A new weather station at State College of Florida’s Venice campus is supplying real-time atmospheric data to forecasters while giving students a practical tool for studying local storms.
The compact monitoring system, nicknamed “Dorothy”, records wind speed, humidity, temperature and barometric pressure. Its readings are shared with the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support forecasting across the region.
Real-time data for Venice storm tracking
The installation was developed with support from the National Weather Service Tampa Bay office, NOAA and Florida Atlantic University. SCF said the professional-grade system is maintained by FAU and broadcasts live information on local atmospheric conditions.
Natural science instructor Jason Barr said having a monitoring unit close to the college was important because weather can vary significantly over relatively short distances, particularly during severe storms.
Before the station was installed, the nearest official weather station to Venice was more than 30 miles away at Myakka River State Park. The area has experienced the direct effects of hurricanes Ian and Milton, increasing the need for more localised observations.
“It’s good for the community because now there is always a reinforcement that real information is coming out,” Barr said. “Here I might have different weather conditions than just 15 miles away. That makes a big difference when we are talking about storms.”
Weather station to support meteorology course
SCF students will begin working with Dorothy’s readings through a new introductory meteorology course due to start in autumn 2027. Lessons will cover practical forecasting and the atmospheric processes behind local weather patterns.
Barr said the station was intended to be more than a collection of instruments, offering students hands-on experience while helping the wider community better understand changing conditions.
The system’s name is a reference to The Wizard of Oz, the film Twister and Barr’s late grandmother, who called him her “little professor”.
Plans are also being developed to install two further monitoring units at SCF’s Bradenton and Parrish campuses within the next year or so, creating a wider network of local weather observations.
