I would like an Accessory that works within the Tempest Ecosystem that I can put out by my pool that can alert me of lightning in the area, similar to what ThorGuard does for Golf Courses and other Public Facilities. Something that can alarm or have lights indicating lightning in the area.
How handy are you with say home automation? If you have like an Amazon Echo or other automation hub you can integrate with Tempest and then when lightening is detected turn on a power outlet that is connected to say a flashing lights etc. This solution would require one more service called IFTTT to make it work.
I am a little geeky and I am collecting the observation data which is broadcasted via UDP and locally using WeeWx and Raspberry Pi and then publishing the observation to what is MQTT Topic. Then my Hubitat can read the observations and then do automations based on the data. I have a RGB bulb that I set to red when lightning is detected and green when it has subsided over a period of time.
The Weatherflow API and other integrations are also possible such as using Home Assistant, Hubitat and others that have “applications” that can subscribe to the API and then you can trigger an activity.
Hubitat Setup (Simplified)
• Install WeatherFlow Lite or Snell’s driver via Hubitat Package Manager
• Tempest lightning events show up as attributes (e.g., , )
• Use Rule Machine to create:
• Trigger:
• Action: Turn on smart outlet (e.g., Zooz, TP-Link, or Zigbee plug)
You can even debounce it with a cooldown timer so it doesn’t flicker on/off with every strike.
Home Assistant Option
• Use the WeatherFlow UDP2MQTT integration or the native Tempest integration via HACS
• Lightning events are exposed as entities like
• Automations can be YAML-based or built in the UI:
trigger:
- platform: numeric_state
entity_id: sensor.lightning_strike_count
above: 0
action:
- service: switch.turn_on
target:
entity_id: switch.lightning_alert_lamp
What do you think?
The cheaper/easier way is to just buy any of the dozens of consumer electronic portable lightning sensors that are on the market. They all use the same Franklin AS3935 lightning sensor that’s in the Tempest, and portable use is what the AS3935 was designed for…..
Oh that is no fun…
Granted, but it shifts the corporate liability to another company when lightning strikes the pool and kills someone because the AS3935 chip missed the approaching storm, or if IFTTT is down, your home automation platform fails, etc…..
True if you want a party to be legally responsible for reporting lightening threats then step up with the big boys and pay the price. What you are paying for when you buy those devices is insurance policy of if it doesn’t report and someone gets hurt you may have the option to sue. Makes sense in a public place like a golf course and swimming pool.
As for home reporting it’s as Tempest reports which could be actionable but no guarantees, and the installer, integrator, home user accepts protentional limitations to what is installed. I would never blindly trust any technology that can have critical impact of my life.
…and I wouldn’t trust anything containing an AS3935 chip for uses beyond entertainment purposes only. They are far from scientific instruments, and should only be used as a layer of the onion in a multi-method storm protection system…