New Weather Station could save lives
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New Weather Station could save lives
By Shane Gilreath
[email protected]
According to Scott County Emergency Management Association (EMA) Director David Brewster, who made the announcement at last week’s County Commission meeting, Scott County will soon join a network of weather observation systems with the installation of a new weather station in 2026.
The station will be part of the Tennessee Mesonet, a statewide network of automated weather stations which will soon appear in each county across the state. The system uses instantaneous data to help monitor local weather conditions. “This will be a real-time station with updates every 60 seconds, and in the event of severe weather, it will update even faster,” Scott County EMA said in a statement.
The station will occupy a 30-foot by 30-foot area, featuring a 30-foot tower and solar-powered equipment, and will measure all aspects of local weather, including temperature, rainfall, wind speed, humidity, and even soil temperatures. The information, which can be archived to demonstrate patterns and provide disaster documentation, as well as providing the National Weather Service with an additional tool to increase early warnings, can equally help residents prepare for storms in advance, assist citizens, businesses, and municipalities in making informed decisions, and support emergency services in responding more effectively during severe weather events. Once operational, the data will be freely accessible in real-time, giving the community a valuable tool to stay informed and safe.
Brewster emphasized that there will be no cost to the county for the station. After the meeting, he confirmed to SCN that there is no location, as yet. “They’re going to be looking at state owned land first,” the EMA Director said, “but they haven’t been in here to check anything yet.”
