Monitoring for extreme weather in a changing climate

A changing climate in Hennepin County means an increase in extreme weather events, including more rainfall, humidity, and snow and ice storms. All of these potentially pose a risk to Hennepin County residents.

Hennepin County is committed to ensuring we have the information necessary to adapt to a changing climate. Expanding and maintaining the Hennepin West Mesonet is one way we can do that.

Measuring local weather conditions

A mesonet is a system of automated weather monitoring stations used to measure local weather conditions, which can differ greatly from the region as a whole. This improves weather forecasting, helps in making informed decisions about the weather conditions, and increases our understanding of Hennepin County’s climate.

The Hennepin West Mesonet monitors the following weather conditions:

• Barometric pressure
• Freezing rain
• Lightning strikes and threat
• Present weather conditions
• Rainfall
• Solar radiation
• Soil moisture, temperature, permittivity, and conductivity
• Snow depth
• Snow-water equivalent
• Temperature and relative humidity
• Visibility
• Wet-bulb globe temperature
• Wind speed and direction

Improving extreme weather response

Up-to-date and localized information means that Hennepin County Emergency Management can act more quickly to warn residents using outdoor warning sirens. They can also better support cities overwhelmed by a natural disaster.