Kentucky Mesonet at Western Kentucky University has officially opened a new weather monitoring station – the 81st station in its statewide network – in Clay County.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the Clay County Courthouse for the new station, which is located about 10 miles east of Manchester and which began transmitting data in March 2025.
The Clay County installation was developed through a partnership between the US Forest Service, the US Department of Agriculture and Western Kentucky University’s Kentucky Climate Center, which houses the Mesonet.
The new station builds on earlier soil moisture monitoring work conducted in the Daniel Boone National Forest, where more than 30 soil sensors were deployed across five sample areas. An existing tower at the Redbird Ranger District near Peabody has now been upgraded into a fully automated Mesonet station.
Field technicians equipped the tower with sensors to measure air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction. The installation also included solar panels, a precipitation gauge and underground probes to monitor soil moisture and soil temperature. Data is transmitted in real time.
“Mesonet data will forever define our community history,” said Dr Jerry Brotzge, director of Mesonet and state climatologist for Kentucky. “This Mesonet station will set records for heat and cold, wind, floods and drought. And as such, it will forever etch these historical markers into the public record.
“Weather records allow us to compare the present with the past, keeping us honest and true in our recollections. And from this history, we learn how past generations dealt with adversity and overcame once-in-a-generation floods and droughts. And from these lessons learned, we become more prepared and resilient.”
According to Brotzge, the network supports improved forecasting, longer warning lead times and operational efficiencies in sectors including agriculture, transportation and energy.
The ceremony was hosted by Clay County judge executive Tommy Harmon and attended by local officials, as well as representatives from the National Weather Service office in Jackson, Kentucky, and the office of U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell.
Since 2022, the Kentucky General Assembly has allocated US$1.75m annually to support the network’s maintenance and expansion. The Mesonet aims to install at least one station in each of Kentucky’s 120 countie; it currently operates 86 stations across 80 counties.
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