Students and staff at the school in Mossbank Sask., are always able to keep a close eye on the weather.
Since mid-December they’ve had their own weather station on the roof.
It’s part of the Weatherbug Network established last summer by the Canadian Wheat Board, Pioneer Grain and Weatherbug.
Mossbank was the first rural school in Saskatchewan to log on to the network.
Carolyn Anderson, the school’s administrative assistant, said everyone who lives in the province is interested in the weather, but the installation of the station has allowed science classes to study it more in depth.
Read Also
Ag in Motion 2025 celebrates agriculture through the generations
Ag in Motion 2025 an event for families to spend quality time together
It also means everyone can keep a closer eye on wind chill.
“Kids call and wonder what the wind chill is and whether they will be inside or not,” Anderson said, referring to the conditions at which students are not allowed outside for recess and lunch.
Before, the school had to wait for a call from the division head office in Moose Jaw or listen to the radio for such information.
“Now we just follow the guidelines,” Anderson said. “It’s a more immediate reaction.”
The Mossbank Soil Conservation Co-operative paid to install the station. Anderson said co-op members saw the value in having a local weather forecast and data available.
The station collects temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity, barometric pressure and precipitation data. It is transmitted from the roof to a computer located in the staff room and is posted on the school’s website and the Weatherbug site.
The public can then access the information through either site.
Other partners include the school community council and the Prairie South School Division, which provided a computer and the high speed internet connection.
Anderson said the station has been working well, even through recent storms and strong winds.
The wheat board intends to set up a network of about 600 local weather stations at various locations. The stations are available to individual farmers as well.
Manitoba schools that have stations include Elmwood School in Altona, Mapleton School in Selkirk and the Rosenfeld School. There are also stations on schools in Winnipeg and Edmonton.
