Submitted by San Juan County.

Washington State University Extension – San Juan County and the San Juan Preservation Trust are thrilled to announce a new resource for San Juan County residents to monitor the weather.

At the end of July, a weather station was installed in San Juan Valley as part of the statewide AgWeatherNet system. AgWeatherNet (AWN) provides Washington State farmers, gardeners, researchers and policymakers with weather data and weather-related decision-support tools to improve agricultural production, efficiency, and profitability while minimizing environmental impacts.

This is the first AWN station installed in San Juan County and will serve as a resource for all residents with an interest in long-term reliable weather data. This publicly available information is another tool that community members, and agricultural producers, can use as they work to adapt to the changing climate and associated shifts in weather patterns. Prior to installation, the closest AWN station was located in Anacortes. While this new station will not reflect all the many microclimates in San Juan County, it greatly expands coverage for the islands.

The Preservation Trust provided the site for this new station at their Phelps Preserve, which is in the heart of approximately 3,000 acres of designated Agricultural Resource Land on San Juan Island. The Trust partnered on this project, recognizing the value of weather monitoring for long-term agricultural, ecological and community benefits. The station was installed and will be maintained, by Washington State University.

All weather data are freely available to the public at: http://weather.wsu.edu/ including air and soil temperature, humidity, dew point, wind speed, soil radiation, and soil water potential report at 15-minute increments. A free account can also be created to access additional decision-support tools for crop management and irrigation scheduling.