Browse our wide range of weather barometer styles, from traditional barometers and banjo barometers through to new modern barometer designs for the home. We also have a range of outdoor barometers that are suitable for your garden.
Weather Barometers measure atmospheric pressure, and often have a tendency indicator of what the weather might do. If the needle is falling then it suggests rain or worse storm; if it is in the mid point it suggests change; if the needle is rising, then it suggests fair and settled weather is on the way.
Use the filters below to narrow the range by style, size, finish, brand or price.
What is a barometer? A short history
The barometer officially came into existence in 1643, invented by the Italian physicist Evangelista Torricelli. The background of barometers is as a scientific instrument to measure the weight of air pressing down upon it. Atmospheric pressure — which is to say the weight of the air directly above us — acts as an indicator of weather, and fluctuations in the recorded air pressure can often predict the impending changes in weather.
A rapid drop in air pressure has the effect of providing insufficient force to push clouds away rapidly. This results in inclement weather often hanging around for longer. Low air pressure is therefore associated with cloudy, rainy, or windy weather. Inversely, a rapid increase in pressure leads to clear skies and dry air.
Evangelista Torricelli discovered that a column of water in a glass tube would rise and fall as the air pressure changed. However, the tube length necessary to perform this experiment was taller than the height of his house, leading to his neighbours suggesting that he was involved in witchcraft. In order to avoid scrutiny, Torricelli reworked his experiment with the heaviest fluid he could find, which would require a much shorter tube. Mercury was chosen as it is 13.5 times as dense as water.
The mercury barometer
The mercury-based barometer was born. These barometers worked by having a tube sealed at the top and filled with the fluid. At the bottom was a reservoir of the same fluid, open to the air. As the air pressure increases, the weight of the air pushes the mercury up the tube, while the vacuum created by gravity pulling the mercury back down the tube prevents the fluid from entirely running out.
Unfortunately, mercury is a dangerous chemical. The inhalation of mercury vapour can produce harmful effects on many organs within the body. While mercury-based barometers were manufactured and sold worldwide until comparatively recently, for environmental and health reasons the continued manufacture of such barometers was banned in many areas of the world in the early 2000s. Every barometer on this page is a modern, mercury-free instrument.
Analogue and aneroid barometers
While the mercury barometer is now banned, there is another type of analogue barometer still very much available; the aneroid barometer. These are the devices most commonly seen in home settings, as they make attractive wall décor as well as being functional. Many of these designs are also suitable for mounting outdoors.
Invented in 1844 by the French scientist Lucien Vidi, these dial-fronted barometers have a metal chamber that expands and contracts depending on the air pressure acting upon it. The changes in the chamber size are measured mechanically.
The circular face of the aneroid barometer has a display that indicates the current air pressure and is reminiscent of a clock face with one hand. The hand moves back and forward in a clockwise or anticlockwise motion to indicate the current pressure, commonly measured in millibars.
Aneroid designs are cheaper, lighter, easier to transport and safer to be around when damage occurs. Because of this, and their generally appealing looks, the aneroid design came to dominate the barometer market a long time ago. Our own range starts with the compact 29-4003 barometer at £22.00 and the 13.5cm gold-finish barometer.
Banjo barometers
Many aneroid designs are paired with a thermometer and a hygrometer, which measures humidity, in a design known as a banjo barometer. See the full banjo barometer range, which runs from the natural-finish banjo at £36.95 and oak banjo at £42.95 through to the larger 58.95 oak design, mahogany banjo and walnut banjo at £99.95.
Indoor analogue barometers are often beautiful to look at, being a mix of wood and metal — often brass — that adds an old-world antique influence to any room they are added to. Browse the traditional wooden barometer range in solid oak, walnut, beech, pine and mahogany, including the solid oak barometer at £34.99, the walnut barometer at £52.99 and the Domatic walnut barometer. For a brass finish, see the brass barometer at £49.96.
Outdoor barometers
Outdoor barometers tend towards being entirely metal, giving them the ability to stand up to the elements. They are often much more compact than the banjo barometer and may have a lip protruding from the top to protect the device from rain. Our outdoor barometer range is built for permanent garden, porch and greenhouse use, starting with the 20-2045 outdoor barometer at £41.95 and the larger outdoor weather station barometer at £70.99.
