How to Weather the Weather at Big Hill Park

There’s an old poem you might be familiar with, and it goes like this:

Whether the weather be fine,

Or whether the weather be not,

Whether the weather be cold,

Or whether the weather be hot,

We’ll weather the weather

Whatever the weather,

Whether we like it or not!

If you were wondering what that contraption is on the end of a 15 ft. pole at Welty–it’s our weather station!

When you come out to Big Hill Park, check the weather and dress accordingly! One way in which you can prepare is to check the weather conditions using our weather station. Did you know Welty Environmental Center has its own weather station? You may see it while exploring the prairie near the center. It’s at the very top of a 15-foot pole! It has to be up that high so factors like wind speed and direction aren’t impacted by things like trees or buildings.

Do you remember back in December when we had -20*F wind chill temperatures? The weather station collected that data! Check it out!

It’s really neat to see the temperature fluctuations over time and all of the other information that is taken. If you look close enough, you can see there are a handful of tools at the top of the pole collecting different types of data. The anemometer looks like four spinning spoons used for calculating wind speed. The weather vane looks like a boat rudder and is used for determining wind direction. The funnel-looking rain gauge is used to measure rainfall. There are additional hidden sensors that are used to detect lightning, light intensity, and temperature!

All of this information gives us a well-rounded weather forecast, just like what you would get from your local meteorologist. And it can give you a good idea of what to expect (and how to dress) on your next visit to Big Hill Park!