in a personalized and convenient way. 

Basic weather stations measure temperature, humidity, and pressure, and can let you know the weather is about to change, while some advanced weather can integrate with your smart home and provide hyper-local weather forecasts.

We tested 18 weather stations in our own homes across eight states, including basic and advanced options, evaluating each for ease of setup and use, design, connectivity, features, effectiveness, and value. We found that basic weather stations are useful for planning daily activities, but advanced weather stations with connected apps are much more useful, since you can check the weather data even when you aren’t at home.

There are many options these days that allow plug and play with really no setup, for beginners, while weather enthusiasts can dig in with models that have optional soil sensors, solar sensors, larger rain gauges, etc, says Matt Makens, meteorologist and weather consultant for Makens Weather.

With that in mind, we poured over our test results to find weather stations for beginners with easy to read displays and user friendly interfaces, along with models that provide the kind of precise and accurate data for enthusiasts, and other options to suit every situation.

Simple and intuitive setup

Tempest app is easy and fun to use

Accurate weather and lightning tracking

Connects to other smart devices

Some wind readings seemed off

No dedicated display

The WeatherFlow Tempest is an all-in-one weather system with accurate sensors that send data fast, but it’s also easy to install and use. We think this weather station is a good option for weather enthusiasts who want to pour through tons of data, while still being easy enough for beginners. We’ve tested it twice, and both times it created added interest, spurring others to buy their own unit after seeing how easy it is to set up and use.

We love how the Tempest packs a number of advanced sensors into a compact package that’s so easy to install. It uses haptics to measure rainfall instead of a tipping bucket system, and an ultrasonic sensor to measure wind direction and speed instead of cups and an anemometer, so there aren’t any moving parts to wear out or snap off.

The sensors are very accurate, which weather enthusiasts will appreciate. We did notice some wind readings that seemed off, but that could have been due to positioning. Rain start and stop times were true to observations, and rainfall was also similar to measurements taken with a rain gauge.

This weather station doesn’t have a dedicated display, which is the one real weak point. It would be nice to have all that data front and center on a dedicated screen like the Ambient Weather WS-5000 (our best splurge pick), but the app does a great job of showing the most important information and letting you drill down into historic data. We really enjoyed watching the real-time data stream through the app during storms, including the notifications of lightning strikes.

Another thing we love about this weather station is that you can share the data with friends and family. In addition to displaying info in the app, you can also access it through a website, which you can share with anyone you want. You can also send data to Weather Underground.

This weather station is compatible with both Alexa and Google Home, which allows you to check the weather with voice commands and also set up routines that trigger based on specific weather conditions, like preventing your smart sprinkler system from watering when rain is on the horizon.

That’s the major selling point of this weather station—accurate, hyper-local forecasts. WeatherFlow uses machine learning to analyze your weather data, along with data from other nearby weather stations, to create a personalized forecast for your area. We found it to be just as accurate, if not moreso, than commercially available forecasts like Accuweather’s Minutecast, and it’s available right in the WeatherFlow app for no extra cost.

The Spruce / John Somerall

The Spruce / John Somerall

The Spruce / John Somerall

The Spruce / John Somerall

The Spruce / John Somerall

Display Type: None | Sensors: Temperature, barometer, wind speed and direction, UV, solar radiation, rain, lightning (up to 25 miles) | Transmission Interval: 3 seconds | Transmission Range: 1,000 feet | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Tempest app, Weather Underground, Alexa, Google Assistant | App: Yes

Sleek display with colorful screen

Accurate 12-hour forecast

Small enough to be portable

No Wi-Fi connectivity

No app for remote monitoring

The AcuRite 01121M is a basic weather station that measures temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure (indoors and outdoors), with a clean vertical display and basic forecasting capabilities. It’s a good option if you just want to know the local conditions without a lot of extraneous information.

Our favorite thing about this weather station is the display, which we set up on a shelf using the included stand. With a dark background and colorful numbers, we found it easy to read in all lighting conditions (including full daylight and late at night with all the lights off.) The display and sensor are also very small and portable, to the point where you could easily pack them along on a camping trip to keep track of the local weather conditions.

