STURGEON BAY, Wi. (WFRV) – A new network of weather stations is coming to the state of Wisconsin through outside funding.

Chris Vagasky, manager of the Wisconet, says these stations will collect a variety of useful data, including air temperature, dew point temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, liquid precipitation, solar radiation, soil moisture, soil temperature, and leaf wetness.
There are currently fourteen stations within the network, with four more planned by the end of 2023, with the final total slated to be around ninety to one hundred and five. This project seeks to add 20-25 stations a year and is expected to be completed in 2026.

Vagasky says the main goal of this project is decision making, as “having a weather station within a few miles of your house is going to help you better understand “Do I need to water my grass” “Is the soil too dry?” “Do I have to water my plants” but even if you are deciding to go out on the lake or do a certain outdoor activity, having weather station data for the locations that you are going to, helps you to be better prepared.”

Along with decision-making, Vagasky says this network of stations will be helpful to the farming industry in Wisconsin with an emphasis on saving money.

“We are going to be providing all sorts of data and models that can benefit the growers so they can better be prepared for pests, for diseases, to improve their irrigation, to save money…we’ll have a model that models stress on cattle, so you know if the weather is getting too hot or too cold for them so you can take appropriate action to keep your cows safe”.

Over at the National Weather Service office in Green Bay, forecasters like Kurt Kotenberg say this mesonet will help day-to-day forecasting operations.

“The biggest thing this mesonet is going to help with is public safety. It is going to help us see what is happening during the thunderstorm. It is going to help us issue severe thunderstorm warnings if we need to, they will help keep people safe “

To access data and find out more, go to https://wisconet.wisc.edu/stations.html