URBANA, Ill. — “Nice weather we’re having.” “Looks like rain.” “Can you believe how cold it is?” Whether the skies are clear, or a storm is incoming, people pay attention to the weather. It prompts how we dress, where we go, and our plans for the day. We can’t control it, and it is one thing we all experience together. It’s in this communal spirit that researchers at the University of Illinois and Extension are establishing a network of volunteer-operated local weather data monitoring stations that will help communities prepare and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Using a community-based approach, researchers with the Illinois Microclimate Extension Team project have started gathering climate data through a network of monitoring stations and volunteers as part of the two-year Extension collaboration grant project. Samuel Stickley, one of the principal investigators for the grant, said consistently gathering temperature, precipitation, and other weather data points from multiple locations at a local scale gives researchers the data they need to model real-world microclimate conditions, such as urban heat islands, in a way that weather stations cannot. 

“Understanding microclimate conditions can greatly help in assessing which communities in our cities are more vulnerable to extreme climate conditions and allow us to target locations that would most benefit from climate change mitigation and adaptation plans, such as urban forestry programs,” said Stickley, teaching assistant professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. The data also would help scientists understand how plants and animals are affected by changing climate conditions.

The project’s principal investigators include Jennifer Fraterrigo, professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences and Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment; Duane Friend, Extension state Master Naturalist coordinator and climate change specialist; and Curtis Sinclair, Extension natural resources and shooting sports 4-H youth development specialist. 

Their goal is to set up a network of six weather monitoring stations and 80 climate logging systems, first in east central Illinois and then in the Chicago area. Weather stations are being set up at schools in Urbana, Champaign, and Danville, and several climate logger systems have been placed around the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, including at the historic Morrow Plots, as a starting point. Project staff will work with teachers to integrate the project into their classrooms and students will gain hands-on science experience collecting climate data, maintaining the equipment, and exploring the results. 

“We are already seeing heavier precipitation events and higher summer heat indexes in Illinois, and we know that that involvement at the local level can have a big impact on a community’s climate resiliency,” said Friend. “By collaborating with these communities and with young scientists to gather weather data, we’re putting the knowledge in their hands to make a difference.”

Climate logging systems will be housed at local Extension offices and with Master Gardener and Master Naturalist volunteers who will be trained on how to collect and report data. Anyone in the Urbana-Champaign, Danville, or Chicago area who is interested in hosting a climate logging system on their property can contact the Illinois Microclimate Extension Team at www.theIMET.com. Master Naturalists and Master Gardeners are encouraged to reach out. 

Extension collaboration grants bring campus faculty and Extension staff together to address issues of community, economy, environment, food, and health. The 2024-25 program awarded seven $50,000 grants for two-year projects focused on transforming university research into applied outreach and engagement programs for the people of Illinois through Extension’s statewide network. The grants received financial support from University of Illinois’ Office of the Provost Investment for Growth Program and Illinois Extension. 

To learn more about Extension’s community-level work related to climate change, explore the Illinois Extension Climate Stewards Program.