A two-year temperature comparison conducted in Reno found that the official weather station at Reno-Tahoe International Airport recorded consistently warmer readings than a nearby independently operated reference station located about a mile away.
The analysis, released by The Heartland Institute, compared data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) station at the airport with a reference station installed in December 2023 on a grassy site approximately 1.1 miles from the runways.
The airport station, which provides official climate data for Reno, is situated between runways and surrounded by paved surfaces, taxiways, and airport infrastructure. The separate reference station — part of the Global Open Atmospheric Temperature System (GOATS) — was placed in an open grassy area intended to meet established siting standards and avoid nearby heat-retaining materials such as asphalt and concrete.
Temperature Differences Observed
Researchers compared daily high, low, and average temperatures across 2024 and 2025. According to the report, the airport station recorded higher temperatures on most days during both years…