Are you looking for the best home weather station? You’ve come to the right place. Weather stations are great if you’re a farmer, gardener, frequently outdoors, or want to know what the weather’s doing outside. Weather stations for kids promote STEM learning. So which one is best? Among the many options, we’ve had the opportunity to test nearly a dozen. But only the best weather stations made our list — the six options below ranked the highest in our ratings, which consider accuracy/performance, affordability, durability, feature set, and ease of use.
The best weather stations for home use provide up-to-the-second local weather conditions in your backyard, including indoor and outdoor temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, rainfall, barometric pressure, and more. There are no wires or cords to worry about either, as wireless weather stations are the norm, allowing you freedom in where you place it (and that matters for accuracy!).
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Editor's Choice
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Best Value
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Best Expandability
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Best Accuracy
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Description: If you own a smart home, the WeatherFlow Tempest is the weather station to buy. The lightning detection capabilities are also the best we've seen. |
Description: Ambient Weather's entry-level console has a surprising amount of functionality and accuracy for a weather station at its price point. |
Description: The WS-5000 is Ambient Weather's top-of-the-line weather station, and it shows. Accuracy is on par with the Davis Vantage Pro2, and smart home connectivity a new sonic anemometer make this our top pick. |
Description: While the Vantage Vue is showing its age, and its connectivity options limited, it remains the best mid-grade weather station on the market. |
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$329.00
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$179.99
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$449.99
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$448.97
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Connectivity:
Wi-Fi
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Connectivity:
Wi-Fi
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Connectivity:
Wi-Fi
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Connectivity:
Wi-Fi (with WeatherLink)
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Display Size and Type:
N/A
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Display Size and Type:
7.7-inch Color LCD
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Display Size and Type:
7.2-inch TFT LCD
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Display Size and Type:
N/A
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Power Supply:
Solar
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Power Supply:
Solar, 3 'AAA'
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Power Supply:
Solar, 5 'AA'
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Power Supply:
Solar, CR123
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If you own a smart home, the WeatherFlow Tempest is the weather station to buy. The lightning detection capabilities are also the best we've seen.
Ambient Weather's entry-level console has a surprising amount of functionality and accuracy for a weather station at its price point.
The WS-5000 is Ambient Weather's top-of-the-line weather station, and it shows. Accuracy is on par with the Davis Vantage Pro2, and smart home connectivity a new sonic anemometer make this our top pick.
While the Vantage Vue is showing its age, and its connectivity options limited, it remains the best mid-grade weather station on the market.
With a Wi-Fi connection, you can monitor conditions even when you’re not home and use your weather data to control smart home devices and an easy-to-read color display. With many cheap weather stations on Amazon, you must be careful with what you buy. Our goal is to help you get the best bang for your buck. Unlike many other review sites on the web, we base our reviews on actual hands-on experience with the product.
For more on how we test: Weather Station Buyers Guide and Test Results
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Best Home Weather Station Reviews for 2023
Editor’s Choice: WeatherFlow Tempest
Best Budget: Ambient Weather WS-2902
Best Mid-Grade: Davis Vantage Vue
Best Expandability: Ambient Weather WS-5000
Best Mix of Value and Functionality: Ambient Weather WS-2000
Best Accuracy: Davis Vantage Pro2
The WeatherFlow Tempest is the weather station to buy if you own a smart home. The lightning detection capabilities are also the best we've seen. And you can use promo code TWSE for 10% off if you buy direct from WeatherFlow.
- Super quick setup
- Outstanding lightning detection
- Fairly accurate instrumentation
- Ready for the smart home
- Haptic rain sensor doesn’t measure rainfall accurately enough
- No expandability
- Price
WeatherFlow is a relatively recent entrant to the home weather station market, although it has years of experience. Its coastal network of stations has been delivering vital information to meteorologists for years and has proven useful (and durable) in landfalling hurricanes.
The Tempest Weather Station is WeatherFlow’s first attempt at a home weather station. For the most part, it’s a good start. It’s the only one of our stations with built-in lightning detection, one of the Tempest’s standout features, and operates entirely on solar power.
