OMRON Weather Station Tracks and Monitors Effects of Solar Eclipse

On April 8th, the US experienced a rare phenomenon of a total solar eclipse that could be seen by those fortunate to be in its path. Even those who did not see totality may have still noticed the effects of the eclipse like a change in the air and lighting as the moon reached peak coverage of the sun. If you weren’t sure just how much changed as a result of the moon blocking the sun, consider the data collected by the OMRON Weather Station!

OMRON’s own weather station placed just outside its office in Hoffman Estates, IL was able to collect weather data in real time to give us an interesting picture of the changes in temperature, humidity, light, and barometric pressure as the eclipse hit peak coverage.

As the eclipse hit its peak around 2:08PM, we can see a massive dip in the illuminance detected by the weather station, the most obvious change with the blockage of the sun (see the data image on the left). Shortly after, the darkened sky began to show effects on the temperature and barometric pressure. Lack of light begins to cool the air, slowing gas particle motion which lowers the air pressure over time. We can see this effect peaked slightly after the climax of the eclipse, as it might take a bit more time for the elements to feel the effects of the sun’s coverage. With an expected temperature of 71 degrees that day in Hoffman Estates, the eclipse caused the temperature to dip from 67 degrees before the start of the event to just over 63 degrees.