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Mesonet Sites

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General Site Requirements

Siting locations for Mesonet stations attempt to fulfill a list of general requirements for meteorological and agricultural purposes. These conditions are as follows:

  • Rural sites should be selected to avoid human influences present in urban and suburban areas.
  • The physical characteristics of a site, including soil properties, should be representative of as large an area as possible.
  • A site should be as far away as possible from irrigated areas, lakes and forests to minimize their influence.
  • The land surface should be as flat as possible.
  • There should be a minimum of obstructions that impede wind flow at the site. (A rule of thumb is that obstructions should be at least 20 times their height away from the weather tower. For example, a 30-foot tree should be no closer than 600 feet from the tower.)
  • Sites should have a uniform low-cover vegetation. Bare soil should not be visible except over the bare soil temperature measurements.
  • The site should be accessible by vehicles for maintenance.

At some sites, not all requirements can be met. For instance, many locations in southeast Oklahoma are hilly and forested.

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