WESTERNPORT — A small town devastated by a flood last year has new technology that aims to improve access to localized weather data.
Westernport now has a mesonet weather monitoring station that expands Maryland’s “growing network of high‑resolution environmental monitoring sites and strengthens the state’s ability to detect, track and respond to hazardous weather conditions,” the Maryland Department of Emergency Management said via press release Friday.
The project is in cooperation with the University of Maryland, Allegany County Department of Emergency Services and town of Westernport.
“This investment reflects Maryland’s commitment to proactive emergency management,” MDEM Secretary Russ Strickland said via the release. “Expanding our statewide mesonet network provides emergency managers, forecasters and public safety partners with more timely, localized weather data to support informed decisions before, during and after severe weather.”
The new station will deliver continuous, real‑time measurements of temperature, wind, humidity, precipitation, soil conditions and other critical atmospheric variables.
“These data feed directly into Maryland’s statewide hazard analysis systems, the University of Maryland’s public-facing webpage, and the National Weather Service, improving the accuracy of severe weather forecasting and enhancing situational awareness for emergency managers across the region,” the release stated.
MDEM since last year’s historic flood has worked with local officials and community partners to support long-term recovery efforts that include the first-ever award from Maryland’s State Disaster Recovery Fund, which helped eligible residents recover from the disaster.
The funding assistance included help with temporary housing, personal property and other disaster-related recovery needs “at a time when federal disaster assistance was unavailable,” the release stated.
In October, Gov. Wes Moore said a “politicized” decision led the Trump administration to deny Western Maryland’s last chance for federal help to recover from the flood.
At that time, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had informed Maryland officials that the state’s appeal for a major disaster declaration for the May flooding was officially rejected.
Friday, Westernport Mayor Allen Shapiro said the town is excited to have the new weather station.
“Following the devastating May 2025 flooding events, every additional tool that improves weather monitoring is invaluable to our community,” he said via the release. “This station will help us better prepare for quickly changing weather conditions. We are grateful to be able to collaborate with each agency involved in bringing this important resource to our community.”
Allegany County DES Director Roger Bennett said the county partnered with University of Maryland Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science and MDEM for installation and monitoring of local mesonet sites, which include stations in Frostburg, Garrett and Washington counties.
“After the May 13, 2025, flooding, (DES) pushed for the next mesonet station (to be placed) along Georges Creek,” Bennett said. “The Town of Westernport was a big player in providing space and other assistance for their newest mesonet station.”
Allegany County Commissioner President Dave Caporale said reliable information is critical for local leaders and emergency personnel to make decisions that impact public safety.
“Locating this station in Westernport will provide data that reflects the unique conditions of our mountainous region and help ensure that rural communities like ours are better represented in statewide forecasting and emergency planning,” he said. “We appreciate MDEM’s continued partnership and investment in Allegany County.”
Benefits of the system include improved flood and storm‑impact modeling, winter weather and high‑wind alerts, fire‑weather assessments for public safety agencies, stronger coordination with the National Weather Service and increased public access to reliable, hyper‑local weather information.
“The 2025 Georges Creek flood exposed a monitoring gap that the Maryland mesonet is actively closing,” mesonet manager James Hyde said via the release. “By swiftly delivering high-quality data, these stations give leaders intelligence and confidence in fast-changing storms. This real-time accuracy contributes to faster warnings and helps engineers design long-term flood solutions.”
Data from the new Westernport station will be available on the Maryland Mesonet website at https://mesonet.umd.edu/.