What is a mesonet?

Mesonets are interconnected networks of automated weather stations installed across an entire state or region and are built to improve detection and monitoring of local or regional weather conditions. Typically, each mesonet station will collect data on temperature, relative humidity, pressure, solar radiation, wind speed and direction, and precipitation at rapid intervals (every 3 to 60-seconds). Some stations include complementary measurements like soil conditions, snow cover, cloud cover, or cameras to view the surrounding conditions.

Many states have established independent mesonets, often managed by universities, in response to the need for precise, accurate, and timely weather information. To date, approximately 30 mesonets are established across the United States, filling coverage gaps in the federal weather observing network. State mesonets typically partner with NOAA to deliver data to the National Weather Service through the National Mesonet Program (https://nationalmesonet.us).

How will the mesonet benefit Louisiana?

Weather and environmental monitoring is critical for human survival and proper resource management. Weather and climate disasters, such as tropical cyclones, severe weather episodes, major floods, droughts, and winter weather can significantly impact both the social and economic welfare across the state. In the past 20 years, Louisiana has experienced 46 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters , with these events severely impacting public life and property.

The Louisiana State Mesonet will provide weather data at frequent intervals across areas of the state where there are current gaps in data coverage. By filling these gaps, the mesonet data will provide “ground truth” observations that give a more accurate indication of current weather conditions, which could improve weather nowcasting and forecasting. Specific sectors across Louisiana that may benefit from the mesonet data include:

• Weather Forecasting. Most severe and hazardous weather occur on scales small enough to be missed by the National Weather Service’s current observing network. The Louisiana mesonet will provide forecasters both in the public and private sector more frequent and localized information to improve weather forecasts and weather warnings.
• Homeland Security & Emergency Management. The Louisiana mesonet will provide statewide, real-time weather monitoring to facilitate rapid response from emergency management officials to locations experiencing conditions hazardous to life and property. It will support decision making for local officials related to public health issues or weather-related school closures. The mesonet could enable real-time dispersion modeling capabilities to improve response times and decision-making related to major industrial accidents (e.g., release plumes of hazardous material) or other airborne threats, such as those related to terrorism, or smoke from wildland fires.
• Aviation. The Louisiana mesonet will provide critical weather information at the ground to professional and amateur pilots. This information can be used to reduce fuel expenditures, and provide better information for arrivals and departures, thereby saving millions of dollars.
• Energy & Renewables. Mesonet data can help energy companies make real-time decisions to prepare infrastructure for damaging weather and protect the safety of their employees in the field. Mesonet data can also help energy companies better estimate energy needs, which helps to reduce energy consumption and keep prices down. For example, improved temperature data in the summer can identify localized hot spots where energy consumption may increase over the next few hours. Climatological data provided by the mesonet would be valuable to the growing renewable energy sector by helping optimize the placement of wind and solar farms. The mesonet will collect high resolution solar and wind data, providing critical information for improved monitoring, operating efficiency, and energy optimization.
• Agriculture. The Louisiana agriculture sector is a nearly $3 billion/year industry that is very sensitive to weather; weather-related disasters can often cause losses of entire crops. Accurate and timely weather information provided by a Louisiana mesonet would allow for mitigation measures that can reduce crop damage, or allow for more efficient planting, fertilizing, and harvesting. A Louisiana mesonet will provide valuable information related to pest spraying, irrigation schedules, and frost protection. Mesonet data would increase efficiency for this industry, which can translate to several millions in statewide savings every year.
• Transportation. Hazardous weather conditions are responsible for millions of vehicle accidents per year, in addition to traffic delays costing time and money. The Louisiana mesonet will provide valuable data to both state and local transportation agencies on weather conditions, who could use the data to deploy critical equipment, enact necessary road closures, and alert messaging to motorists. Mesonet data can allow these officials to deploy resources more accurately, saving taxpayer dollars by conserving fuel and labor, while also improving roadway safety.
• Education/Research. The Louisiana mesonet will provide unique learning opportunities for Louisiana K-12 schools and universities, improving access to STEM related learning materials associated with the collection of environmental data. The mesonet may increase the number of motivated and qualified students interested in seeking a STEM degree; it has been noted that STEM degree holders are needed to sustain future economic growth and development in Louisiana. Mesonet data can be used by students and faculty in Louisiana universities for various state and regional weather and climate related projects. The mesonet would lead to improved opportunities for grant funding from the NSF, NASA, NOAA, USDA, and DOE.

Who will have access to the data collected by the Louisiana Mesonet?

Mesonet data will always be free to the public for personal use or educational establishments for pedagogy. Once stations come online, the real-time data will be publicly available for free through data visualizations via the Louisiana Mesonet website. A cost-recovery fee may be charged for all commercial data requests, some university research requests, and requests for a live feed of raw mesonet data, or archived data. Parishes, cities, townships, or other landowners who host a mesonet station will receive their local data (live or archived) at no cost. The Louisiana Mesonet is also partnering with the National Mesonet Program to provide real-time data to the National Weather Service.

How many sites will the Louisiana Mesonet have?

Our initial funding supports the installation of 50 mesonet stations across the state. We hope to secure additional funds for expansion to 75-100 sites in future years. If your community is interested in funding the installation of a mesonet station outside our initial plans, please contact someone on the ULM mesonet team.