This weather station doesn’t have any advanced sensors or connectivity features (there’s no app and you can’t send weather data to the internet), but it’s priced accordingly. It’s the lowest cost option we recommend, at about $30 less than the La Crosse Weather Station (our best for beginners pick), which has the same basic sensors as this weather station.

Display Type: LCD | Sensors: Temperature, humidity, indoor temperature, indoor humidity | Transmission Interval: 16 seconds (outdoor), 60 seconds (indoor) | Transmission Range: 330 feet | Connectivity: None | App: No

The Spruce / Doris Brunnette

The Spruce / Doris Brunnette

The Spruce / Doris Brunnette

The Spruce / Doris Brunnette

The Spruce Home / Doris Brunnette

Stable connection between sensors and monitor

Lightning detection with reliable alerts

Self-emptying rain gauge was accurate

Outdated interface

No app connectivity

The AcuRite Iris is a 5-in-1 weather station that also includes a separate lightning sensor, which is why it’s a good option if you’re specifically looking to monitor lightning and rain. The included display is a basic monochrome LCD model with colorful stickers, but it features a prominent lightning detection alert that you just can’t miss.

We liked how easy this weather station was to set up, since there’s just one outdoor sensor unit for everything but the lightning detector. It also received points for how solid the connection was between the sensors and the indoor receiver. Once we set it up, the base station and sensor units never lost contact, even in extreme weather.

During testing, the lightning detector was accurate and helpful, as it would sound an alarm and show the distance of the lightening strike. That’s important information to have, and we were able to adjust our schedule to avoid heading out for a walk with lightning striking nearby. We also thought it was interesting to see how many times lightning struck after the storm passed.

We also thought the rain gauge was very accurate, comparing it to nearby Weather Underground readings and a garden rain gauge. We liked that we didn’t have to empty it, and that we were able to see both the current rain and historic data without needing to go outside and write down measurements every day.

The only thing we didn’t like about this weather station was the display, which is very basic, difficult to navigate, and didn’t support sending data to an app or the Weather Underground. It shows all the most important information right up front, but accessing historic data and other information was cumbersome. AcuRite sells a version that comes with a better display and Wi-Fi connectivity, but the price is about $60 higher. 

Display Type: LCD | Sensors: Temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction (16 points), rainfall, lightning (1-25 miles) | Transmission Interval: 18 seconds (wind), 30 seconds (wind direction), 36 seconds (temperature and humidity), 60 seconds (indoor temperature and humidity) | Transmission Range: 330 feet | Connectivity: None | App: No

The Spruce / Kevin Schmitz

The Spruce / Kevin Schmitz

The Spruce / Kevin Schmitz

The Spruce / Kevin Schmitz

The Spruce / Kevin Schmitz

Useful app for remote monitoring

App has map for comparing local weather stations

Accurate rain measurement

Display is clear and easy to read

Mounting instructions were vague

Setup takes a long time

The Ambient Weather WS-5000 is a full-featured weather station complete with the best display we’ve ever tested. The instruments are extremely accurate, and you can add all sorts of additional sensors, so we recommend it to weather enthusiasts and hobbyists who are ready to invest in a serious weather station that goes far beyond basic all-in-ones.

This weather station comes with an ultrasonic wind sensor, rain cup, and temperature sensor that can be mounted independently or together. That’s different from most weather stations, and it’s one of the reasons we specifically recommend the WS-5000 to weather enthusiasts. Each of these sensors has its own ideal mounting location (high up for wind, down lower for temperature and humidity, and outside any rain shadows for the rain cup), which isn’t an option with all-in-one weather stations.

Most weather stations come with a basic monochrome LCD display (or no display at all), which is why the WS-5000 display stands out so much. It’s a full color TFT (thin film transistor) LCD display that shows a ton of information. The text is a bit small, and there’s a lot of information to parse, but we were able to read it without too much trouble. It shows the current temperature and humidity, wind speed and direction, heat index, current and historic rainfall, and even includes a forecast icon that shows which direction the weather is headed.

This weather station includes Wi-Fi connectivity, which we used to send data to the Ambient Weather phone app. It also has the ability to send data to Weather Underground and other services, but we found the Ambient Weather app to be user-friendly and easy to navigate, with tiles for each weather sensor, and graphs to show historical data. If you add additional sensors to the WS-5000, they show up in the app and not the main display (the exception is that if you add a lightning sensor, the display will show that.)

