Looking for the best home weather system to provide accurate local weather data? For many, the decision comes down to Ambient Weather vs. Tempest.
Rather than subjecting yourself to the spotty accuracy of weather forecasts from your local meteorologist or weather app, installing one of the top home weather stations like Ambient Weather or Tempest can be a better idea. To help you decide between the two, this guide will provide an in-depth comparison of the key features and accuracy of both weather systems.
- What Is The Best Weather Station?
- Key Features Of The Ambient Weather WS-5000
- Key Features Of The Tempest Weather System
- Ambient Weather WS-5000 Vs. Tempest Weather System
Shop the Tempest Home Weather System for a guaranteed better forecast to support all weather-driven decisions.
What Is The Best Weather Station?
The best personal weather station should be easy to install, be reliable, and offer a high degree of accuracy. Other advanced features to support your everyday decision-making like forecasts and smart home integrations are a huge plus. Below are some of the top features to look for in a home weather station.
Top 5 Personal Weather Station Features
- Outdoor temperature and humidity sensor: Get real-time, local data on feels-like temperature and relative humidity so you can properly prepare to go outdoors.
- Rain sensor: Know how much it rained and the more details the better like the duration, intensity, rate, and start time of rain events.
- Light & UV sensor: Track ambient light levels, UV and solar radiation to plan your outdoor activities accordingly.
- Lightning sensor: Be alerted of nearby storms so you can be prepared to take shelter when lightning strikes.
- Smart home integration: Connect your home weather station with smart home technology to optimize your indoor environment according to outdoor conditions.
Key Features Of The Ambient Weather WS-5000
The Ambient Weather WS-5000 provides essential forecast data like temperature readings, wind measurements, the dew point, and sunrise and sunset data, among others. A standout of the station’s design is that the smart wind meter is made without moving parts, making it more long-lasting. The station can also come with optional sensors like a lightning detector, a thermo-hygrometer, a soil moisture sensor, and more.
Ambient Weather users can get additional layers of weather data with a subscription to AWN+, including forecasting, air quality readings, snow depth, and fire monitoring. The Ambient Weather WS-5000 includes an easy-to-use color LCD display, allowing users to quickly assess real-time weather conditions where they live.
Key Features Of The Tempest Weather System
The Tempest Weather System offers comprehensive and real-time weather readings for your home’s precise location. It replaces various types of weather instruments with one powerful station to monitor temperature, humidity, wind, lightning, rain, and much more. As one of the most accurate home weather stations available, Tempest processes data from each weather system using advanced machine learning models to improve forecast accuracy over time.
Unlike other personal weather stations on the market, Tempest leverages machine learning to process weather observations. Tempest’s Nearcast Technology starts with weather observations from your Tempest Weather Station and then adds a massive amount of data from satellites, radars, government surface networks, and more. Initialized with these curated data sets, we run our own high-resolution numerical weather forecast models and train our AI-based output models to produce the most accurate point-specific forecasts available anywhere. The result is a guaranteed better forecast for your exact location.
Tempest’s revolutionary design features no moving parts and is completely wireless, making it highly durable and discrete. It’s also easy to set up and install, as you can mount the Tempest Weather System on nearly any flat surface with ample sunlight. Tempest integrates with most third-party home assistant systems, allowing you to automatically adjust settings on your sprinkler system, air conditioning, outside lighting, and more based on observed weather conditions.
|
Features |
Tempest Weather System |
Ambient Weather WS-5000 |
|
Price |
$339.00 |
$449.99 |
|
Solar Powered |
Fully |
Partially |
|
Smart Home Compatible |
Smart home devices, Rachio, Alexa, IFTTT, and more |
Alexa, IFTTT, and more |
|
App |
Free, all extra features and forecasts included |
Free; Premium Subscription for 1 month |
|
Lightning Sensor |
Included |
$66 Additional Attachment |
|
Forecasts |
Included, Tempest generated forecasts with Better Forecast Guarantee |
Complete forecast from Accuweather requires an AWN+ subscription. |
|
Tempest Weather System |
Ambient Weather WS-5000 |
|||
|
Measurement |
Range |
Accuracy |
Range |
Accuracy |
|
Air Temperature |
-40°F to 140°F |
± 0.36ºF |
-40°F to 149°F |
± 2°F |
|
Humidity |
0 to 100% (relative humidity) |
± 2% (relative humidity) |
10 to 99% |
± 5% |
|
Barometric Pressure |
300 to 1,100 mbar |
± 1 mbar |
300 to 1,100 mbar |
± 2.7 mbar |
|
Lightning Activity |
0 to 40 km (25 miles) |
± 2 km |
0 to 40 km (25 miles) |
– |
|
Wind Speed |
0 to 100 mph |
greater of ± 0.5 mph or ± 2% |
0 to 89 mph |
< 22 mph, ± 1 mph, ≥ 22 mph, +/-5% |
|
Wind Direction |
0 to 359º |
± 5º |
0 – 360° |
± 5° |
|
UV Index |
0 to 14 UVI |
± 0.5 UVI |
0 to 15 UVI |
± 1 UVI |
|
Solar Radiation |
0 to 1900 W/m2 |
± 5% |
0 to 2367.798 W/m2 |
± 15% |
|
Rain Accumulation |
Unlimited |
± 10% |
0 to 236 in. |
± 5% |
Ambient Weather WS-5000 Vs. Tempest Weather System
The Ambient Weather WS-5000 and the Tempest Weather System are both strong contenders in the home weather station market and feature a high degree of accuracy and advanced technology like an ultrasonic anemometer. However, there are some key differences worth noting between the two.
Tempest offers the best price value. The initial purchase price is more than $100 lower and already includes instruments like a lightning sensor at no additional cost. Plus, you can access the full features of the Tempest app without paying for a subscription, unlike with AWN+. But, if you’d like the option to add sensors to track air quality and soil moisture, you might be drawn to Ambient.
Tempest Weather System: The Best Home Weather Station For Accurate Local Weather
Despite the many available options, the Tempest Weather System is consistently one of the best home weather stations on the market. Its ease of use, quick setup, sleek design, and highly accurate forecast modeling help it stand out from other personal weather stations.
Shop the Tempest Home Weather System to access real-time observed weather data from your backyard.