The meteorological station of the University of Graz has been located on the current campus since 1891. It is a WMO (World Meteorological Organization) Centennial Observing Station with a data record of more than 100 years and continuously collects data for weather and climate research. In cooperation with GeoSphere Austria, our research group operates two semi-automated weather stations (TAWES) that comply with international standards.
With modern instruments and the expertise of specialists, the University of Graz measures important weather data such as temperature, humidity, air pressure, precipitation, wind speed and direction as well as sunshine duration. On this page we would like to provide you with an overview of these parameters and also give you an insight into the measured values of the last few days.
Temperature
Air temperature is one of the most basic and commonly measured meteorological variables and describes the thermal state of the atmosphere near the ground.
Air humidity
Relative humidity is the ratio of the existing humidity to the maximum possible humidity. At a relative humidity of 100 %, the air is completely saturated.
Air pressure
Air pressure describes the force of the air molecules on a surface. High pressure areas indicate more stable conditions, while low pressure areas usually herald unstable weather with rain and wind.
Precipitation
Precipitation is any form of water or solid particles that fall from the atmosphere onto the earth's surface. This can take the form of rain, snow, hail or sleet.
Wind
Knowledge about wind speed and wind direction is essential for understanding weather events such as frontal passages, local wind conditions or the development of storms.
Sunshine
Sunshine duration is the actual duration of direct sunlight at a particular location. It is usually measured in hours per day and has a variety of effects on the weather and climate.
ARAD - Austrian Radiation
Since September 2011, the ARAD station Graz University has been operated as part of a high-quality radiation measurement network. This is done in close cooperation with GeoSphere Austria (formerly the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics) in Vienna.
Cloud camera
A cloud camera is operated at the Institute of Physics to document the clouds photographically. This camera provides color images with a 180° field of view of the sky.
ANIP - Austrian monitoring network for isotopes in precipitation and surface waters
The station is a measuring station of the Austrian precipitation isotope measuring network ANIP. The precipitation collected is sent in for analysis for the isotopes oxygen-18, deuterium and tritium. The measurement data is freely accessible via the Austrian Water Information System.
Local dose rate measurement
Until June 19, 2023, a gamma measuring station of the Austrian radiation early warning system was located at the weather station. (Background information and a presentation of the temporal development of the dose rate since 1983 at the Graz measuring station (p. 26) can be found in the 2008-2009 annual report of the radiation early warning system). This station was decommissioned prior to the construction of the new building - Graz Center of Physics.