By Geitner Simmons
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s mesonet stations, operating throughout the state, have high value for firefighters, helping them recognize periods of elevated fire danger and adapt tactics as conditions change, said John Erixson, the Nebraska state forester.
“The mesonet’s real-time information — including wind speed and direction, soil moisture, humidity and temperature — helps firefighters, emergency managers and the team make critical decisions about where to position crews and equipment, how fires are likely to behave and where resources are needed most,” he said.
After mesonet data indicated particularly high fire risk for the Panhandle this year, the Nebraska Wildfire Advisory Group relocated the state’s single-engine air tanker from the Ainsworth area to Scottsbluff — a move that proved crucial in responding to the South Fork Fire.
“The value of the mesonet doesn't end when the fire is out,” Erixson said. “Those same data help inform restoration efforts; monitor changing environmental conditions; and improve preparedness, planting and recovery.”
The mesonet network — begun in 1981 and part of the university’s School of Natural Resources — crossed the 100-station mark this year, with a total of 104 weather-monitoring sites statewide. The newest stations are near Cody, Lakeside, O’Neill and Scottsbluff.
Source : unl.edu