I have lived in West Sacramento, California for a few years.

I have been lazily interested in meteorology since I was young. I
would like to begin recording the weather in my own back yard. I do
not see this pursuit as being a generally useful hobby due to my very
local environment (in the suburbs, near my heated dwelling, etc.) but
it would be a great education and might be useful to somebody someday.
I have bills and a day-job (and a 100 mile-each-way commute) but I am
sure I could muster the energy to record the information from decent
weather equipment, if I had some.

Currently I have only hardware-store grade equipment. Mercury
thermometers in which the scale was just slapped on, including three
min/max thermometers in which the low-end scale and the high-end scale
do not show the same current temperature); hygrometers that show 85%
in a steamy bathroom, 30% in a dry oven; barometers in which the scale
from 29 inches through 31 inches in approx 1 deg of arc on the face of
the barometer (thats an exaggeration but not much of one). In short -
the cheapest possible equipment made to be decorative rather than
accurate.

I have looked into electronic measuring equipment that hooks up a
computer and automatically records various measurements, but that it
way more than I want or need or can afford. Besides, my goal is to
learn how to measure the weather, not how to run a computer program.

I read a prior post which stated that the only good hygrometer is of
the "sling psychrometer" variety and that Edmund Scientific sells such
an instrument.

I have read the Jetstream Online Weather School offered by the
Southern Regional Headquarters of the National Weather Service
backwards and forwards and printed out the lists of symbols. The
weather tutorial at uiuc.edu has also been very helpful to me.

I am interested in recording at my location:
--Daily high and low temps
--Sky
--Wind speed and direction
--Air pressure
--Relative humidity

I would like this group's recommendations re: equipment that I should
use and also any general advice to a complete weather newbie.

Thanks for reading this. I am looking forward to your replies.

-R
Robert M. Peffer
West Sacramento, CA