Each of the previous chapters in this book is summarized in a ‘One minute summary’; this final chapter brings all of those ‘One minute summaries’ and the page numbers for that chapter together for ease of reference. Alongside the subject index, this arrangement permits rapid reference and recall to any of the information contained within this book.

Every day, millions of weather measurements are made by people and automated sensors across the globe, on land, over the oceans, in the upper reaches of the atmosphere and from space, providing the raw data essential to supercomputer-based weather forecasting models that are vital to modern economies. This chapter provides an introduction to making weather observations, for all levels of ability and motivation, from weather enthusiasts to professional users. In doing so, the history of early meteorological instruments and observers is covered, together with details of many of the locations around the world where continuous weather and climate observations have been made for well over 100 years.

In order to provide representative measurements of meteorological conditions, instruments must be deployed in suitable locations or sites, while the instruments themselves must be exposed to the weather conditions they are intended to measure in a standardized manner. This chapter sets out what those standardised conditions of site and exposure are, following the guidelines laid down by the World Meteorological Organization in the so-called CIMO guide (Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation).