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.
Religion and Education
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.
Clear forecast
Weather network station erected at university farm
- Religion and Education
-
-
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. -
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. -
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.
-
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. -
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.
-
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.
-
Musical extravaganza
Five-year-old Carson Bennett catches a foul ball while performing Thursday alongside Madison Central High School students in “What a Game” from the musical “Ragtime” during an in-school performance of the third-annual MCHS Fall Musical Revue. Public performances of the show, featuring selections from several musicals including “Annie,” “The Sound of Music,” “West Side Story,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” and others, are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. in the MCHS Auditorium. Tickets, available at the door, are $8.
-
Fresh and delicious
Mayfield Elementary School is one of 128 Kentucky schools to receive a grant to participate in a program that will introduce a variety of fruits and vegetables to students.
As part of the federal Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mayfield will receive $19,332.50 for the 2011-12 school year. -
EKU to host Town and Gown annual conference
Eastern Kentucky University and the City of Richmond will host the International Town and Gown Association’s seventh annual University-City Relations Conference in 2012.
-
Former commissioner visits with local students
Madison County Schools students welcomed the opportunity Wednesday to speak with Gene Wilhoit, executive director for the Council of Chief State School Officers. Wilhoit traveled to Kentucky for a site visit with the six school districts in the state that are participating in an initiative to discover how education can be changed to better prepare students for their futures.
- More Religion and Education Headlines
-
Christmas on Sunday prompts many church schedule changes
Killer of Fla. Girl Found in Landfill Gets Life
Army Orders Bradley Manning Court-martial
Cancer Charity Revives Breast-screening Grants
Heavy Snowstorm Hits Colorado On Its Way East
2nd Teacher From LA School Arrested on Sex Claim
Prosecutors Close Armstrong Inquiry, No Charges
Sights and Sounds: Football Fans Pour Into Indy
Unemployment Rate Down to 8.3%
Obama: Still Far Too Many Americans Need Jobs
GOP: Jobs Numbers Welcome, Can Do Better
Fla. Man Adopts Girlfriend in Legal Battle
More Deaths As Egypt Clashes Continue
Raw Video: Prince William in Falklands
Egpyt Protesters Blame Police for Soccer Deaths
'Lucky' 9-Year-Old Receives 6-Organ Transplant
Raw Video: Michelle Vs. Ellen in Pushup Contest
First Person: Will Peyton Manning Stay in Indy?
Egypt Shaken After Deadly Soccer Riot
New Suits, New Starts for New York's Unemployed
Hall of Famer Dorsett Speaks Out on NFL Injuries
