The Univ. of Utah MesoWest Mesonet

Over the past two decades the University of Utah has coordinated with local, state, and federal entities on the deployment and maintenance of weather stations across northwest Utah. These stations, which comprise the University of Utah MesoWest Mesonet (UUNET), have provided important real-time weather data in a region where observations would otherwise be sparse, particularly during strong frontal passages and convection which can induce strong, sometimes damaging, winds than can impact the populated Wasatch Front. UUNET has also supported many research campaigns within the Great Salt Lake Basin.

Support from the National Mesonet Program has led to improvements in data communications, reliability, and dissemination of UUNET data. The development of a cloud-based system allows for real-time collection of five-minute observations using a variety of communications techniques (internet, cellular, radio) with minimal latency. These observations are processed into MesoWest and made immediately available to entities that utilize MesoWest resources, including National Weather Service forecast offices. Several examples of recent high-impact weather events in northern Utah are shown. Complete access to UUNET data loggers permits remote troubleshooting, which is critical for stations that can only be visited annually. The developed system can access and process data from any Campbell Scientific data logger that has a form of internet access. We have worked with several entities who operate singular stations to get their weather station data disseminated using this developed system.