Influence of the Meteorological Record Length on the Generation of Representative Weather Files

Heat and moisture (HM) transfer simulations of building envelopes and whole building energy simulations require adequate weather files. The common approach is to use weather data of reference years constructed from meteorological records. The weather record affects the capability of representing the real weather of the resulting reference years. In this paper the problem of the influence of the length of the records on the representativeness of the reference years is addressed and its effects are evaluated also for the applicative case of the moisture accumulation risk analysis with the Glaser Method and with DELPHIN 6, confirming that records shorter than 10 years could lead to less representative reference years. On the other hand, it is shown that reference years obtained from longer periods are not representative of the most recent years, which present higher dry-bulb air temperatures due to a short-term climate change effect observed in all the considered weather records. An alternative representative year (Moisture Representative Year) to be used in building energy simulations with a strong dependence on moisture is presented.

Summer

Chapter 22 provides a detailed analysis of the long weather record at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford for summer. Averages and extremes of temperature, precipitation and sunshine are presented, with coverage relevant to the month or season including the incidence of snowfall, thunderstorms, gales and the like, illustrated by contemporary accounts and photography. Each chapter ends with a complete time series of the mean temperature, total precipitation and total sunshine for the month or season from the entire record, updated to 2018.

Spring

Chapter 21 provides a detailed analysis of the long weather record at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford for spring. Averages and extremes of temperature, precipitation and sunshine are presented, with coverage relevant to the month or season including the incidence of snowfall, thunderstorms, gales and the like, illustrated by contemporary accounts and photography. Each chapter ends with a complete time series of the mean temperature, total precipitation and total sunshine for the month or season from the entire record, updated to 2018.

October

Chapter 16 provides a detailed analysis of the long weather record at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford for October. Averages and extremes of temperature, precipitation and sunshine are presented, with coverage relevant to the month or season including the incidence of snowfall, thunderstorms, gales and the like, illustrated by contemporary accounts and photography. Each chapter ends with a complete time series of the mean temperature, total precipitation and total sunshine for the month or season from the entire record, updated to 2018.

June

Chapter 12 provides a detailed analysis of the long weather record at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford for June. Averages and extremes of temperature, precipitation and sunshine are presented, with coverage relevant to the month or season including the incidence of snowfall, thunderstorms, gales and the like, illustrated by contemporary accounts and photography. Each chapter ends with a complete time series of the mean temperature, total precipitation and total sunshine for the month or season from the entire record, updated to 2018.

July

Chapter 13 provides a detailed analysis of the long weather record at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford for July. Averages and extremes of temperature, precipitation and sunshine are presented, with coverage relevant to the month or season including the incidence of snowfall, thunderstorms, gales and the like, illustrated by contemporary accounts and photography. Each chapter ends with a complete time series of the mean temperature, total precipitation and total sunshine for the month or season from the entire record, updated to 2018.

April

Chapter 10 provides a detailed analysis of the long weather record at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford for April. Averages and extremes of temperature, precipitation and sunshine are presented, with coverage relevant to the month or season including the incidence of snowfall, thunderstorms, gales and the like, illustrated by contemporary accounts and photography. Each chapter ends with a complete time series of the mean temperature, total precipitation and total sunshine for the month or season from the entire record, updated to 2018.

December

Chapter 18 provides a detailed analysis of the long weather record at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford for December. Averages and extremes of temperature, precipitation and sunshine are presented, with coverage relevant to the month or season including the incidence of snowfall, thunderstorms, gales and the like, illustrated by contemporary accounts and photography. Each chapter ends with a complete time series of the mean temperature, total precipitation and total sunshine for the month or season from the entire record, updated to 2018.