College of Education and Behavioral Sciences News

View real-time weather conditions from the Commonwealth’s official source of weather and climate data alongside the National Weather Service forecast in the latest release of the Kentucky Mesonet at WKU phone app for iOS and Android users.

Kentucky Mesonet Applications Developer ChunHei “Leo” Yuen rebuilt and redesigned the app to provide better functionality and a refreshed look. The app includes the following features:

• Save multiple favorite stations and swipe to view
• Background based on current conditions
• New overall layout
• Locate nearest station
• Customizable time format and data units

As development progresses, additional value-added products will be incorporated, some being exclusive to the phone app.

“Providing high quality data directly to the public is the first step. The next step is to provide high quality data products,” said Megan Schargorodski, interim Director of the Kentucky Mesonet and State Climatologist for Kentucky. “Future updates will include data graphs, maps, and summary products, along with the debut of station webcam photos available only within the app.”

Check the iPhone App Store or Google Play Store to download the update today.

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 76 stations in 73 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 Center for Research and Development every five minutes, 24 hours per day, throughout the year. The data is available online at www.kymesonet.org. Following the retirement of Dr. Stuart Foster in mid-2021, Megan Schargorodski is serving 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 2018-2020 budget approved by the General Assembly included $750,000 a year for the Kentucky Mesonet at WKU.

Contact: Megan Schargorodski, kymesonet@wku.edu, (270) 745-4568

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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.