FAWN expands weather stations to some Florida state parks – News

Working with The Nature Conservancy, the UF/IFAS Florida Automated Weather Network (FAWN) is including stations in Bristol, Poinciana, Babson Park and Jupiter to assist park rangers assess wildfire dangers.

This marks the most recent replace to FAWN, which, for practically 25 years, has offered temperatures, humidity and wind speeds – amongst different meteorological knowledge – to Florida producers.

FAWN stations can turn out to be useful for farmers and nurseries this time of 12 months, as we method chillier weather in Florida. As the weather will get cooler, lots of the state’s farmers depend on FAWN for correct meteorological knowledge to assist them develop their crops.

We requested Rick Lusher, director of FAWN, concerning the historical past of the community, how the know-how helps growers and concerning the new stations within the parks.

Q: Why was FAWN developed?

A: Prior to 1996, the National Weather Service (NWS) offered ag-particular forecasts utilizing temperature knowledge from weather stations situated in rural/agricultural areas. For budgetary causes, the NWS discontinued this service in 1996 and started utilizing solely knowledge from their official reporting websites (that are all at airports) for his or her forecasts. This negatively impacted the forecast accuracy in rural areas in Florida, partly as a result of there have been fewer stations, but in addition as a result of there will be substantial variations in temperature between extra city areas (airports) and agricultural/rural areas.  After freezing temperatures hit a lot of Florida the subsequent 12 months and induced important crop harm, UF/IFAS and several other accomplice companies petitioned the state to set up a community of weather stations that will be primarily situated in rural areas. FAWN began with 11 stations that had been a part of an current Extension community, largely in Orange and Lake counties, and now we now have 47 stations statewide.

Q: How has FAWN developed through the years and why?

A: When we began, we largely had stations in areas that grew citrus. Because we’ve grown within the variety of stations, we will present knowledge and instruments for extra crops, together with blueberries, strawberries and a half-dozen styles of greens.

Q: What do farmers do with the information you present?

A: They use our advisable irrigation schedules for citrus, blueberries, strawberries and 5 – 6 forms of greens. That means, they don’t use an excessive amount of or too little water. They use our Cold Protection Toolkit within the winter to decide the perfect instances throughout which to apply water to their crops for freeze safety. They additionally use our knowledge to do their very own analysis and to complement native measurements.

Q: When are essentially the most frequent instances/circumstances that growers use FAWN?

A: If chilly weather is approaching – we’re speaking higher 20s to mid-30s within the forecast – farmers flip to FAWN. The community’s stations inform farmers temperature developments, humidity, wind speeds and extra that can allow them to know whether or not and the way lengthy to run their water. November via March is prime time for us. We get essentially the most curiosity from growers through the chilly season. They need to know in the event that they want to water their fields to stop chilly harm.

Q: What areas of Florida use the FAWN stations essentially the most?

A: From north of Gainesville west to Live Oak and down to as far south as simply north of Lake Okeechobee might be the geographical space through which we see essentially the most use, primarily as a result of that is the place many crops are situated that require some kind of freeze safety through the winter. We know this as a result of we have a look at internet statistics to see what number of are utilizing the FAWN web site, which pages and instruments producers are utilizing, and which particular stations they’re utilizing.

Q: What are some different methods Floridians can use FAWN?

A: Our mission is to present knowledge and instruments for as broad a wide range of customers as attainable. That means plenty of folks use our knowledge: scientists, water administration district officers, National Weather Service meteorologists, farmers, the Florida Division of Forestry and extra. Researchers use it to gather knowledge. We additionally present temperature, rainfall, and extra knowledge for locations the place the National Weather Service doesn’t have stations – in rural areas, primarily. Some growers obtain our knowledge and use it, however the typical farmer will have a look at measurements from the gauge closest to their farms. We give rainfall and evapotranspiration information to give farmers a advisable irrigation schedule. Our most-visited knowledge is our graphic weather page.

Q: What type of enhancements has FAWN made through the years?

A: We’re putting in soil-moisture sensors at every of our current 47 stations. Readings from the soil moisture sensors inform the person how moist or dry the soil is. Although farmers can use this to decide water wants, our new undertaking is geared extra towards flood and drought mitigation in an emergency administration context. This undertaking will assist farmers mitigate harm from drought and floods.

Also, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, we’re putting in stations with sensors at Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Park (Liberty County), Tiger Creek Preserve (Polk), Disney Wilderness Preserve (Osceola) and Blowing Rocks Preserve (Palm Beach) to assist park rangers assess wildfire dangers. Specifically, we’re measuring soil moisture and likewise gasoline temperature and moisture, which is able to give them the moisture stage and temperature of the floor vegetation, resembling grass, and so on.

Brad Buck November 22, 2022