Airports as Weather Stations: A Century of Standardization

If you trace every city's "official" climate back through time, the odds are high that the station is at the main civil airport. This wasn't always true — pre-aviation-era records often came from downtown rooftops or post offices.

Airports won out because they offer three things weather observations need: open terrain (no urban heat bias), standardized instruments (enforced by the FAA), and 24/7 human presence (legal requirement for flight operations).

The downside is that airports often sit on the outskirts of cities in cooler microclimates. Portland's official station is near the Columbia River, which runs cooler than the city proper. Phoenix Sky Harbor sits in one of the warmest parts of the metro area. Every city page on this site lists its primary station so you can judge whether it represents your neighborhood well.