A program that gathers weather and climate data across the Bluegrass State launched its 66th site on Jan. 11. The new site is in Butler County.
The Kentucky Mesonet is a statewide network that collects information on temperature, humidity, precipitation, solar radiation, wind speed and wind direction.
Kentucky Mesonet Operations Manager Megan Schargorodski says the data that’s logged every five minutes at the sites has many uses.
“We can use every single one of those toward overall records for climate change. They can be used for agricultural purposes, helping farmers decide when to plant crops,” she said. "We can also use it for the energy sector, deciding how much energy to purchase in a certain amount of time.”
The information is also used for emergency management, if there’s severe weather or a natural or man-made disaster. Data is posted online every 15 minutes.
The Mesonet is based at Western Kentucky University.