Host a Purdue Mesonet Weather Station

The Purdue Mesonet would love to see a weather station in every county throughout Indiana. In addition to securing funding to purchase the equipment, we are always looking for site hosts who will partner with Purdue University and the Indiana State Climate Office to host a weather station on their property. A local advocate is critical for supporting the process of obtaining a local weather station, whether or not they host the station on their property.

General Site Requirements

• A 32x32-foot area is needed for the station and possible security fencing
• An environmentally representative area that is relatively flat with continuous grassy land cover at least 60x60 feet
• Nearby obstructions at least twice the distance from the station as they are tall

Installation Costs

• Weather station ~ $35,000
• Security Fencing ~ $5,000
• Personnel ~ $5,000

Weather Station Includes

• Temperature sensors (4)
• Humidity sensor
• Rain gauge
• Pyranometer (sunlight)
• Anemometer (wind speed and direction)
• Soil temperature and moisture (2, 4, 8, and 20 inch depths)
• Datalogger
• Solar panels
• Battery
• Cellular modem
• 10 meter tower

Network Sustainability

• Program Support: $11,400 per station per year to sustain the stations and services of the network
• Staff
• Field technicians
• Database/online tools programmers
• Program manager
• Services
• Regular station maintenance and calibrations for accurate data
• Quick troubleshooting
• Data quality control and assurance
• Public access to data via website
• Maintenance and creation of value-added online products and tools

Contact Us

If you or someone you know may be interested in hosting a Purdue Mesonet station, please contact the Indiana State Climate Office by email (in-sco@purdue.edu) or phone (765-494-8060).