By Daryl Ritchison
The North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN), a division of the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, announces the successful completion of its $6.4 million, five-year grant project funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The grant, awarded in 2020, enabled NDAWN to either retrofit existing or build 85 weather stations in the Missouri River Basin of North Dakota. The upgraded network now provides comprehensive, real-time data on critical variables such as precipitation, soil moisture and snow water content—key factors in predicting flooding and drought impacts.
“This project has turned central and western North Dakota into one of the most robustly monitored regions for weather data in the world,” said Daryl Ritchison, NDAWN director. “The enhanced data collection will have a lasting impact on water resource management and agricultural productivity.”