Our favorite feature of this weather station is the rain gauge, which was accurate. It was also fun to see the current rainfall rate (during one storm the rate came very close to 1 inch per hour). We also like that we can use the map feature to check other stations to see the rainfall in different areas and how it compared to what we were actually seeing. 

Display Type: Full-color TFT LCD | Sensors: Temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, rain, wind direction and speed, UV and solar radiation | Transmission Interval: 4.9 seconds | Transmission Range: 1,000 feet | Connectivity: Wi-Fi, IFTTT, Alexa, Google Assistant, Weather Underground, other weather services | App: Yes

The Spruce / Nick Frasher

The Spruce / Nick Frasher

The Spruce / Nick Frasher

The Spruce / Nick Frasher

The Spruce / Nick Frasher

Simple installation process

App for remote monitoring

Accurate readings

Optional remote sensors

No forecasts

No dedicated display

The Ecowitt Wittboy is a good choice if you want a weather station that does it all, but you don’t want to broadcast that you have a weather station to the whole neighborhood. This compact device uses advanced haptic and ultrasonic sensors, so there aren’t any moving parts to break down over time. We like how easy it was to install, because everything is contained in one unit—just point it north, secure it in place, and it’s ready to go.

This weather station doesn’t have a dedicated display, but it does have a base station that connects to the internet, and apps for both your computer and your phone. Getting it connected was quick and easy, and we were able to view live weather data on our computer and phone, along with graphs and charts. We ended up not really missing the monitor because we could view our weather data on a smartphone from anywhere.

During testing, we were especially impressed with the accuracy of the temperature and rain readings. The wind seemed off, but that could have been due to where it was mounted. We mounted it up high above our chimney, but local weather stations typically take their readings higher up than that (30+ feet)

We think this is a good lower-cost alternative to other haptic and ultrasonic weather stations we recommend, like the WeatherFlow Tempest (our best overall recommendation) and the Ambient Weather WS5000 (our best splurge pick). It does most of the things those systems do, but it doesn’t have lightning detection, and it doesn’t provide customized forecasts. If you don’t need those, then this device is a solid alternative.

Display Type: None | Sensors: Temperature, humidity, wind direction, wind speed, solar radiation, UV, rain | Transmission Interval: 8.8 seconds | Transmission Range: 500 feet | Connectivity: Weather Underground, Weathercloud | App: Yes

The Spruce / Dave DeCarlo

The Spruce / Dave DeCarlo

The Spruce / Dave DeCarlo

The Spruce / Dave DeCarlo

The Spruce / Dave DeCarlo

Easy setup and activation

Worked well well HomeKit and Weather app

Can trigger other smart devices through HomeKit

Limited access to detailed data in the app

Basic sensors

The Eve Weather Connected Weather Station is the perfect addition to your Apple-powered smart home, with seamless HomeKit integration and Thread compatibility that allows it to join your network automatically. It’s a fairly basic weather station with the same instruments (temperature, humidity, and pressure) as the La Crosse Technology Weather Station (our best for beginners pick), but designed with connectivity in mind.

This weather station doesn’t have a dedicated display, but it does show the temperature and humidity right on the device itself. It also integrates with the iOS Home app and Eve’s own app. We liked that it works with Home, but we were able to access a lot more data (like historic temperature and humidity readings) through the Eve app. The Eve app is also capable of providing access to other connected smart devices, and we found that we liked it more than Apple Home.

The sensor doesn’t provide specific forecasts, but the Eve app uses temperature and barometric pressure readings to determine how the weather is trending, with a sunshine, partly cloudy, and cloudy icons that seemed to line up well with the actual state of the weather. Temperature readings were accurate, but we wished that it could track more data, like wind direction and speed.

We like how well this weather station integrated into our smart home through HomeKit. We had a little trouble figuring it out at first, but we were eventually able to set up an automation that turned a smart light on when the temperature reached a specific level. That isn’t necessarily a very useful automation, but the possibilities are endless. For example, you could use one of these sensors to trigger a heat lamp or fan in a greenhouse, or a heater in a shed or trailer.

