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Pictured at Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting from left to right: Eddie Barnes, Powell County Judge Executive; Craig Shockley, Field Representative for U.S. Congressman Andy Barr; Haley Tipton, Field Representative for U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell; James Crase, Stanton Elementary School Principal; Sarah Wasson, Powell County Schools Superintendent; Dr. Jerry Brotzge, Mesonet Director; John Koontz, Powell County Emergency Manager; Brian McKinney, Powell County Magistrate; and Dustin Jordan, Meteorologist-in-Charge of NWS Jackson.

Stanton, Ky. – The official weather and climate monitoring network for the Bluegrass state – Kentucky Mesonet – cut the ribbon Tuesday on the second of three sites to be added to the network in the mountainous east region in 2025. This weather station, located at the new Stanton Elementary School in Powell County, represents the 84th site to be constructed and commissioned for Mesonet.

The site was born out of a collaboration among several partners, including Powell County Emergency Management, Powell County Schools, with Superintendent Sarah Wasson serving as host for the site, along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Western Kentucky University. Powell is the 78th county to join Mesonet. The station’s data first appeared online on September 5, 2025.

As with all other sites within the network, the Powell County site is fully automated. It features a 10-meter tower which holds the bulk of the weather-sensing instrumentation, including temperature and relative humidity sensors at various heights, wind monitors, and a barometric pressure sensor. Adjacent to the tower sits a precipitation gauge along with solar panels that take in solar radiation. Soil temperature and soil moisture is also measured at the site by probes that go as deep as 40” below the surface. Data at the Powell County site is collected and updated every five minutes via the network’s website (www.kymesonet.org) along with the Kentucky Mesonet app for iOS and Android devices. All data is archived to establish an official climate record for the Stanton community.

“Powell County has had weather stations dating back to 1955,” said Dr. Jerry Brotzge, Mesonet Director and State Climatologist. “This Mesonet station will add to that climatology by observing records for heat and cold, wind, floods, and droughts.”

“Powell County has had 35 federal disaster declarations since 1953, including many severe storms, floods, tornadoes, landslides, mudslides and winter storms,” added Dr. Brotzge. “Mesonet observations allow us to compare the present with the past, keeping us honest and true in our recollections.” Brotzge also emphasized that the network’s growth supports improved weather monitoring and forecasts, leading to better warning lead times along with more efficient farming and safer roadways.

Another speaker at Tuesday’s ceremony who could attest to the importance of Mesonet in advanced warnings in severe weather is Dustin Jordan, Meteorologist-in-charge of the National Weather Service in Jackson, Ky. Jordan pointed to the views of the surrounding skies offered by the site’s southwestward-facing webcam, which updates online every five minutes. Recalling a severe weather episode in May, he said, “NWS forecasters were able to issue a tornado warning for a severe thunderstorm in part because of the appearance of the storm’s structure through the webcam.”

John Koontz and Kevin Babcock, current and former Powell County Emergency Managers respectively, were also on hand to speak. Koontz called the site’s real-time data “a game changer for the county," while Babcock said he relies heavily on the Mesonet phone app to receive the latest weather measurements from the Stanton location, with particular interest in wind speed and cloud conditions during times of active or severe weather.

Also in attendance at Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting were Craig Shockley, field representative for U.S. Congressman Andy Barr, and Haley Tipton, field representative for U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell.

Since 2022, the Kentucky General Assembly has invested $1.75 million annually into Kentucky Mesonet. The funding helps to maintain and grow one of the nation’s most expansive weather networks. The network has a goal of establishing at least one station in all 120 counties in the Commonwealth.

About the Kentucky Mesonet at WKU: The Kentucky Mesonet at WKU is the Commonwealth’s official source for weather and climate data. The statewide network includes 87 stations in 81 counties. The Mesonet stations collect real-time data on air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, precipitation, solar radiation, wind speed and direction and transmit it to the Kentucky Mesonet Operations Center at the WKU Innovation Campus every five minutes, 24 hours per day, throughout the year. The data are available online at www.kymesonet.org and via the Kentucky Mesonet app for mobile devices. Dr. Jerry Brotzge serves as Director of the Kentucky Mesonet at WKU and Kentucky Climate Center. The project was initially funded with a $2.9 million federal grant for the Kentucky Climate Center, part of WKU’s Applied Research and Technology Program. The first station was installed at the WKU Farm in May 2007. In recent years, staff have been working to build a broad base of support across Kentucky to continue development and maintenance of the network. The 2022 biennial budget approved by the General Assembly added $1 million to the Kentucky Mesonet, bringing total state funding to $1,750,000 each year.

Contact: Dr. Jerry Brotzge, (270) 745-4567

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