We found that the real-time lightning data matched better with data from professional lightning detection networks. It regularly detected distant lightning faster than any other station we’ve tested.
Ambient Weather WS-5000 vs Tempest Weather Station
The Tempest weather station is a solid option if you’re frequently outdoors. Like the WS-5000, the Tempest’s anemometer uses ultrasonic technology to measure wind speed and direction. But in a first for any weather station we’ve seen, the Tempest uses haptics for its rain gauge.
This allows the Tempest to detect how much rain falls and the intensity. While the measurement side still needs work, we found the notification functionality extremely useful for rain and lightning.
Features at a Glance
Standard
- Indoor and Outdoor Temperature
- Indoor and Outdoor Relative Humidity
- Rainfall
- Wind Speed and Wind Direction
- Barometric Pressure
- UV/Light
- Lightning Detection
Ambient Weather's entry-level console has a surprising amount of functionality and accuracy for a weather station at its price point.
The Ambient Weather WS-2902 is surprisingly feature-packed and accurate, given its price. Many of the cheap home weather stations we’ve tested had issues that prevented us from genuinely recommending them. The WS-2902 does not.
The WS-2902 isn’t as accurate as the WS-5000 or Davis stations, but it’s also less than half the price. The connectivity is a standout feature at its price point, with full smart-home capabilities thanks to IFTTT, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa support. Like the WS-5000, connecting the station to AmbientWeather.net allows you to share data with Weather Underground and access station data through the app or a web-based portal.
If you can’t justify the price of other weather stations on our list, the Ambient Weather WS-2902 is the best budget model available. The LCD console in the WS-2902 is much improved over previous models. When we tested the WS-2902A, the console suffered from readability problems beyond a 30-degree angle, which is far less of a problem now.
Features at a Glance
Standard
- Indoor and Outdoor Temperatures
- Indoor and Outdoor Relative Humidity
- Rainfall
- Wind Speed and Wind Direction
- Barometric Pressure
- UV/Light
While the Vantage Vue is showing its age, and its connectivity options limited, it remains the best mid-grade weather station on the market.
- Accuracy is nearly on par with the Vantage Pro 2
- Extremely reliable
- Well-constructed and durable
- Internet connectivity is optional, and expensive
- 5-in-1 sensor isn’t the best for accurate readings
- No expandability
The Davis Vantage Vue might be getting “long in the tooth,” as they say. It’s been on the market for over a decade. However, adding the new WeatherLink Live hub has breathed new life into Davis’ entry-level home weather station.
The reliability of Davis is legendary in the weather enthusiast community. I’ve had my Vantage Vue continuously since September 2016, and I know others who have had theirs for over a decade. There is also the story of a gentleman with a Davis Weather Monitor II (a predecessor to the Vue) who recently upgraded after 27 years (that’s not a typo).
While you don’t get the unbeatable accuracy of the high-end Davis Vantage Pro 2, my experience has been positive. With WeatherLink Live, sharing your data is super easy. While on your home network, you can watch live conditions (updated every two seconds), and your data is uploaded to Davis’ platform once per minute.
If you own a Davis weather station, then WeatherLink Live is a must-have. It connects your station to the Internet, and when you're on the same network, the ability to monitor real-time weather conditions.
- Super quick setup
- Live in-app data when on your home network
- Adds expandability to your Davis station
- Ready for the smart home
- For current Davis users, no way to merge data
While this model has no smart home integration, you can purchase the WeatherLink Live separately to enable Alexa to read your current weather conditions through your Echo smart speaker.
Features at a Glance
Standard
- Temperature (Inside/Outside)
- Relative Humidity (Inside/Outside)
- Rainfall
- Wind Speed and Direction
- Barometric Pressure
Optional
- Air Quality Monitoring (via AirLink)
The WS-5000 is Ambient Weather's top-of-the-line weather station, and it shows. Accuracy is on par with the Davis Vantage Pro2, and smart home connectivity a new sonic anemometer make this our top pick.
