New Weather Reporting Stations Coming To Central Wisconsin

Saturday, August 26th, 2023 -- 8:15 AM

(Wisconsin Ag Connection) -Wisconsin’s wild weather has been on full display in 2023 with severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, wildfire smoke, heavy precipitation and extreme drought.

Weather can have an outsized impact on daily lives and the economy, but a team at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is making it easier than ever to access local weather data and make informed decisions. Throughout the spring and summer, a team of University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers has been transitioning 14 weather stations across Wisconsin from Michigan State’s Enviroweather program to a new Wisconsin-based program – called Wisconet. In the coming months, Wisconet will be installing new stations in Dane, Sauk, Jackson and Clark counties as part of the planned expansion to 90 weather stations, including at least one station in every county of the state.

“A common phrase is, ‘If you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes.’ Well, we’ll know how the weather changes because Wisconet stations are providing live weather data every five minutes to support local meteorologists, researchers, farmers and growers, and the people of Wisconsin,” says Chris Vagasky, research program manager for Wisconet. Each Wisconet station will report temperature and relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, liquid precipitation, solar radiation, leaf wetness, and soil moisture and temperature measurements. These data are critical to making appropriate decisions, whether it’s to issue a life-saving warning, make better farming decisions or change outdoor plans.

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