Holiday gift ideas for the weather enthusiast

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - If you have a weather enthusiast on your holiday list this year, why not get them something that celebrates that passion.

One of my favorite weather tools is a handheld weather station. They run from around $75 to a couple of hundred dollars depending on the model. You can find them on Amazon, among other places. Mine has lasted me about 10 years so far. I use it on my Good Morning Arizona live shots to tell temperature and wind speeds, but I’ve been known to pull this out at home on a windy day or on a road trip, too.

If you want to spend a bit more, an at-home weather station, there is another way to go. Who wouldn’t want to know exactly how much rain fell at their house? Or how strong that wind gust was that just blew down your tree? There are lots of options out there for home weather stations. Some will only tell you the temperature, but this one is a little more comprehensive and also stores weather history for your home weather, as well. I love that you can hook it up online through wunderground.com and log in to check your weather station reports from your phone. The Ambient version I’d recommend is the one I have at my house, and so does chief meteorologist Royal Norman.

If your kids are interested in weather, “The Everything KIDS’ Weather Book” is chock full of weather-related activities and facts. There are also a couple of cute weather fiction books for younger children that I love. Janice Dean wrote “Freddy the Frogcaster,” and it’s really witty.

Former 3TV Meteorologist Brittney Shipp wrote “The Meteorologist in Me,” the tale of a girl named Summer who dreams of becoming a TV meteorologist. She loves to share her passion for weather with the world, and this book is about following your own passion, no matter what others might say to discourage you.

A couple great books for adults fascinated by weather: Randy Cerveny is an ASU professor and these are two of his fantastic books. Freaks of the Storm and Weather’s Greatest Mysteries Solved. I’ve given this next one as a gift before. The Forecast for D-Day: And the Weatherman Behind Ike’s Greatest Gamble. It’s the little known story of the role the weather played in that well-known invasion.

If you want to shop local and support one of the great Arizona storm chasers, Mike Olbinski has some great prints of his work. I bought a beautiful print of lightning over the Superstitions a couple of years ago for my parents. And perfect for 2020, for about $40, you can get one of his stunning weather photos on a puzzle.

Happy gifting!