Out of pure interest, I've just started to compare mean values obtained using hourly readings with those obtained using only the max and min values.
Yesterday my location came in at 15.65*C for Max and Min but 15.88*C for the combined Hourly Means.
Meanwhile analysis for Heathrow returns 19.55*C and 19.84*C respectively.
This is not surprising really, given that the hours of heating are considerably longer than those of cooling at this time of year.
Where the hourly method would really come into its own would be on a day where it's cloudy and in the high teens for much of the time but then there's a brief period of sunshine causing a sudden jump in temperatures well into the 20's - taking the hourly means combined would give a more accurate representation of what most people experienced that day than the traditional max + min method.
I may get to test that theory out over the coming few days
I reckon you would see some of the largest differences between the two methods on days in winter where it's mild and cloudy until a sudden clearance and drop in temperature late in the night. I'll aim to run a short experiment this coming winter should such conditions arise
Originally Posted by: Stormchaser