Hydrometeorological Station

an institution that conducts meteorological and hydrological observations of weather conditions and the condition of oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, and marshes.

Depending on their tasks, hydrometeorological stations are classified as continental, marine, river, lake, and marsh stations. Observations are made under a unified program according to a schedule. The first hydrometeorological (more precisely, meteorological) stations in Russia were organized at the beginning of the 19th century. At the end of the 19th century a large number of departmental hydrometeorological stations were established, including marine, agricultural, and railroad hydrometeorological stations. Under Soviet power the network of hydrometeorological stations has greatly expanded. (There are about 4,000 stations with a complex program of observations and about 6,000 posts with a simple program.) Hydrometeorological stations exist in all large cities, at airports, and in remote and hard-to-reach areas. In the USSR the basic network of hydrometeorological stations is part of the Hydrometeorological Service of the USSR.