Display Type: Digital | Sensors: Temperature, humidity, pressure | Transmission Interval: 10 minutes | Transmission Range: Not provided | Connectivity: HomeKit, thread | App: Yes 

The Spruce / Lars Peterson

The Spruce / Lars Peterson

The Spruce / Lars Peterson

The Spruce / Lars Peterson

The Spruce / Lars Peterson

Simple setup process

Display is easy to read

Accurate temperature readings

Forecast timing was unclear

If you’ve never used a home weather station before and just want to be able to check the local temperature and humidity before heading out the door, this La Crosse Technology weather station is a good fit. We like how easy it was to set up and found the large display to be very easy to read at a glance.

This is a basic weather station, but it provided us with accurate readings. The outdoor sensor unit measures temperature and humidity, as does the indoor unit, so the display shows you readings for both inside and outside. We also like how clear the display was, and that the backlight was bright enough to read in any conditions.

The display is well-organized, with indoor readings on one side and outdoor readings on the other. It also shows temperature trends for both inside and outside, and has a small forecast window that gives you an idea of what the local weather conditions will be in the future. The timeline isn’t exactly clear, but the images give you a good idea of whether to expect sun, clouds, rain, thunderstorms, or snow. Consulting with the manual reveals that the forecast reflects how the weather is likely to change within the next 12 hours, but the display itself doesn’t make that clear.

This isn’t the weather station to choose if you want information about wind speed or lightning strikes, or if you want to access your weather data through an app. Instead, it’s a great option for beginners and anyone who wants to check the temperature and humidity on the way out the door, with a fairly accurate picture of how the weather may change within the next 12 hours.

Display Type: LCD | Sensors: Temperature, humidity, pressure | Transmission Interval: Not listed | Transmission Range: 330 feet | Connectivity: None | App: No

The Spruce / Lisa Pezzuto

The Spruce / Lisa Pezzuto

The Spruce / Lisa Pezzuto

Easy setup and installation

Compatible with Weather Underground

Accurate measurements

Convenient next-day forecasts

Instructions for setting up the app were unclear

Connecting to Weather Underground was difficult

Limited forecasting details

The Logia 5-in-1 Wi-Fi Weather Station is the best choice if you want a full suite of weather sensors with the option to upload data to the internet, and your target expense is right at or around $100. The integrated sensor body measures all the most important weather data, and sends it to a basic indoor display unit that makes it easy to see everything at a glance. It doesn’t have a dedicated app, but you can send your data to Weather Underground or Weathercloud and view it that way.

We like how easy this weather station was to set up, as all the sensors are built into a single assembly, and it came with all the hardware we needed to attach it to a decorative fence in an area with no wind or rain obstructions. The indoor display unit was also easy to set up, too—connecting it to the sensor unit and our Wi-Fi network only took a few minutes. However, connecting to Weather Underground was a different matter.

Since this weather station doesn’t have a dedicated app, we wanted to connect to Weather Underground to be able to access our weather data through the Weather Underground app. The instructions for how to do so were very unclear, and it took us more than half an hour to figure it out and set everything up.

Once we had the Logia connected, we were immediately able to view real time data through the Weather Underground app. It would have been nice to have a dedicated app, but the Weather Underground app showed all the information we needed, and it was easy to navigate.

We didn’t completely replace our daily ritual of checking the Weather Channel, but we found the customized Weather Underground forecasts to be very accurate overall. We also liked that we could check historical data from the Logia, like the temperature and rainfall from the previous day.  

Display Type: LCD | Sensors: Temperature, humidity, rain, wind direction, wind speed | Transmission Interval: 12 seconds (wind), 24 seconds (temperature, humidity, rain) | Transmission Range: 450 feet | Connectivity: Weather Underground, Weathercloud | App: Yes

The Spruce / Karen Jones

The Spruce / Karen Jones

The Spruce / Karen Jones

The Spruce / Karen Jones

The Spruce / Karen Jones

Fast setup with lots of mounting options

Detailed indoor monitoring

Accurate readings

Sensors are additional purchases

Mounting hardware not included

With its sleek metallic design, this is our favorite weather station that doesn’t look like a weather station. We like how compact the Netatmo sensors are, that it works with both Alexa and HomeKit, and that you can seamlessly add additional sensors.

