AgWeatherNet

From an endowed professorship to awards and student scholarships, 2023 was an exciting year for WSU’s viticulture and enology department.

WSU AgWeatherNet models provide tailored, regional weather information so ag producers and managers can effectively prepare in advance for adverse weather conditions.

From unpredictable weather to pests and diseases, vineyard managers contend with a lot of challenges. Sessions at the recent WineVit conference showed that Washington State University scientists are determined to help Washington’s grape growers be successful and prosperous.

WSU’s Lav Khot is the new interim director of AgWeatherNet, which provides weather data and weather-related support tools to improve agricultural production, efficiency, and profitability.

AgWeatherNet has placed a meteorologist at the WSU Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research & Extension Center for the first time.

A hot, dry start to July in Washington gave way to more normal temperatures mid-month and even a few surprisingly cool days at the end. Overall, temperatures were well above normal.

Areas east of the Cascade Mountains generally saw no new records, but Mount Vernon, Wash., experienced the warmest month on record.

AgWeatherNet and the University of Washington are partnering to develop a new heat awareness and alert system to help agricultural workplaces prepare for heat waves like we’ve seen recently. Advance notice of extremely hot days will help prioritize work activities so workers stay healthy and productive and crop loss is avoided. If you would like to participate in developing the system or have questions, please contact Jen Krenz at jkrenz@uw.edu or 206-616-4213.

A historic streak of above normal temperatures continued in Washington in March – the fifth record warm month of the last nine months.

“Last month was again abnormally mild, and there was minimal frost during the final three weeks of March,” said Washington State University AgWeatherNet director Gerrit Hoogenboom.

Selecting a vineyard site is one of the most important decisions for owners — it can make or break them economically. Washington State University doctoral student of engineering Golnaz Badr is using data on Washington soil, topography and weather to create a state map and scoring system that could help growers take some of the guesswork out of choosing a new vineyard location.

AgWeatherNet Director Gerrit Hoogenboom recently visited the Washington State University Tri-Cities campus to share information about the university’s 160 automated weather stations across the state. Not only was there a good crowd of WSU viticulture and enology students, but 13-year-old Angelo Bravo came to learn more about being a meteorologist — a career he’s been interested in since age 3! His mother Sylvia said, “When other kids were watching cartoons, he was watching the weather channel.”