Escambia County to Add WeatherSTEM Stations in Molino and Perdido Key

On Thursday, March 3, the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners approved a Memorandum of Agreement between the Florida Division of Emergency Management and Escambia County to acquire two WeatherSTEM stations to be located in Molino and Perdido Key.

During Florida's legislative session, the Florida Legislature appropriated $970,000 to the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) to fund the Florida Severe Weather Mesonet, known as the WeatherSTEM.

The purpose of the WeatherSTEM is to provide hyper-local, real-time weather data in strategic locations to provide critical information to assist in the deployment of resources to impacted areas during times of severe weather.

Out of the 50 WeatherSTEM stations purchased, two will be provided to Escambia County. One WeatherSTEM will be located at Escambia County Fire Rescue - Station #18 in Molino. The other WeatherSTEM will be located at the Perdido Key Chamber of Commerce. 

"We are excited to bring two more WeatherSTEM stations to Escambia County," said Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore. "These devices serve an important function for not only Emergency Management, but also for the citizens. This will allow us to accurately track weather activity throughout several locations in Escambia County.”

Currently, Escambia County has four WeatherSTEM stations installed throughout the county:

• Escambia County Fire Rescue - Station #2 in Beulah
• Escambia County Fire Rescue - Station #5 in Century
• Escambia County Fire Rescue - Station #13 in Pensacola Beach
• Escambia County Fire Rescue - Station #15 in Walnut Hill

As part of the Memorandum of Agreement, FDEM will pay for the maintenance of the WeatherSTEM stations for the next three years, beginning as soon as the stations are installed. Escambia County officials indicate installation of the WeatherSTEM stations in Molino and Perdido Key will occur by mid-March.

Escambia County residents may access the WeatherSTEM stations by clicking the links above or by visiting here.

Escambia County Public Safety is responsible for keeping citizens safe from emergencies and both man-made and natural disasters. Its divisions include Emergency Communications, Emergency Management, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Rescue and Pensacola Beach Lifeguards. For the latest information on emergency management services in Escambia County, residents are encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts on MyEscambia.com.

Follow Escambia County Public Safety on Facebook and Twitter:
Facebook: @ECPublicSafety
Twitter: @ECPublicSafety

WeatherSTEM station located at ECFR - Station #2 in Beulah