By Blake Jackson
Kentucky Mesonet, the state's official weather and climate monitoring network, has expanded its coverage with the opening of a new weather station at Stanton Elementary School in Powell County.
The facility, officially unveiled during a ribbon-cutting ceremony, is the network’s 84th monitoring site and the second of three stations planned for eastern Kentucky in 2025. Powell County also becomes the 78th county served by the statewide network.
The project was made possible through a partnership involving Powell County Emergency Management, Powell County Schools, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Western Kentucky University. Weather observations from the station have been available online since September 5, 2025.
The fully automated station includes a 10-meter tower equipped with instruments that measure temperature, humidity, wind speed, barometric pressure, rainfall, solar radiation, soil temperature, and soil moisture.
The system updates weather information every five minutes through the Kentucky Mesonet website and mobile app, while also building a long-term climate record for the Stanton area.
“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.”
National Weather Service Meteorologist-in-Charge Dustin Jordan highlighted the value of the station’s webcam, noting, “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.”
Local emergency officials also praised the station’s benefits. John Koontz described the real-time weather information as “a game changer for the county,” while former Emergency Manager Kevin Babcock emphasized the importance of the Mesonet app during severe weather.
Supported by $1.75 million in annual state funding since 2022, Kentucky Mesonet continues working toward its goal of installing at least one weather station in each of Kentucky’s 120 counties.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-tlillico
Categories: Kentucky, Weather