Site Selection

Louisiana is a diverse state, both in landscape and weather conditions from north to south, west to east. Many stations spread across the state's different regions are required to capture the diversity in weather and climate conditions, and to fill coverage gaps in the other surface observing systems. The initial capital outlay for the Louisiana State Mesonet will consist of 50 mesonet sites.

To determine target areas for site installations, the ULM mesonet team worked with other weather and climate leaders across the state, such as meteorologists at the National Weather Service, to identify locations most in need of supplemental weather data. This resulted in over 100 potential target areas. The ULM mesonet team further narrowed site selection based on (1) geographic diversity and (2) distance from other quality surface sites. This resulted in a list of 50 candidate locations. Actual site selection within the 50 candidate locations is based on finding locations with suitable weather instrument siting considerations, and securing permissions/suitable site agreements with land owners.

Before installing a site, the ULM mesonet team must meet with the land owner/site host, and scout the candidate location in person to ensure it meets the considerations listed below. The map to the right shows the current progress.