Unfortunately, rising component costs and inflation have made the Ambient Weather WS-5000 one of our list’s most expensive home weather stations. That played a big part in losing the top rank in our Best Weather Stations of 2023 rankings (it was #1 last year). But you do get quite a bit for your money.
The WS-5000 features a redesigned sensor suite, including an ultrasonic anemometer. The elimination of the cup anemometer found on other stations drastically reduces the number of moving parts and can measure wind speed as accurately as the cup-and-vane. This should extend its useable life as the traditional anemometer requires ongoing maintenance to ensure trouble-free use.
The WS-5000’s sensors were much more accurate in our tests than the WS-2000, WS-2902C, and WS-1900A, which use a slightly lower-quality sensor suite. Thanks to expandability and a wide array of optional sensors, you can add just about any sensor you can think of, including air quality, soil moisture, water temperature, and lightning, all of which send data to the console in as little as every five seconds.
The company’s made it easy to share your data publicly through Weather Underground. Its smart home connectivity is best in class, offering IFTTT compatibility to connect your station to your smart home system. Of course, there’s Ambient Weather Network and the Ambient Weather app to view your weather data remotely on your mobile device or through the web app.
If you’re looking for a step up from the WS-2902C, with accuracy that rivals any Davis station, the WS-5000 is the weather station for you. The price, however, might scare some away. If you can do without the console, a version of the WS-5000 with app access to your data is available.
Features at a Glance
Standard
- Indoor and Outdoor Temperature
- Humidity (Inside/Outside)
- Rainfall
- Wind Speed and Direction
- Barometric Pressure
- UV/Light
- Fan Aspiration
Optional
- Lightning Detector
- Soil Moisture/Leaf Wetness
- Leak Alarm
- PM2.5 Air Quality Monitor
- Up to 7 Additional Temperature/Humidity Sensors
If the WS-5000 is too expensive for you, consider the WS-2000 instead, which features the same higher-end console, but with the WS-2902's sensor suite.
Ranking just behind the WS-5000 is the Ambient Weather WS-2000, essentially a combination of two weather stations. The sensor array from the WS-2902C is combined with the TFT LCD console from the WS-5000. While this combination comes at the cost of accuracy, it adds some important functionality, making it an attractive alternative to the WS-5000.
With Ambient Weather internet-connected stations, the communications are handled by the console. The cheaper color LCD console in the WS-2902C package only supports the sensor suite. However, the TFT LCD console supports any accessory sensor Ambient Weather makes. It’s not like the sensor suite is that inaccurate either: as we noted in our review, readings were often not far from our Davis Vantage Vue.
We’d personally opt for the WS-5000, as the sensor accuracy is better and little maintenance is required. But we’d understand why somebody would go for the WS-2000, given its much lower price.
Features at a Glance
Standard
- Indoor and Outdoor Temperature
- Humidity (Inside/Outside)
- Rainfall
- Wind Speed and Direction
- Barometric Pressure
- UV/Light
- Fan Aspiration
Optional
- Lightning Detector
- Soil Moisture/Leaf Wetness
- Leak Alarm
- PM2.5 Air Quality Monitor
- Up to 7 Additional Temperature/Humidity Sensors
Also Consider
You can't get any better than the Vantage Pro2 when it comes to accuracy in a home weather station. However, you'll pay quite a bit for it.
- Best accuracy of any home weather station
- Top-notch reliability
- Durability is impressive
- Expandability through additional sensors
- Internet connectivity is optional, and expensive
- 5-in-1 sensor isn’t the best for accurate readings
- No expandability
The Davis Vantage Pro2 is one of the best high-end home weather stations you can buy and is made even better by WeatherLink Live. The Vantage Pro2 is a proven workhorse. Several years ago in the Caribbean, a VantagePro 2 recorded a 199mph wind gust in a hurricane before its mast snapped. That’s the highest wind reading ever recorded on a personal weather station!
So why is the Vantage Pro2 more accurate? The sensors in the Vantage Pro2 are of higher quality than in the Vantage Vue. A larger rain gauge collects rain more efficiently, especially in windy situations. The radiation shielding around the temperature and humidity sensor is larger, allowing for better airflow.
