Safety

Emergency Management

Officials concerned with hazardous chemical spills use the Oklahoma Mesonet to observe wind, precipitation and other conditions to minimize the dangers from the spill. Improved knowledge of the weather helps determine whether any evacuation is necessary. Real-time access to Mesonet data is the backbone of OK-First, the Mesonet's award-winning emergency management outreach program. Mesonet data are critical to help emergency management officials deploy personnel, respond to emerging weather conditions, and assess threats related to hazardous materials spills or other airborne threats, such as biological agents or smoke. 

Wildfire Management

With over half of Oklahoma's acres consisting of wildlands, wildfires frequently occur throughout the state. OK-FIRE, a weather-based system for wildland fire management, has been developed to allow fire managers to not only assess the fire danger conditions over the next several days, but also to monitor current conditions during a wildfire to aid in suppression strategies.

Transportation

Road crews from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation use the Mesonet rainfall and temperature measurements to anticipate which roads to sand during potential icing conditions. Even determining whether the temperature and relative humidity are suitable to allow paint to dry on roads and bridges will save Oklahoma tax dollars.

"At the State Emergency Operations Center, we have used the [Mesonet] data to help make decisions about the pre-positioning of resources and in determining staffing levels. We are indeed fortunate to have such a viable tool for managing emergencies."

Tom Feurborn State Director Department of Civil Emergency Management