WKU developing statewide drought warning system

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) – Western Kentucky University is developing a statewide drought warning system with the help of a $200,000 federal grant.

The Bowling Green Daily News reports the Kentucky Climate Center at Western Kentucky University received the two-year grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Officials will use the money to install soil moisture and temperature probes at 10 sites within the Kentucky Mesonet, a network of 69 weather monitoring stations across 67 counties.

The project also includes a website for people to track climate conditions and training for how to share drought conditions with the public.

The state has a history of droughts, including one in 2016 that led to wildfires in eastern Kentucky.