WKU News

For the first time in nearly four years, the Kentucky Mesonet app has been updated with a new look to go with new products. 

The app, which debuted in 2018 for both iOS and Android devices, provides users with real-time, local weather conditions for nearly 90 sites. Variables including current temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, solar radiation and more remain staples with the updated look. Webcam imagery, which was added to the app in its last update in late 2022, is also available. However, users can now look back at an hour’s worth of imagery in addition to the current view, thanks to a new timelapse feature. 

The newest version of the app was developed by Mesonet Applications Developer ChunHei (Leo) Yuen along with Systems Architect Andrew Quilligan and can be accessed simply by updating the existing app. 

In addition to having the ability to look at past weather camera images, users can also view past weather data, as well as soil conditions at varying depths, for the first time through the app. 

“We’ve got historical data instead of just current data, so you can go back and look at the past week, the past month or the past year for all of the different variables that we offer, like precipitation and temperature,” Quilligan said. “We also now have all of our soil moisture and temperature products in there for all the soil data.”

Dr. Jerry Brotzge, Director of Kentucky Mesonet, Kentucky Climate Center and Professor of Meteorology at WKU Ogden College of Science and Engineering, said the updated app is important for numerous reasons.

“The Kentucky Mesonet app is an essential tool for getting local, real-time weather information into the hands of those who need it fast, such as emergency managers, first-responders and farmers. The new app expands the number of products available, now including ready access to historical weather data for monitoring recent weather events and long-term trends.”

“The Kentucky Mesonet is always working to improve the quality and unity of the weather data that we collect,” Dr. Brotzge continued. “We’re expanding the number of stations across the Commonwealth, improving the reliability and accuracy of the network through new sensor upgrades and building new software to facilitate new users and sectors. The new app builds on these new technologies and products, helping save lives and property statewide.” 

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 88 stations in 82 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. 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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Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.