But that happens to also be the catch, because the basic Netatmo Weather Station doesn’t measure a whole lot. We tested a setup with the wind sensor add-on, but you can also add a rain gauge and additional indoor sensors to monitor the air quality throughout your home.

The basic Netatmo Weather Station comes with two sensor modules, one for inside and the other for outside, that measure temperature, humidity, and pressure. The indoor sensor also measures air quality (including CO2) and noise levels.

We were impressed with how easy it is to add additional modules to the Netatmo Weather Station. When we added a wind sensor, all we had to do was insert the batteries and hold it next to the indoor unit, and it synchronized automatically. The sensors provided accurate readings, and we liked that the indoor sensors included a CO2 monitor.

There’s no dedicated display, but we were able to access all of the data through the Netatmo app without any issues. The app is intuitive and easy to navigate, and provides some useful graphs and other information. We were also able to connect it to the iOS Home app, but the Netatmo app provides such great visuals that we used that more. We wish the graphs had the option to slide or zoom (especially the predictions), so hopefully that’s something Netatmo addresses in a software update some day.

Display Type: | Sensors: Temperature, humidity, pressure, CO2, sound, wind direction, wind speed, indoor temperature, indoor humidity | Transmission Interval: 5 minutes | Transmission Range: Not provided | Connectivity: HomeKit, Alexa, Google Home  | App: Yes

The Spruce / Henry Wortock

The Spruce / Henry Wortock

The Spruce / Henry Wortock

The Spruce / Henry Wortock

The Spruce / Henry Wortock

Display is colorful and easy to read

Customizable alarms

Easy setup

Complicated operation

Manual is overwhelming

The Sainlogic Wireless Weather Station is the best choice if you want an indoor display that’s clear and easy to read, and you don’t care about a mobile app or uploading weather data to the internet. This weather station includes all the most important weather monitoring instruments in a single sensor body that’s easy to set up and install, and all that data is displayed on a well-organized color LCD display.

The display is our favorite thing about this weather station. We found it a little difficult to navigate, and had to rely on the manual to make any adjustments, but all the most important data is shown in an easy to digest format, including data from all the sensors, a clock, and even the current moon phase. We especially appreciated the accurate wind gust measurements, since we had it installed at the top of a breezy ridge and it was very helpful to know how fast the wind was gusting before stepping outside.

In addition to showing all the most important weather data, the display unit also allows you to set up alarms based on 27 different data points. We had to rely on the manual because the controls never felt intuitive, but we found that we could set an alarm to alert us to wind gusts over a specified threshold, high heat index, and a huge number of other options.

This weather station doesn’t include an app or any kind of connectivity, but it’s a good price for a comprehensive sensor suite—about half the price of the Weatherflow Tempest (our best overall recommendation)—so it’s a great deal if you aren’t looking for connectivity.

Display Type: Color LCD | Sensors: Temperature, humidity, pressure, wind direction, wind speed, rain  | Transmission Interval: Not provided | Transmission Range: Not provided | Connectivity: None | App: No

The Spruce / Mary Speichinger

The Spruce / Mary Speichinger

The Spruce / Mary Speichinger

The Spruce / Mary Speichinger

The Spruce / Mary Speichinger

We recommend the WeatherFlow Tempest (our best overall pick) to just about everyone, from beginners to weather enthusiasts. It’s very easy to set up and use, with an intuitive app and accurate local forecasts, and tons of data to sift through. For anyone who isn’t quite ready for that sort of investment, the AcuRite Iris Professional Weather Station with LCD Display and Lightning Detection (best value) is a lower cost option that monitors all the same weather statistics (including lightning strikes), just without an app or the ability to send data to the internet.

Davis Instruments Vantage Vue: Davis has the most accurate weather sensors available in consumer-level weather stations and pioneered the all-in-one sensor body that’s seen in so many of our recommendations, but we no longer recommend the Vantage Vue due to the high price, complicated controls, and features locked behind a paywall that are free elsewhere. The Vantage Vue is still a worthy option for weather enthusiasts who want the most accurate readings and access to a lot of data points, but it’s overpriced and overkill for most users when you can spend $200 less for a WeatherFlow Tempest (our best overall pick) that’s very accurate, easy to set up, and provides custom local forecasts through a free app.

