Weather station readings more accurate in shade or direct sunlight?

[johnjacob]

I have a Weatherhawk WM 350 that I use to determine density altitudes when flying from small airports and also use when I go shooting. I was at the range today and I noticed a pretty big discrepancy in the temperatures I took in direct sunlight vs in the shade, such as under the shooting bench. In the shade it read 90-95 degrees during the day and in direct sunlight it read from 104-111. Forecast high was 92. Which of these temperatures is more accurate for putting into a ballistics program?

 

[rduckwor]

Shade. In the sunlight, direct heating is affecting the temp reading.

 

[Pinecone]

It is called radiant load. The temperature increase due to the radiant heating from sunlight.

Same thing that makes a dark firearm get REALLY hot sitting in the sun.

 

[johnjacob]

Thanks for the help guys. I kind of figured that the shade would be more accurate but I just wanted to confirm.

 

[Alpha2]

Think about the difference between free air, and the air just above the runway where your engine and airfoils are operating. It's kind of like that. If you can put your device under some kind of shield, you will have a better idea of the ambient temps, as opposed to what the baking effect of the direct sun is having on the device. Of course, most of the stuff that will shield your device will blow away around here if you don't have it staked down.