Understanding pressure units
Common units for pressure include pounds per square inch; newtons per square metre; inches, centimetres, or millimetres of mercury; and millibars. We also refer to the standard air pressure on Earth at sea level as being 1 atmosphere, which equates to 14.7 pounds per square inch or 1013.25 millibars.
Historically, barometers were especially important on sailing vessels, as oncoming storms cause fast dips in the air pressure. The barometer therefore acted as an early warning for sailors, giving them time to prepare the ship for the incoming squall. Early altimeters were also barometers, using changes in air pressure to indicate height above sea level.
Modern barometers
Unsurprisingly, in our modern times, analogue barometers have lost a lot of ground to digital barometers. This is in large part thanks to the ability of digital devices to easily display a wealth of data at the touch of a button, with more accuracy, while also being easier to read than analogue devices. Our digital barometer range covers these models.
In addition, many modern digital barometers can record readings, showing both the current values and the information from up to 24 hours ago. They present these readings as a bar chart for easy comparison. This is very similar to a barograph, which is the older analogue version of the aneroid barometer that included clever mechanisms to etch a record on a slowly moving roll of paper.
If you doubt that you have any use for a barometer in your life, consider this — the digital barometer is embedded in most modern smartphones. It is the technology that allows your phone to detect your elevation, which helps the built-in GPS to work out where you are more accurately. It does this by measuring the air pressure, which decreases as you rise in elevation.
There are two distinct types of modern barometer currently available. As digital barometers rely on a screen, it is unsurprising that they are generally rectangular, with an LCD panel that displays all of the information gathered by the device. This often includes a graphic interpretation of how the day may look, such as clouds with the sun peeking out. The LCD panel is often monochrome, but it is possible to purchase digital barometers with displays that are more colourful in design and font for very little extra money.
If you hunger for sleek, modern-looking designs but still prefer the analogue option of aneroid dials, there are also many options that feature brushed metals, natural slate or frosted glass, with either a trio of dials or a single face. See the full modern barometer range, including the 37cm natural slate barometer, the design with metal trim, the 38.5cm grey barometer and the distinctive Sputnik barometer.
Barometer clocks
If you want a barometer that also tells the time, our 60cm combination designs pair a quartz clock with barometer, thermometer and hygrometer dials in a single wooden case. Choose from oak, walnut or mahogany. There are further combinations in our weather clock range.
Choosing a size
Small barometers from around 13cm suit a study, hallway or downstairs cloakroom. Mid-size designs between 20cm and 40cm are the most popular choice for a living room wall. Larger pieces from 42cm upwards — such as the 42cm solid oak barometer, the 42cm natural oak version or the 39cm silver design — make a feature above a fireplace or in a stairwell. Measure your wall before ordering and allow clear space around the case.
Setting up your barometer
An aneroid barometer needs setting to your altitude once, when you first hang it. Check the current sea-level pressure for your area from a local weather report, then adjust the small screw on the back of the case until the needle matches that figure. After that, use the brass pointer on the glass: set it against the needle, then look again a few hours later. If the needle has risen above the pointer, pressure is climbing and conditions are likely to improve. If it has fallen below, expect more unsettled weather. It is the direction of travel that matters, not the absolute number.
The future for barometers
Modern technology is slowly changing the way that many scientific instruments are used. Where does this leave the humble wall mounted barometer? Barometers are getting smarter all the time. Many can be linked with up to three temperature and humidity sensors located inside and outside your home, allowing you to monitor air pressure — which should be uniform throughout your house — as well as gathering internal and external temperatures from each location. This is ideal if you have areas of your house prone to becoming sun traps or overly cold in the winter.
For many, the decision to add a barometer to their home will be as much aesthetic as functional. Whether it is to add a touch of classic style with wood and metal aneroid designs, a modern minimalist look, or a higher level of interactive data on display in digital form, there is a barometer to suit your home.
Brands and related ranges
Most of the barometers on this page are made by TFA Dostmann of Germany. For hand-finished British instruments in solid timber, see FCC precision barometers. You may also want to browse our wider traditional weather instrument range and our separate hygrometer range.
Need help choosing?
Every barometer is dispatched from our UK warehouse, calibrated and ready to hang. If you are unsure which size, finish or type suits your room, call us on 01243 558280 and we will talk it through.