Washington State University’s AgWeatherNet is a state-of-the-art automated weather data collection and decision support system.

It provides a Web-based suite of weather data and decision-support tools designed to help producers, consultants, irrigation managers, and others in agribusiness.

AgWeatherNet, one of the biggest public weather systems in the nation, has a network of 137 weather stations located throughout Washington. Most are located in the irrigated regions of eastern Washington, but the network has expanded significantly in recent years in western Washington and dryland regions of the state. AgWeatherNet’s meteorologists pore over incoming data looking for signs of cold snaps, heat waves, and wet spells in order to provide alerts.

AgWeatherNet can be accessed online at www.weather.wsu.edu. The Web site is compatible with mobile devices, and the mobile version will automatically load on most smartphones or any device with a Web browser. To get started, users need to create an account, enter the location they want to see weather data for, and configure their alert options. Weather or pest alerts can be delivered by voice mail, e-mail, or text message. Video tutorials are on the site.

Users can add widgets to their own Web sites to give up-to-the minute information about local weather.

Organizations providing financial support for the AgWeatherNet include WSU, Washington State Commission on Pesticide Registration, Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, American Farmland Trust, Washington Wine Industry Foundation, Washington Wine Advisory Board, and the Washington Potato Commission. Grants have also been received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

For more information, call (509) 786-9367 or e-mail weather@wsu.edu. To access AgWeatherNet, go to www.weather.wsu.edu or www.weather.wsu.edu/mobile.