FRD has continuously observed and recorded meteorological conditions at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and its environs since it first opened its doors in 1948. That's more than 55 years of experience with standard and specialized meteorological instruments.

We now manage the 33-station, technologically advanced, INL Meteorological Monitoring Network (Mesonet). The network includes advanced hardware and software, meteorological towers, radio telemetry, and a 915-MHz radar wind profiler and radio acoustic sounding system (RASS). The network provides the high quality data and information necessary to meet a wide range of research and regulatory requirements. The data are used, for example, to:

• Calculate radiation doses from INL operations for the Annual Site Environmental Report;
• Calculate radiation doses required by the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPS);
• Calculate radiation doses for historical reconstruction of worker exposures;
• Determine precipitation events exceeding several critical values that are necessary for maintaining compliance with the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program;
• Calculate potential radiation doses from new INL facilities for Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements.

The network, plus larger scale synoptic data, allows FRD to issue twice-daily site forecasts and notices (as needed) for special and routine INL operations.