Another difference between the VantagePro 2 and the Vantage Vue is the anemometer. Since it’s separate from the rest of the sensor suite, you can place it in a high location to improve your wind readings.
While it takes a bit more time to set up, there’s no other weather station on the market that even comes close if you want the most accurate weather data. As a side note, there is also a bundle that includes the console. While the Vantage Pro2’s console is much more helpful than the Vantage Vue’s, it does add to the price. Whether you need it is up to you.
Features at a Glance
Standard
- Temperature (Inside/Outside)
- Relative Humidity (Inside/Outside)
- Rainfall
- Wind Speed and Wind Direction
- Barometric Pressure
- UV/Light (optional on Pro2, standard on Pro2 Plus)
Optional
- Fan Aspiration
- Soil Moisture/Leaf Wetness
- Fan Aspiration
- Air Quality Monitoring (via AirLink)
Other Manufacturers
We tested 11 stations for our Best Weather Station of 2023 rankings. While only six made it above, a few other stations scored well. AcuRite is probably the most well-known brand in this group.
The best of these stations is the AcuRite Atlas. However, the AcuRite Iris is also a decent low-cost home station. Another popular model is the Netatmo Weather Station. While it was great for the smart home when it was first released over a half-decade ago, the Netatmo feels dated today, especially when you can get something like the WeatherFlow Tempest for about the same price.
Another manufacturer is La Crosse Technology. We’ve had a few La Crosse Technology devices with generally good results. However, none of their stations made our Best Weather Station of 2023 rankings.
Weather Station Maintenance and Installation Tips
We recommend that you perform maintenance at least once per season. This is especially important in the fall and winter, as those are the hardest months on your equipment. Depending on weather conditions and the surrounding environment, some may need to perform maintenance as frequently as every month. You’d be surprised how quickly weather stations get dirty; this build-up causes your readings to be inaccurate.
We’ve written an entire post on this subject, breaking it into manageable steps and telling you exactly what you need to do the job right the first time.
Image Credit: The Weather Station ExpertsPlacing Your Sensors Correctly
There are standards for weather observations. Using the National Weather Service’s Cooperative Weather Observer Program (CWOP) standards is an excellent place to start. We have more tips available in our installation and siting guide.
Temperature is measured in the shade. But generally, you should place your temperature/humidity sensor at eye level (4′ to 6′ off the ground) and protect it from direct sunlight. Your rain gauge should also be at the same level to prevent splashback and be free of any obstructions.
Place your anemometer at least 10 feet above your roofline for the most accurate readings.
How Our Home Weather Station Reviews are Different
Unlike many sites, we test the products we recommend or have direct experience with the company. We test select home weather stations for several weeks, giving us critical insight into long-term reliability, something a quick review cannot. For example, our Davis Vantage Vue weather station has been continuously operating since our initial test in September 2016! You can see our testing protocol here and our rating formula here.
We’ve also developed a 100-point rating system that judges each station tested on the same metrics. We judge accuracy (or performance), affordability, durability, feature set, and ease of use. These categories are weighted to emphasize accuracy and affordability, making up half of a home weather station’s score.
However, a candidate for the Best Weather Station of 2023 can’t only be a great value: it must have accurate measurements, be user-friendly, and have excellent build quality. Our review staff has years of experience using home weather stations and instruments: some are degreed meteorologists and scientists. Our writers independently research each device: we do not recommend a station simply because a manufacturer sends it to us.
Wrapping Up
We hope our guide was helpful. You’re about to spend quite a bit of money, and we hope you’re now armed with information that helps you get the best home weather station for your particular needs. There are many options out there, and increasingly, a lot of junk. But our recommendations, all personally tested by us, rise above the rest in accuracy, reliability, and durability.
This is an investment, and making the wrong decision can be costly. But with the correct station, you’ll get years of enjoyment out of it. And who knows, you can even learn to create your own weather forecasts with the weather trends you observe over time.
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