Oklahoma Mesonet // Press Releases

• University of Oklahoma Presents Meteorological Recommendations to the Republic of Croatia (6/18/2009)
• Two Oklahoma Educators Honored with Public Service Award from State Climate Agency (5/5/2009)
• First-of-its-kind Weather Observing Network Located in Oklahoma City Unveiled Today During the National Weather Festival (11/11/2008)
• University of Oklahoma Awarded $3.8 Million NOAA-funded Project For Climate, Drought Assessments, Planning Tools (10/8/2008)
• Oklahoma Panhandle Drought Labeled "Exceptional" (6/19/2008)
• University of Oklahoma Meteorology Team to Visit Croatia for Needs Assessment (6/18/2008)
• Climate Change Statement for Oklahoma: An Official Statement of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey (10/29/2007)
• OCS Climatologist to Speak at National Convention (10/3/2007)
• Can Parts of Oklahoma Still Be Dry? (7/30/2007)
• 14 Percent Less Tan (6/20/2007)
• June 2007 Now Wettest on Record Statewide (6/29/2007)
• It was the Wettest of Times... (6/20/2007)
• First 90-degree day in Oklahoma City (6/8/2007)
• Drought Ends in Oklahoma (sort of) (4/5/2007)
• El Niño Fizzles...Does Drought Return? (2/6/2007)
• Drought Picture in Oklahoma Mixed (12/14/2006)
• Drought Improvements (mostly) Not Warranted (12/7/2006)
• Oklahoma Dodges a Bullet (12/4/2006)
• Drought Remains Severe in Northwest Oklahoma (11/9/2006)
• Crimson and, Um, Orange? OU shares Norman campus with OSU (10/26/2006)
• Halloween Weather (10/23/2006)
• Early Freeze for Oklahoma? (10/10/2006)
• The Migration of Royalty (10/9/2006)
• El Niño and Oklahoma Drought: Friend or Foe? (9/19/2006)
• Drought in Southern Oklahoma Deemed "Exceptional" (8/30/2006)
• July 2006 Far From Warmest For Oklahoma (7/25/2006)
• Summer May Be Just Getting Started (7/25/2006)
• Weekend Rain OK (6/19/2006)
• Norman Meteorologist Travels to China (6/6/2006)
• Out With a BANG? (5/3/2006)
• Just A Drop in the Bucket (3/9/2006)
• March 1 Record Temperatures (3/2/2006)
• La Niña's Return May Spell Doom for Drought Relief (2/20/2006)
• Oklahoma Drought Update (2/10/2006)
• Drought: Oklahoma's Costliest Weather Hazard (1/27/2006)
• Rain Helps Some But Drought Far From Over (1/23/2006)
• January Burn Conditions Set Records (1/19/2006)
• It's Not Always Warm In Oklahoma (1/12/2006)
• Dryness Lingers On for Much of State (6/17/2004)
• May 2004 Likely To Be State's Driest (6/1/2004)
• Nebraska Snows and Oklahoma's Woes (2/16/2004)
• November: Feast or Famine (12/02/2003)
• Monthly Climate of Oklahoma - October (10/09/2003)
• Royal Wind Vanes Visit Oklahoma (9/11/2003)
• Monthly Climate of Oklahoma - September (9/10/2003)
• Monthly Climate of Oklahoma - August (7/31/2003)
• Monthly Climate of Oklahoma - July (7/7/2003)
• Rain, Rain, Go Away (6/11/2003)
• Oklahoma Springtime Dangers (6/8/2003)

First-of-its-kind Weather Observing Network Located in Oklahoma City Unveiled Today During the National Weather Festival
November 11, 2008

okcnet_unveiled.doc

okcnet_unveiled.pdf

NORMAN, OK - Representatives from the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City came together at the National Weather Center this morning to unveil the Oklahoma City Micronet (OKCNET) - a 40-station network of real-time weather observing stations consisting of four Oklahoma Mesonet stations and 36 miniature weather stations mounted on traffic signals across Oklahoma City. The multipurpose network provides critical weather information for the daily operations of Oklahoma City, supports new scientific research focused on urban meteorology, and serves as a resource for the citizens of central Oklahoma.

OKCNET was developed during a 5-year collaboration between the Oklahoma Climatological Survey (OCS), the Oklahoma Mesonet, the University of Oklahoma (OU), and the City of Oklahoma City. The unveiling of the 40-station Oklahoma City Micronet represents a significant milestone in the history of weather data collection in metropolitan areas and is the first of its kind in the world in terms of data collection, quality, and availability to a variety of customers.

"The Micronet's technology provides remarkable information that will benefit our residents in terms of public safety," said Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett. "It will provide City crews with real time, detailed information about weather conditions Citywide so we can better anticipate everything from the location of freezing roads and flash flooding to the direction a fire might spread. In this type of partnership everyone wins."

"The University of Oklahoma is proud to have supported the development, deployment, and operation of the Oklahoma City Micronet," said Dr. Paul G. Risser, Chair of the University of Oklahoma Research Cabinet. "We see the state of the art atmospheric monitoring network in Oklahoma City not only as a valuable resource to the academic and research activities at the National Weather Center, but also as a tool that will pioneer new insights into urban meteorology and climate that will benefit anyone living in urban environments around the globe."

To learn more about OKCNET and view current weather data, visit the website at http://okc.mesonet.org.

Contacts:
Dr. Jeff Basara, Director of Research, Oklahoma Climatological Survey
Phone: 405-325-1760 E-mail: jbasara@ou.edu

Brad Illston, Research Associate, Oklahoma Climatological Survey
Phone: 405-325-5445 E-mail: illston@ou.edu