A private weather technology company, Weatherstem, provides high-tech weather stations that have helped to collect and share critical weather data across the United States and the Caribbean. One weather station is already operating on St. Croix, and a possible Caribbean expansion could improve weather monitoring and assist with disaster preparedness.
In an exclusive video interview with the VI Source, Edward Mansouri, a meteorologist, engineer, and the CEO of Weatherstem, provided the Source with details about the company, its mission, and how the meteorological and atmospheric data it gathers could benefit the U.S. Virgin Islands community.
Weatherstem Explained
Weatherstem — “stem” stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics — was launched in 2015 and combines hardware and software into what Mansouri calls a “hyperlocal weather monitoring system.” Mansouri has spent a lifetime working within the fields of meteorology and technology before creating the company. He holds bachelor’s degrees in meteorology and engineering from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in meteorology from Florida State University.
“Weatherstem has become a fusion of my passion for computer programming and meteorology,” Mansouri said.
Weatherstem Stations
A Weatherstem weather station measures temperature, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, humidity, rainfall, solar and ultraviolet radiation, and dew point. Each unit also includes cameras that provide still images and live streaming video. On the ground, stations are equipped with sensors, cameras, and communications gear, while the system’s web, mobile, and social media tools allow users to track changing conditions in real-time.
One of Weatherstem’s unique features is how fast it provides weather updates. Mansouri said its data system reports changes nearly instantaneously. “We are streaming data literally in one-second or less increments,” he stated.
“The Weatherstem Weather Station is the ultimate all-in-one solution for monitoring environmental conditions,” according to information on the organization’s official website.
“With our industry-leading rapid data sampling rate, advanced algorithms, and durable hardware, you’ll see accurate weather information, ensuring no critical detail is overlooked. Weatherstem empowers you to make informed decisions and protect what matters most. Advanced data sampling speeds of 0.8 seconds get you one step closer to informed decisions in high-pressure situations. Because with weather, every second counts. Made to withstand hurricane-force winds, our weather stations deliver real-time data every second,” the Weatherstem website explained.
“All of the weather systems are publicly available, and anyone can access them with a web browser or with a mobile app,” Mansouri noted.
Additionally, Weatherstem permanently archives all of the retrieved information and camera videos, which Mansouri calls “weather forensics.”
“Weatherstem stations obtain images and video and perpetually store the data,” he said. “Individuals have the ability to look back at a specific time of a reported weather incident and view what the camera recorded and the data that was collected,” he continued.
Mansouri added that another major feature of Weatherstem involves the ability to produce automated alerts and warnings. He explained that units can be configured to issue warnings when thresholds are reached, such as dangerous wind speeds or nearby lightning. The system can trigger connected signals, such as warning lights at pools, marinas, or bridges.
Benefits for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Caribbean Region
Weatherstem currently operates about 1,000 systems, primarily located in the southeastern United States, along with several stations across the Caribbean, including Blue Lagoon Island in the Bahamas, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, and the Cruzan Rum distillery on St. Croix. Mansouri told the Source that the company intends to continue expanding in hurricane-prone regions. He shared details about the company’s partnership model with the state of Florida, where public agencies and corporate sponsors fund solar-powered stations as a possible blueprint for expansion across the Caribbean.
The details collected by Weatherstem stations can be particularly useful in areas where weather shifts quickly, including across the USVI, by offering communities a clearer, moment-by-moment view of local conditions.
Mansouri explained that speed matters in the tropics, where conditions vary rapidly in both time and space. “You can be sitting in St. Croix and looking down the road where it’s raining down the street, and it’s sunny and dry where you are situated,” he said. Multiple stations across the major islands of the USVI could help residents and emergency managers track rainfall totals in real time, monitor heat risks, and confirm wind speeds during fast-moving rainstorms.
The existing St. Croix station, located at the Cruzan Rum facility, was installed through a corporate partnership, and according to Mansouri, its design is well-suited for hurricane-prone islands.
“A lot of the systems, like the one at the Cruzan Rum facility, are solar-powered and operate off of cellular towers,” he said. He added that systems are built to keep running even when power and internet fail, which is critical for remote monitoring during severe weather.
Mansouri hopes to grow the regional footprint into a network of interconnected weather stations across the Caribbean region. In meteorology, this type of system is known as a ‘mesonet,’ a dense network of high-quality stations designed to capture hyperlocal conditions.
“Ideally, our goal would be to help establish a mesonet in the Caribbean,” Mansouri declared. He noted that Weatherstem already has systems in the Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands. He indicated that he looks forward to possible collaboration with the National Weather Service office in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which currently provides detailed weather forecasts for the USVI.
Mansouri explained that Weatherstem measurements have already appeared in National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center storm reports, and he highlighted one example in Florida, where a Weatherstem station captured an extreme rainfall event.
“There is a Weatherstem system at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport, and it once measured 26.54 inches of rain in a 24-hour period,” Mansouri said. The observation later “ended up entering the record books as the greatest 24-hour rainfall total ever measured in Florida history.”
Potential to Boost Emergency Preparedness
Mansouri believes that the collaboration between local agencies, private partners, and Weatherstem could help the Caribbean region strengthen its early-warning capabilities and disaster preparedness. For the USVI, he emphasized that the goal is straightforward: more reliable, localized weather data that residents, emergency managers, and forecasters can see instantly, especially when a storm threatens.
With real-time data that refreshes every second, communities could spot developing hazards sooner, from sudden downpours to dangerous wind bursts. Mansouri noted that conditions can vary sharply across short distances in the territory.
As Weatherstem continues expanding across hurricane-prone regions, Mansouri hopes the Virgin Islands and neighboring islands will consider adding more stations to strengthen local awareness and preparedness.
Residents and visitors across the USVI can explore current Weatherstem stations’ real-time data feeds, camera views, and additional information about the organization at the company’s official website.
St. Croix Source
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