Atomic Clocks and Digital Weather Stations

You just got used to setting the digital clock on your computer. Do you really need an atomic clock included in your weather station? Just what is an atomic clock anyway? It sounds like the title of a disaster movie of the week.

There's nothing disastrous or frightening about atomic clocks. they synchronize via radio signal with the local time. Most atomic clocks sold in the US are designed to pick up signals in the US and display Central, Eastern, Mountain or Pacific time as well as the calendar day. The atomic clock in your digital weather station never needs updating, unlike the clock on your computer.

What does this mean? It means that at 9:18 a.m., you can record the humidity level (nonexistent), and later at 3 p.m., you can record it again (bad hair day level). Or you can check the breeze (NW, 30 mph) and check it again (gale force, better bar the door).

If you want to keep track of weather trends with a journal, an atomic clock is ideal. That way, should you find yourself in your very own disaster movie, you can utter the line of every Movie-of-the-week beleaguered hero or heroine: "I knew the storm of the century was coming, but did you listen to me? Get inside before it's too late!"