The Spruce / Henry Wortock

We know that there are a lot of reasons people need weather stations, so we aimed to include a variety of systems with different capabilities. We decided it was important to test both offline weather stations and connected weather stations, as well as weather stations with a wide variety of different instruments to accommodate a variety of purposes.

We started our selection process with in-depth research on weather stations from all the top brands and some newcomers as well. We looked for weather stations with a variety of sensors and capabilities, including high end options that measure everything, basic models with just temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure sensors, and everything in between. We also looked for weather stations with good displays, intuitive apps, Wi-Fi connectivity for uploading data to the internet, and other useful options. The weather stations we selected for testing include a variety of price points from $35 to $559.

We tested 18 weather stations in our own homes scattered across eight different states to monitor local weather conditions, inform daily wardrobe choices, determine when to skip watering lawns and gardens, and other purposes. Each weather station was evaluated for ease of setup, design, connectivity, features, effectiveness, and value.

The Spruce / Dave DeCarlo

When you first start looking for a home weather station, it’s important to think about the sensors you want or need. According to Matt Makens, meteorologist and weather consultant for Makens Weather, temperature and humidity are the two most important sensors. Basic weather stations like the AcuRite Digital Vertical Weather Forecaster 01121M (our best value pick) include those in addition to barometric pressure. That’s enough for basic local forecasts and to help you decide on an outfit or whether to bring an umbrella with you, but it only provides a limited picture of the local weather.

For a more complete picture, we recommend a weather station like the WeatherFlow Tempest (our best overall pick) that measures temperature, humidity, pressure, wind direction and speed, rainfall, UV, solar radiation, and lightning. The Ambient Weather WS-5000 (our best splurge pick) is another option that includes a full suite of instruments, with the option to add more, including less common options like soil moisture and leaf wetness sensors, in the future.

Accuracy is also important, because having a temperature reading isn’t helpful if it’s wrong. Lower cost weather stations tend to be less accurate, but still accurate enough for home use. Home weather stations will have a trivial amount of error, but are reliable in nearly all weather conditions, if you follow the manufacturer's instructions on installation and setup, says Makens. 

The WeatherFlow Tempest (our best overall pick) has a humidity sensor that is accurate to within two percent plus or minus, while the La Crosse Technology Weather Station (our best for beginners pick) humidity sensors can vary up to seven percent up or down.

Makens also points out that some weather sensors, require a bit of calibration, which can introduce some errors if not done correctly. During our testing, we found that most of the weather stations we looked at took about two weeks to self-calibrate and start providing accurate forecasts.

In addition to sensor variety and accuracy, weather enthusiasts will want to consider transmission intervals. Weather stations don’t transmit all the time, so the readings on your indoor monitor or app don’t reflect real time conditions. Some models, like the Eve Weather Connected Weather Station (our best for HomeKit pick), only transmit every five or ten minutes, while others like the Ambient Weather WS-5000 transmit every few seconds.

When you think about where you want to place your weather station, and whether it will be within range of your base station or display, make sure to take siting into consideration. Weather stations need to be placed as far as possible from obstructions like buildings and trees, and several feet off the ground to avoid incorrect readings.

The best wind readings are taken about 30 feet in the air, while temperature and humidity readings are more useful when taken about six feet off the ground. Placing your weather station over grass can result in incorrect humidity readings, while placing it over pavement or in a shaded area can provide misleading temperature readings.

Regardless of where you choose to place your weather station, it needs to be close enough to your home to connect to the base station or display to connect (and that includes vertical distance if you opt to place it on top of an outbuilding or on a long pole).

Weather stations transmit data wirelessly, and most have a transmission range between 300 and 1,000 feet. The actual range will be shorter if you have a lot of obstructions between your home and the weather station though, so make sure to leave yourself a margin of error to work with.

The WeatherFlow Tempest (our best overall pick) has a range of 1,000 feet, while lower cost options tend to have lower ranges.

