Flood preparedness may be the top safety priority in Tennessee next year. The Tennessee Department of Military requested about $5 million during a budget hearing with Gov. Bill Lee last week to develop “flood preparedness tools.”
Tornadoes, landslides and floods are easier to forecast with ‘mesonets.’ Tennessee may get one soon.
Weather forecasting, climate studies and landslide awareness could improve soon in Tennessee. State lawmakers have just proposed legislation to establish a statewide “mesonet,” which could ultimately be a network of ground-level weather stations in every county in Tennessee.
When dangerous weather strikes, most states rely on ‘mesonet’ infrastructure for better forecasts and earlier warnings. But Tennessee doesn’t have one.
National weather experts recommend collecting a lot of localized, ground-level weather data in real time to save lives, but Tennessee leaves local forecasters partly flying blind in storms.
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