How not to measure temperature

Former TV Weatherman Anthony Watts asked an interesting question one day. He wondered if the kind of paint used to protect the shelters that hold the thermometers used for over a hundred years to measure local temperatures mattered. So he did a little research, found some recipes for classic whitewash and some samples of modern paints and set up an experiment.

Along the way, he got a look at a couple of official weather stations. They were not a pretty sight. He looked at a couple more. They weren't a lot better. Then he had a bright idea. Why not go and personally inspect all 1221 stations that make up the US Historical Climate Network (USHCN). This is a "high quality, moderate-sized data set of daily and monthly records of basic meteorological variables from over 1000 observing stations across the 48 contiguous United States" according to its maintainers.

This is a huge undertaking, but odder things have come to pass with the help of volunteers and the Internet to organize them. Thus came about the Surface Stations site and the army of volunteers that have surveyed, photographed and rated over 70% of the USHCN stations to date. Site ratings are based on NOAA's own guidelines and criteria.

Along the way, stations are found that have issues so clear that they have been singled out to become the subject of blog posts. Admittedly, these are generally the worst of the worst of the stations, so this list clearly shows a kind of selection bias...

To date, 89 examples of How Not to Measure Temperature have been posted at Watts Up With That. I've listed them all here, because there isn't an easy way to get this list directly from the site and they make interesting reading. Naturally, this list will be out of date shortly...

1. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/05/26/how-not-to-measure-temperature/
2. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/05/28/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-2/
3. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/05/31/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-3/
4. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/06/01/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-4-at-the-royal-observatory/
5. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/06/01/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-5/
6. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/06/03/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-6/
7. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/06/08/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-7/
8. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/06/11/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-8/
9. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/06/15/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-9/
10. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/06/17/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-10/
11. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/06/22/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-11/
12. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/06/23/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-12/
13. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/06/26/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-13/
14. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/06/27/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-14/
15. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/06/28/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-15/
16. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/06/30/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-16/
17. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/07/02/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-17/
18. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/07/08/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-18/
19. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/07/09/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-19/
20. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/07/10/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-20/
21. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/07/11/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-21/
22. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/07/21/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-22/
23. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/07/22/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-23/
24. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/07/25/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-24/
25. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/07/26/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-25/
26. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/08/01/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-26-counting-ac-units/
27. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/08/04/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-27-basketball-anyone/
28. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/08/06/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-28-eureka/
29. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/08/22/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-29/
30. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/08/28/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-30/
31. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/09/20/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-31/
32. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/10/01/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-32/
33. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/10/23/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-33/
34. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/11/19/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-34/
35. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/11/20/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-35/
36. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/11/25/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-36/
37. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/11/26/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part37/
38. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/11/27/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-38/
39. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/11/28/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-39/
40. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/11/29/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-40/
41. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/12/02/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-41/
42. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/12/03/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-42/
43. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/12/04/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-43/
44. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/12/05/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-44/
45. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/12/10/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-45/
46. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/01/10/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-46-renos-ushcn-station/
47. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/01/20/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-47/
48. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/01/23/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-48-noaa-admits-to-error-with-baltimores-rooftop-ushcn-station/
49. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/01/27/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-49-alaskas-coop-stations/
50. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/01/29/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-50-how-to-make-a-rural-station-urban/
51. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/02/14/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-51/
52. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/02/17/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-52-another-ufa-sighted-in-arizona/
53. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/03/17/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-53-find-the-noaa-thermometer-in-this-picture/
54. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/03/24/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-54-los-angeles-the-city/
55. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/04/01/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-55/
56. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/04/03/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-56/
57. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/04/10/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-57/
58. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/04/14/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-58/
59. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/04/16/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-59/
60. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/04/17/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-60/
61. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/04/18/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-61-maintenance-optional/
62. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/05/19/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-62/
63. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/05/28/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-63/
64. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/06/17/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-64/
65. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/06/17/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-65/
66. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/07/07/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-66/
67. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/07/15/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-67/
68.  http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/07/28/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-68/
69. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/08/23/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-69/
70. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/09/12/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-70/
71. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/09/15/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-71-noaa-neglect-of-volunteer-observers/
72. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/10/04/how-not-to-measure-temperature-italian-style/
73. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/10/30/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-73-in-the-middle-of-nowhere/
74. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/11/19/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-74/
75. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/11/20/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-75/
76. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/11/24/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-76/
77. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/11/26/surveying-a-weather-station-by-watching-jeopardy/
78. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/11/27/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-78-teach-the-children-well/
79. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/12/08/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-79-would-you-could-you-with-a-boat/
80. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/01/02/where-thermometers-go-to-die-how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-80/
81. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/02/07/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-81-roofing-the-past-in-columbia/
82. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/02/13/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-82-friday-the-13th-the-temperature-shelter/
83. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/02/20/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-83-no-smoking-please/
84. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/03/22/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-84-pristine-mohonk-lake-ushcn-station-revisited/
85. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/03/23/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-85-what-katrina-did-for-temperature-measurement/
86. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/03/28/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-86-when-in-rome-dont-do-as-the-romans-do/
87. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/05/28/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-87-grilling-in-the-cornhusker-state/
88. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/06/16/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-88-honolulus-official-temperature-2/
89. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/07/04/how-not-to-measure-temperature-part-89-surface-temperature/

To balance the hugely unfair selection of stations shown above, here are some posts about stations that are exceptionally well sited and maintained:

1. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/07/04/how-to-measure-temperature-part-1/
2. http://wattsupwiththat.com/2007/07/05/how-to-measure-temperate-part-2-down-under/

I wouldn't want to sound too judgmental, but the survey results show that the USHCN is anything but a high quality network, because about 89% of stations surveyed fail to meet reasonable standards for siting. Standards published by the same people who created the USHCN in the first place.

A report was published at the 70% coverage point, and more analysis is in the works.

Worse, it is hard to imagine that the situation in much of the rest of the world is a whole lot better.