Compton Abbas Weather Station

Current Weather

Wendy Windblows is a subscription service. If you are already a subscriber, log in here.

To find out more about joining and using the service, click here.

Station Details

Public Access by Telephone

Live Winds NOW call 0900-900-7000 and enter 04 after the opening beep.

Calls cost 50p/min at all times. Details...

Subscribers Access

Subscribers call 01747-811-558   Details... and help....

Station Situation

Compton Abbas Wendy station is at Compton Abbas Airfield, on top of an 800 foot escarpment southeast of Shaftesbury. For detailed location, see the linked map.|OS Grid ref: ST893189|Altitude: 755ft (230m)

Interpreting Readings

The anemometer is approx 40 feet above ground level, and is in clear air for most directions. However, there is a belt of trees to the south which cause turbulence, which makes the station under-read in Southerly winds, as well as making landings at the airfield difficult (and interesting to watch!). NOTE: This station readout is in Knots, unlike most inland stations, as the GA pilots think in Knots, whereas Hang and Paragliders think in MPH. To get MPH, add 15% approx to the Knots reading. E.G. 20 knots = 23 mph. more...

Pilot Notes

The site is used by Light Aircraft (GA) pilots, and although Compton is not a Hang Gliding site, the station provides readings for several Hang Gliding and Paragliding sites nearby, such as Bell Hill, , which are flown by the Wessex Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club, who should be contacted before flying a Hang or Paraglider in the area.

Local contacts

Wessex Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club

Service Status

This station is operating intermittently, as it is solar-powered, and the current low temperatures are causing battery low-voltage problems (just as your car is reluctant to start in this weather), along with snow on the solar panels causing the battery not to charge. It usually starts up part-way through each day when things warm up a bit, and the sun comes out to put some charge in the battery. See Winter Gloom  notes at foot of this page, below.