Clear forecast

Related Photos

Jason Givens, a field technician with the Kentucky Climate Center, installs an aspirated shield Tuesday on the 10-meter weather station tower at Eastern Kentucky University’s Meadowbrook Farm. The aspirated shield uses three probes to measure air temperature.

July 1, 2009

Weather network station erected at university farm

Bill Robinson The Richmond Register Wed Jul 01, 2009, 08:25 AM EDT

Weather data from Eastern Kentucky University’s Meadowbrook Farm soon will be available live on the Internet.

Temperature, humidity and solar radiation, as well as wind speed and direction readings from instruments being installed at the farm will be updated on kymesonet.org every five minutes.

Graphs will display data for the previous 24 hours, according to Dr. Stuart Foster, who directs the state climate center at Western Kentucky University.

Concrete foundations for the weather station were poured last week, and a 10-meter tower was erected Tuesday.

Instruments on the tower will record air temperature, wind speed and direction and humidity.

An adjacent precipitation gauge will collect and weigh rain water and melted snow. A nearby set of two 130-watt solar panels not only will measure sunlight, its photovolatic cells will generate electricity to operate the station, said Steve Struebig, meterorolgy/electronics technician with the climate center who supervised the installation.

In the future, soil moisture monitors may be installed at the station, he said.

The solar-generated electricity will be stored in two 12-volt batteries.

“The batteries will enable this station to operate for up to 10 days without sunlight,” Struebig said.

The station should be uploading data to the Internet in about two weeks, he said.

It will be part of the network operated by the Kentucky Climate Center that eventually will collect data from 100 sites around the state. Already there are 28 stations are in place, including one in Jackson County. The next nearest stations to Madison County are on the Fayette-Jessamine county line and the Garrard-Lincoln county line.

About 50 stations may be in place by the end of the year, Struebig said.

“This (Madison County) site will provide valuable data to assist National Weather Service meteorologists in producing forecasts and severe weather warnings, and will also provide benefits to a wide range of interests in the local area,” Foster said.

Data from the stations will be immediately useful to emergency, agriculture, utility, construction and recreation managers as well as weather forecasters, Foster said.

The information also will help climatologists track long-term weather trends, he said.

Foster said initial funding for the Kentucky Mesonet was secured by U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-KY, through a $2.9 million federal appropriation.

Bill Robinson can be reached brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 624-6622.

Text Only

Religion and Education

EKU tuition, dorm fees going up 5 percent
Eastern Kentucky University students will be paying 5 percent more for both tuition and residence hall rooms after the board of regents approved the rate hikes Thursday.
Full-time students are paying $3,480 per semester for tuition this spring. In the fall, that figure will rise $180 to $3,660.

April 27, 2012
Pieces of the past
The secrets hidden in a time capsule at Union City Baptist Church saw the light of day Saturday for the first time since Dec. 13, 1953.
The time capsule was placed in the church’s marble cornerstone 50 years ago at the dedication of extensive remodeling and addition of a baptistery and a basement to the church building.

April 2, 2012 3 Photos
A day of worship is a day of refreshing
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint.” — Isaiah 40:31

February 25, 2012 1 Photo
EKU provost named first male president of women’s Catholic university
A long-time administrative figure at Eastern Kentucky University has made history by being named the first male president of a Baltimore Catholic women’s college.
James Conneely, EKU’s Associate Provost and Vice President for Student Affairs since 2003, will preside over Notre Dame of Maryland University beginning July 1.

February 24, 2012 1 Photo
Christmas on Sunday prompts many church schedule changes
With Christmas falling on a Sunday, many local churches are planning Christmas eve services on Saturday night and altering their Sunday morning schedules.
All but one church contacted in a random sampling by the Richmond Register are canceling Sunday school on Christmas day.

December 23, 2011
Whitlock to leave school board Dec. 31
Doug Whitlock, the Eastern Kentucky University president who currently chairs the Madison County School Board, announced Thursday evening he will be leaving the school board Dec. 31.
Whitlock said time constraints prompted his decision. His first commitment is to his contractual position at the university, attempting to do both jobs would prevent him from doing justice to either obligation, he told the school board.

November 11, 2011 1 Photo
Rockin' reward rally
Martha Scarberry, vice-principal of B. Michael Caudill Middle School, crowd surfs with students Thursday morning during the school’s 1980’s rock star-themed Renaissance Reward Rally. The rally, featuring teacher skits, games, music and prize drawings, rewards students who have good grades and good attendance and have demonstrated good behavior.

November 4, 2011 3 Photos
EKU uses grant to help children with autism and their families
A series of grants from the WHAS Crusade for Children has enabled Eastern Kentucky University to enhance a program designed to assist children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and their families.
The University recently received $4,068.75 from the Crusade, the third consecutive year the Louisville station has assisted the ASD program, which was begun many years prior to the grants.

October 7, 2011
Church hosts fall festival on Saturday
Rosedale Baptist Church will host a fall festival Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring a kids carnival, food and refreshments, festival sale and open house.

October 7, 2011
District finding ways to improve student growth
After last month’s release of Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT) scores and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) progress report, three Madison County Schools were labeled as NCLB Improvement Schools after falling short of their proficiency goals.

October 6, 2011
More Religion and Education Headlines

Religion and Education

Search Results

Related Photos

Clear forecast

Weather network station erected at university farm

A recent health ranking listed Madison County as the 20th healthiest county in the state. It measured factors such as exercise, access to health care and smoking. Do you smoke cigarettes?

Site Map