Brand new weather station upgrades on A18 Barton Street in Laceby

Brand new upgrades have been installed at the weather station on the A18 Barton Street in Laceby.

The weather station was first installed in 1996 and has been standing proudly ever since, as a key component for the winter service which works hard to keep North East Lincolnshire’s roads safely open during the colder months.

Weather stations are an important asset to local authorities, including North East Lincolnshire Council. On a daily basis, they monitor weather conditions, the road surface state and road surface temperatures, all of which are used to form regional forecasts.

During the winter months, the forecasts produced from weather station information are an essential component of the decision-making process relating to winter services, which include gritting roads to reduce the risk of ice and frost forming, so that residents can carry on getting to school, work, shops and appointments as usual.

Barton Street’s weather station has been maintained, and replacements made to its components as and when needed since its initial installation. Due to the age of the weather station, and the way technology has progressed in recent years, a more comprehensive upgrade had become necessary to bring the technology up to date with modern standards. The works took two days to complete in October.

Councillor Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for transport and environment at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “I am delighted that the weather station on the A18 has undergone these works. The authority’s winter service is essential to keep the borough moving during the more challenging winter months, so having the latest technology and a wider range of accurate data at our disposal will be very welcome in providing resilience for this.”

Darren Braithwaite, highway asset engineer from the council’s regeneration partner Equans who has worked on this project, added: “It’s been a great successful project. The upgraded weather station now boasts additional features such as an ultrasonic wind sensor, air temperature and humidity sensor and much more which will allow us to receive even more useful and accurate data.”