University of Louisiana at Monroe holds ribbon cutting for first Louisiana Mesonet

MONROE, La. (KNOE) – The University of Louisiana Monroe held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the first installation of the Louisiana State Mesonet, an interconnected network of instrumented weather monitoring stations on Monday, October 15.

. The ceremony was held on the ULM campus at the mesonet site located adjacent to University Park on Bon Aire Drive. It featured special guests such as the Louisiana District 5 U.S. Representative, Julia Letlow, and Brad Bryant, Meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Shreveport.

Congresswoman Julia Letlow secured $2 million dollars for the project through the Appropriations Act of 2023. The purpose of the Mesonet project is to fill coverage gaps across the state where there has been little weather data available.

“This day really isn’t about me; it’s about the incredible work that has culminated in something that is so incredibly inspiring, and I’m just proud to be a small part of it,” said U.S. Representative, Julia Letlow.

The Associate Director of the ULM School of Science and Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science, Dr. Todd Murphy acknowledged the growth that took place due to the hiring of Mesonet Manager Emily Newby and Mesonet Technician Dylan Hall, who have been instrumental in working with landowners across the state to secure mesonet sites.

The project is estimated to be complete by the end of 2025.

For information on Mesonet data visit mesonet.ulm.edu.

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