A barometer measures atmospheric pressure, which is the amount of weight with which the atmosphere is pressing down on a given location of water or land. An anemometer measures wind speed as well as the direction in which the wind is blowing, while a hydrometer measures relative humidity, which is the amount of moisture present in the air. A pyranometer measures the amount of solar radiation at a given location, and this is helpful for indicating how quickly one might expect to get a sunburn, and how harmful the amount of solar radiation is at a given time. People use pyranometers to measure the UV index, among other things. Devices called rain gauges are used to measure how much rain is falling in a given location.
These are some pretty basic meteorological tools. More complex instruments which are engaged in remote sensing include weather satellites, as well as radar and lidar. Satellites take photographs of earth's atmosphere from great heights (from outer space) and mostly measure cloud cover and wind. Radar is good for collecting information about the types and amount of precipitation present in various locations (snow, hail, rain) and for measuring the characteristics (speed, direction, patterns) of wind currents. A lidar is basically a radar for measuring light, but it is also very good at creating detailed, three dimensional maps that give granular views of various topography.
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