Home weather stations are constantly exposed to the elements, including sun, rain, wind, and snow, so durability is an important consideration. The manufacturers featured here are all known for making durable weather stations, and none of the systems we tested showed any wear and tear during the initial testing period, but weather stations can and do wear down over time.

If you want the most durable weather station possible, avoid the cheaper ones, not because of data quality, but because they tend to break easily—especially the wind meters, says Makens. Our lower priced recommendations, like the AcuRite Digital Vertical Weather Forecaster 01121M (our best value pick), keep it simple with basic temperature and humidity sensors, so there isn’t a lot to break.

One of the reasons we like the WeatherFlow Tempest (our best overall pick) so much is that it uses advanced haptic and ultrasonic sensors instead of moving parts. “An ultrasonic anemometer measures wind parameters based on the time of flight of ultrasound pulses between pairs of transducers, essentially using the difference in the speed of sound to determine wind speed and direction,” explains David St. John, the CTO of WeatherFlow.

With no tipping bucket, wind cups, or vane spinning around, there’s less to break over time.

Home weather stations are powered by batteries, solar panels, or both. Some of our favorite weather stations, like the WeatherFlow Tempest (our best overall pick) and Ambient Weather WS-5000 (our best splurge pick) use a small solar panel to charge up a battery that takes over at night and on cloudy days. We recommend this configuration because you don’t need to worry about replacing batteries.

For simpler weather stations, like the AcuRite Digital Vertical Weather Forecaster 01121M (our best value pick), batteries are an acceptable power source. The basic weather sensors don’t take a lot of power, so you don’t have to replace the batteries very often (about every 12 to 24 months).

Most home weather stations include an indoor base station with a display, but that isn’t always the case. If you want to be able to check the temperature and other readings at a glance, look for a weather station that includes a large display that’s easy to read. The Ambient Weather WS-5000 (our best splurge pick) comes with a large full color LCD display that’s one of the best we’ve ever seen in a home weather station, but it packs in a lot of information and some of the numbers are pretty small and can be difficult to see. The Sainlogic Wireless Weather Station (our most comprehensive display pick) has a simpler display, but it’s laid out well with large numbers that are easy to read.

Wi-Fi connectivity is a must-have feature if you want to be able to check in on your weather station when you aren’t home. Some of the models we tested included Wi-Fi connectivity, and some didn’t, and we found that this was the one feature we missed the most when it wasn’t present.

When a home weather station has Wi-Fi connectivity, you can often send data to the Weather Underground and other internet weather sites and contribute to a network of local weather stations.

In addition to sending data to sites like the Weather Underground, Wi-Fi connectivity often allows you to view live and historic data from your weather station on a phone app. The WeatherFlow Tempest (our best overall pick) has a particularly well designed app that lets you check in on data from your weather station when you aren’t at home, and you can also share it with friends and family with a website link.

Wi-Fi connectivity also enables smart home integration in some cases. The Eve Weather Connected Weather Station (our best for HomeKit pick) integrates well with Apple’s smart home system, allowing you to set up automations based on readings from its sensors. Other options, like the WeatherFlow Tempest, can do the same with Google Home and Amazon’s Alexa. 

Most home weather stations come with a set of sensors, and that’s it. If you want the option to add more sensors in the future, then look for a weather station that’s expandable. Our best compact pick, the EcoWitt Wittboy, measures seven data points, but you can also expand it with soil moisture sensors, air quality sensors, pool thermometers, and more.

One of the best things about having a home weather station is receiving accurate local weather forecasts. Basic models like the AcuRite Digital Vertical Weather Forecaster 01121M (our best value pick) use changes in barometric pressure to let you know whether to expect clear or cloudy weather, while more advanced options like the WeatherFlow Tempest (our best overall pick) use machine learning to provide hyper-local forecasts that are often more accurate than the forecasts from your favorite weather app or local news station.

Jeremy Laukkonen is an updates writer for The Spruce. He has over a decade of experience writing about electronics, smart home technology, and other home goods. Laukkonen also has hands-on experience with a number of home weather stations, including basic La Crosse models and the Davis Vantage Vue. He loves the WeatherFlow Tempest, which he has used to monitor his local weather conditions (and for the accurate local forecasts) since 2021. For this story, he analyzed testing data from the weather stations that we tested in our own homes and backyards. 

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