1 00:00:00,703 --> 00:00:03,907 (thunder rumbling) 2 00:00:03,907 --> 00:00:06,598 [Nathan Leber] So, a mesonet is a network 3 00:00:06,598 --> 00:00:08,565 of weather stations. 4 00:00:08,565 --> 00:00:13,350 TexMesonet analyzes weather data at a much smaller scale 5 00:00:13,350 --> 00:00:15,273 than what is currently available. 6 00:00:15,273 --> 00:00:18,675 We look at things like individual thunderstorms 7 00:00:18,675 --> 00:00:22,260 or differences from one location to another 8 00:00:22,260 --> 00:00:24,040 that are within 20 miles from each other. 9 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,322 Whereas the existing weather station coverage 10 00:00:26,322 --> 00:00:29,033 would not pick up those small-scale differences. 11 00:00:31,379 --> 00:00:33,234 (drill buzzing) 12 00:00:33,234 --> 00:00:36,980 These weather stations are highly scientific 13 00:00:36,980 --> 00:00:40,150 and require very precise calibration. 14 00:00:40,150 --> 00:00:42,983 Attached to that 10-meter tower are wind sensors, 15 00:00:42,983 --> 00:00:46,822 temperature sensors, relative humidity sensors, 16 00:00:46,822 --> 00:00:48,241 at multiple levels. 17 00:00:48,241 --> 00:00:52,027 We also have precipitation gauges on the ground, 18 00:00:52,027 --> 00:00:57,027 and we generally include four depths of soil moisture 19 00:00:57,070 --> 00:00:58,872 and soil temperature probes. 20 00:00:58,872 --> 00:01:03,872 TexMesonet stations transmit data every 15 minutes. 21 00:01:04,236 --> 00:01:06,901 This allows first responders, 22 00:01:06,901 --> 00:01:10,050 national weather service forecasters, and the general public 23 00:01:10,050 --> 00:01:12,850 to see what's happening in their area in near real-time. 24 00:01:14,048 --> 00:01:17,520 [Troy Kimmel] Nowadays, we've got all this fancy stuff 25 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:18,831 in weather forecasting 26 00:01:18,831 --> 00:01:21,680 that shows us pretty maps and charts, 27 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,243 and what models think about this and that, 28 00:01:24,243 --> 00:01:28,182 but it's so important to have a good foundation 29 00:01:28,182 --> 00:01:30,395 and remain situationally aware. 30 00:01:30,395 --> 00:01:33,310 Nothing like the Texas Mesonet is going to tell us 31 00:01:33,310 --> 00:01:34,904 what's happening now. 32 00:01:34,904 --> 00:01:37,419 [Gregory Waller] We can still get the job done 33 00:01:37,419 --> 00:01:39,925 with radars and with satellites, 34 00:01:39,925 --> 00:01:42,520 but the value of a Texas Mesonet 35 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,264 is to put gauges in a real-time manner 36 00:01:45,264 --> 00:01:49,320 to verify what we're seeing, to verify the accuracy, 37 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:50,610 and increase the accuracy 38 00:01:50,610 --> 00:01:52,366 of our radar estimates and our satellite estimates. 39 00:01:52,366 --> 00:01:55,520 [Nathan] The goal of TexMesonet is to cover the state 40 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:57,020 in weather stations 41 00:01:57,020 --> 00:02:00,238 that have at least a 20-mile buffer between the stations. 42 00:02:00,238 --> 00:02:04,660 That ensures coverage adequate to make appropriate forecasts 43 00:02:04,660 --> 00:02:05,690 for our state. 44 00:02:05,690 --> 00:02:07,131 [Gregory Waller] Right now, most of the official 45 00:02:07,131 --> 00:02:08,489 observing sites 46 00:02:08,489 --> 00:02:09,830 are at large airports, 47 00:02:09,830 --> 00:02:11,260 but a mesonet fills in the gaps 48 00:02:11,260 --> 00:02:13,110 so that all the counties can have one 49 00:02:13,110 --> 00:02:14,680 and all the regions can have one. 50 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:17,785 It gives us a more defined, detailed look 51 00:02:17,785 --> 00:02:21,183 at the smaller-scale weather phenomena that can go on. 52 00:02:22,745 --> 00:02:25,198 [Troy Kimmel] Flash flooding is an issue in Houston, 53 00:02:25,198 --> 00:02:27,240 it's an issue in Longview, 54 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:29,580 it's an issue in northwest Texas. 55 00:02:29,580 --> 00:02:31,563 It's an issue all across the state, 56 00:02:31,563 --> 00:02:34,940 and to have that real-time rain gauge information 57 00:02:34,940 --> 00:02:37,670 and know what's hitting the ground is so important. 58 00:02:37,670 --> 00:02:39,150 [Gregory Waller] The beauty is the Texas Mesonet 59 00:02:39,150 --> 00:02:41,260 has all the meteorological information. 60 00:02:41,260 --> 00:02:43,817 So, we can look at wind data and temperature data, 61 00:02:43,817 --> 00:02:48,330 and pressure data set to help us find the fine boundaries 62 00:02:48,330 --> 00:02:50,087 that may cause thunderstorms to develop 63 00:02:50,087 --> 00:02:51,950 or allow thunderstorms to develop. 64 00:02:51,950 --> 00:02:54,559 It has the rain gauge data to allow us to verify 65 00:02:54,559 --> 00:02:56,820 how accurate our rainfall estimates 66 00:02:56,820 --> 00:02:58,000 are coming from our radars. 67 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:00,320 And some of them have soil moisture parameters 68 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,500 to allow us to know how saturated the soils are 69 00:03:02,500 --> 00:03:03,333 to aid with runoff. 70 00:03:03,333 --> 00:03:04,899 So, it's all of the above. 71 00:03:04,899 --> 00:03:08,955 It increases the lead time on warning operations, 72 00:03:08,955 --> 00:03:11,977 and it adds verification to warning products in some cases. 73 00:03:11,977 --> 00:03:15,360 But our forecasts are better, and lives are saved 74 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:17,930 because the Texas Mesonet data is in there 75 00:03:17,930 --> 00:03:19,923 to help us improve accuracy and timeliness. 76 00:03:19,923 --> 00:03:23,390 [Troy Kimmel] The mesonet and our weather observation tools 77 00:03:23,390 --> 00:03:24,823 are our ground truth. 78 00:03:25,662 --> 00:03:28,662 (soft guitar music)