University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory  The University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory, is an atmospheric observatory and weather station located on the Whiteknights Campus of the University of Reading. It forms part of the university's "Department of Meteorology". The site at its current location has been a centre for atmospheric research since 1970, but the weather record was originally started by the University College of Reading (a precursor of the university) in 1901 at the London Road campus as a rainfall station with a near complete daily record from January 1908. Automatic meteorological observations are continually recorded at the site and available online  The first full meteorological observations from Reading were published in the Monthly Weather Report of the Meteorological Office in 1904. The site was at London Road on the best available position at the time, the Library Lawn. Records of barometric pressure, dry bulb, wet bulb, maximum and minimum temperatures, rainfall, cloud amount and form, wind direction and force and weather, both at time of observation and generally throughout the day were kept; the original notebooks are available from about 1910. Earth temperatures at 1 foot and 2 feet (later 4 feet) below the surface were also being made and grass minimum temperatures were added. Sunshine records started in 1956 when a Campbell Stokes sunshine recorder was put on the parapet of the Agricultural Botany building. The station was upgraded in the 1960s and the number of instruments increased, including a bare soil minimum thermometer, a cup counter anemometer and a Casella siphon rainfall recorder. A new Meteorological Site came into operation on January 1, 1968, located on the main University campus between the University boiler house and Wilderness Wood. New instruments were added including a ground level rain gauge and an inline Munro wind direction and speed recorder, the head of which was mounted on a 50 foot lattice tower and the recorder in a special hut near the Meteorological Enclosure. For a while sunshine records continued to be kept at the London Road site, but an excellent position was found on the roof of the new Chemistry Department building at Whiteknights, thanks to the help and enthusiasm of Professor Fowles, the then Head of Department. In 1969-70, due to the proposed development of the Wilderness Road site, a new Meteorological Enclosure had to be found. Late in 1969 a site was found on land east of the Whiteknights Lakes and adjoining Bridges Hall. A quick changeover took place to the new enclosure for records to start, unbroken, on January 1, 1970. Due to difficulties with the re-erection of the wind tower, it was some months before the Munro wind direction and speed measurements moved to the site's final location.