The Garrett County Department of Emergency Management is pleased to announce the installation of its first Maryland Mesonet weather monitoring station in Bittinger. This site located at the Western Maryland 4H Camp is part of a broad initiative to enhance emergency preparedness and public safety through the deployment of high-quality, closely-spaced weather monitoring systems across Maryland.
The Maryland Mesonet project, a collaboration between the Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM) and the University of Maryland (UMD), aims to build and operate a state-of-the-art network of approximately 70 meteorological stations throughout the state of Maryland. These stations will collect, transmit, and archive real-time weather data to improve weather forecasts and provide timely warnings of severe weather to the public and decision-makers.
The Mesonet stations are strategically placed approximately 10 miles apart and are equipped for rapid-sampling and transmission of data every minute.
In addition to the Bittinger site, two additional sites will be placed in Garrett County.
These stations provide critical benefits to Garrett County, including:
▪️Enhanced Decision Making: Local officials can use real-time data to make informed decisions related to public health, school operations, and emergency response.
▪️Public Safety: Improved weather forecasting and severe weather warnings enhance public safety planning and help identify long-term community risks.
▪️Infrastructure Protection: Monitoring local weather conditions helps quantify the impact of natural hazards on critical infrastructure.
▪️Disaster Response: Data collected can be leveraged when requesting Presidential Disaster Declarations and Hazard Mitigation funding.
The Maryland Mesonet will also support various sectors, such as agriculture, education, utilities, green energy, environment, forest/wildfire management, transportation, and tourism.
By providing real-time weather data, these stations will facilitate better planning and response to weather-related events, ultimately contributing to the resilience and safety of our communities.
For more information about the Maryland Mesonet project and to access real-time weather data please visit the Maryland Mesonet website: https://mesonet.umd.edu/
To access real time data from Bittinger site visit the following website: https://mesonet.umd.edu/station?stid=MDMSNT-21
For additional information, please contact the Garrett County Department of Emergency Management at 301-334-7619 or by email at [email protected].
Pictured Below (L to R):
David Middleton - Garrett County Emergency Management, Justin Orendorf - Garrett County Emergency Management, Josh Brenneman - Local Weather Observer, Matt Miziorko - Montgomery County Emergency Management, James Hyde - Maryland Mesonet , Patrick Walsh - Maryland Mesonet, and Seth Davis - 4-H Environmental Education & Camping Center
