New weather station at Bates County school

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Students in Butler R-5 School District are getting an up-close look at the weather.

A new weather station on school property gives students a look at science, research and technology in their area, says University of Missouri Extension Commercial Agriculture climatologist Pat Guinan.

The National Science Foundation is funding new weather stations at schools in Missouri as part of its Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), which promotes science education, research, technology and community outreach.

Guinan said students, teachers and staff can monitor five-minute weather conditions at their school’s “outdoor classroom” on a computer or mobile device by going to agebb.missouri.edu/weather/realtime/butler.asp. Guinan said some of the historical data is not online yet, but will be soon.

“Students can learn the value and application of real-time weather observation and instrumentation as well as the benefits derived from long-term monitoring, data collection and climatology,” Guinan said.

Having the weather station on school property helps students learn the value and application of knowledge of weather, Guinan said. “They will see how these benefits go well beyond the school property and impact many other people, communities, businesses, organizations and others.”

Guinan thanked those who helped him and MU Extension system administrator John Travlos with the project: Butler R-5 School District, the Kansas City National Weather Service Forecast Office and MU Extension in Bates County.

The station is part of a network of more than 30 weather stations called the Missouri Mesonet. K-12 schools host eight of them, which are in Audrain, Bates, Callaway, Dunklin, Lincoln, Morgan, Pettis and Putnam counties.

For more information about EPSCoR projects in Missouri, go to epscormissouri.org.

To see local weather from the Missouri Mesonet, go to agebb.missouri.edu/weather/stations.