Weather stations continues to grow

In 1992 the University of Missouri Extension Commercial Agriculture program established a small network of automated weather stations, Pat Guinan, MU Extension state climatologist, said.

The network was named the Extension Commercial Agriculture Automated Weather Stations Network.

Commercial Agriculture provides funds to support the development of the automated weather station network. However, Guinan said that some related organizations have provided funds for placement of stations as well.

For example the recently installed station in Wright County had the financial assistance to get the information they needed.

Also, the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Prairie Foundation provided support when the weather station at Williamsburg in Callaway County was established. Likewise the National Park Service provided support when the two weather stations at Alley and Round Springs were put in operation in Shannon County.

The vision for these weather stations was to support high technology agriculture and preservation of the environment, he said. The early weather stations provided hourly temperatures, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, rainfall, soil temperature and moisture, solar radiation, barometric pressure, and temperature of soil covered with corn, soybean, and wheat residue.

The network has grown to 26 stations across the Show Me state and the vision has exceeded expectations, Guinan said.

The first 12 stations collected the daily information and made it available early the following morning. Now 14 stations make the information available via "real-time" in five minutes.

"In hindsight the network has not only been successful in the agricultural realm but its application has transcended numerous other vocations and interests. The network has become an important environmental data resource for Missouri citizens," he said.

These 14 stations are providing the latest fiveminute weather conditions for spray applicators over the Internet. With real-time weather the level of application increases significantly.

"For example real-time weather can provide the latest wind conditions for spray applicators. Missouri's Department of Agriculture's Pesticide Bureau receives about a dozen reported drift complaints annually," Guinan said.

More information about the weather station network is available at the following web site. http://Agebb.missouri.edu/weather/stations/index.htm.

The latest Commercial Agriculture automated weather stations installed are real-time stations for the information they gather can be viewed five minutes after they are recorded. Information from the remaining stations is available the following morning.