One of the four Davis Instruments weather stations recently installed at locations across Powder River County is pictured below. (Photo courtesy Liz Riter)
By Liz Riter
Powder River Conservation District applied for a grant from Montana Department of Natural Resources to purchase, install, and maintain four weather stations in the county. These stations will be used by federal, state, and local agencies to obtain accurate weather information. This information will be used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Weather Service (NWS), Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow (CoCoRaHS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and others including local producers.
Three of the Powder River Conservation District's priorities are being addressed, Rangeland Health, Water Resources, and Soil Health. By having accurate precipitation data, producers can make informed decisions about grazing rotations, livestock distribution and concentration, crops to be planted, as well as planning for feed and supplement purchases and sales. This can also be helpful for the local businesses to plan for local needs.
The information can be easily accessed by the public or agencies by logging onto the website. To view real time weather conditions of the PRCD weather stations, go to http://www.weatherlink.com and sign up for an account. An app is also available to see the live info on your phone. Once your account is created, enter the name of the PRCD weather station wanting to be viewed and the current conditions will be shown.
The PRCD stations are named as follows: PRCD CampCreek, PRCD Fort Howes, PRCD Graham, and PRCD Powderville. The stations are located in various areas of the county, as indicated by the names. (Editor's Note: The CampCreek station is located around 4 miles southwest of Coalwood. The Powderville station is located around six miles southwest of the Powderville Post Office near the Powder River. The Fort Howes station is located along Otter Creek, southeast of the Fort Howes Station. Additional Davis Instrument stations are available on the website, including a station located in Broadus. Live data on the weatherlink website is free, while historical data is available for a fee. The precipitation data for these sites is also available at http://www.cocorahs. org, with no charge.
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