Governor Hochul Announces Launch of State University of New York...

In recognition of Climate Week, Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that the New York State Mesonet at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany has launched a public climatology website that offers the most detailed look yet at how New York’s climate is changing.

Built in response to Superstorm Sandy, the NYS Mesonet is one of the largest and most technologically advanced weather warning networks in the nation, and its operations are supported this year with $2 million in state funding. Every day, emergency managers across the state use the Mesonet to help protect New Yorkers from extreme weather — deadly flash flooding, unhealthy wildfire smoke and intense Lake Effect Snow — increasingly associated with climate change. The trove of weather data the Mesonet produced over the last decade represents the first milestone in a 30-year project to better understand how climate change is impacting New York. In the process, it is strengthening New York’s nation-leading efforts to adapt to climate change and decarbonize our economy through applications like better forecasting of future renewable power generation from wind and solar.

“During Climate Week, as the federal government divests from critical climate research, New York State is reaffirming its commitment to science and innovation that helps us understand the challenges we face, keep New Yorkers safe and prepare our communities for the future,” Governor Hochul said. ”The New York State Mesonet at the State University of New York at Albany's climatology website is going to lead the way on groundbreaking research to strengthen understanding of our climate and climate change so meteorologists, emergency managers, and policy makers can ensure New York is the most prepared state in the nation.”

Collected every five minutes, the data feeds weather prediction models and decision-support tools for users across New York, and is widely relied upon by forecasting, emergency management and transportation agencies — including the National Weather Service and the New York State Weather Risk Communication Center, a partnership between the State University of New York at Albany and the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services that ensures New York's public sector has the weather intelligence it needs to act.

New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Terry O’Leary said, “The impacts of climate change continue to be felt across New York State with extreme weather events becoming more frequent and intense. Thanks to Governor Hochul’s investments in emergency management staff and training, weather forecasting through the Mesonet, and new communication tools at the State Weather Risk Communication Center, our state is more prepared and ready than ever before to meet these challenges head on to keep New Yorkers safe. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the experts at UAlbany to better understand New York’s changing climate and help us make the best decisions during future extreme weather events.”

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, "Throughout the SUNY System, research is taking place to support and advance the public good for all New Yorkers. The State University of New York at Albany's work embodies SUNY's commitment to using research to dive into critical issues like climate change that affect communities across the state and beyond. Thank you to Governor Hochul and state leaders for their firm commitment to supporting SUNY as we work to move New York State forward."

The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "With the steadfast support of Governor Hochul and state leaders, SUNY's campuses remain at the forefront of vital research for the public good. The New York State Mesonet at the State University of New York at Albany's research and climatology website melds innovation and accessibility, so our state is better prepared to serve New Yorkers and address climate change."

SUNY at Albany President Havidán Rodríguez said, "Climate change is a defining challenge of our time and the University at Albany is proud to be at the forefront of helping all New Yorkers understand and adapt to this challenge. The New York State Mesonet’s new climatology website is a critical public service that is possible thanks to Governor Hochul’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that New York is at the forefront of science. We are grateful for the state’s $2 million investment in the NYS Mesonet, which enables our continued work supporting New York communities as they prepare for climate change and build resilience to extreme weather events. This is exactly the type of public impact work that public universities like UAlbany are built to do.”

State Senator Patricia Fahy said, "No matter where you stand in New York State, you are never more than 10 miles away from a NYS Mesonet weather station. New York State's Mesonet is one of the most advanced weather and climate prediction technologies in the United States, if not around the globe, and I'm proud we were able to secure $2 million for it in this year's state budget. The NYS Mesonet is already helping better our understanding of climate change, how to respond to extreme weather events, and much more. Thank you to Governor Hochul for recognizing the importance of investing in the Mesonet and in keeping New York State ahead of the curve when it comes to climate change and increasingly common extreme weather events and natural disasters."

Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman said, “This Climate Week, I want to thank Assemblywoman Gabriella Romero for her continuing advocacy in the expansion of the Mesonet Operations, $2 million dollars which provide better access to data for meteorologists, emergency management personnel and transportation agencies. Since Superstorm Sandy, which devastated Queens, the Mesonet system, operated out of SUNY Albany, has been collecting data that will help New Yorkers prepare for the effects of climate change. The launch of a new website will help meteorologists better predict the weather, emergency management personnel prepare plans for major storms and transportation agencies prepare for flash flooding to snowstorms.”

Assemblymember Gabriella A. Romero said, “I am so proud to have championed a $2 million investment in the New York State Mesonet in this year’s budget. Operated by the University at Albany, the weather network consists of 127 stations that distributes reliable real-time weather reportings and predictions necessary in state-wide decision making. Although formerly underfunded, the NYS Mesonet provides an accurate and highly important foundation of information for other New York State Agencies to rely on. I thank Governor Kathy Hochul for her partnership in securing these funds and I am looking forward to seeing the climatology portal thrive. I believe that with the newly allocated funding, the NYS Mesonet will continue to serve the state and receive the resources it deserves to maintain and strengthen this vital institution.”

Each Mesonet site is equipped with automated sensors that measure numerous weather variables in real time, including temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, pressure, precipitation, solar radiation, snow depth, and soil temperature and moisture, as well as a camera that photographs current conditions. With most of its stations online for at least 10 years, the Mesonet's new climatology website can compare current weather conditions against long-term averages, track variability across days, seasons and years, and help put past extreme events, from heat waves to flash flooding, into context for emergency managers, policymakers, and atmospheric scientists.

For meteorologists, emergency managers and other decision makers across the state, the climatology website provides a new way to prepare for extreme weather events and gauge their magnitude relative to others in the past decade. The NYS Mesonet's first standard site, located in Hudson Crossing Park in Schuylerville, celebrated its 10th anniversary last August. More than 90 sites have since celebrated the decade-mark of data collection. The Mesonet's real-time weather data, various products and dashboards are all available to the public on the Mesonet website.

Governor Hochul has charged the SUNY System with doubling research for the public good and has invested state support to achieve that goal. The New York State Mesonet at the State University of New York at Albany’s new climatology website is part of SUNY’s ongoing efforts to advance research efforts throughout the system, including:

Governor Hochul’s announcement of the first phase of the SUNY Brain Institute, a statewide, federated neuroscience research network focused on new capabilities to combat age-related brain disorders.
Governor Hochul announced that Empire AI Beta, housed at the State University of New York at Buffalo, is online, giving researchers at New York's leading public and private universities access to the most powerful academic research computer in the country.
The third annual SUNY AI Symposium was also held in April at the State University of New York at Stony Brook to highlight AI leaders, SUNY researchers, educators, and partners who are advancing discovery, driving AI innovation, and generating economic growth in New York State.
The SUNY Research Expo, held in March, to highlight faculty and student research excellence throughout the SUNY System.
The SUNY Research Connect Portal, which was launched to showcase the research profiles of nearly 7,000 SUNY researchers from 26 campuses.
Governor Hochul’s announcement that the New York Center for AI Responsibility and Research, the first-ever independent AI research center at any public university in the United States, would be established at the State University of New York at Binghamton.
An investment to construct a new biofabrication research and imaging facility on the State University of New York at Buffalo campus that will help discover new medicines and cures to save lives.
The major expansion of the State University of New York at Albany's RNA Institute to advance world-class research, training, and workforce development.
The establishment of the Quantum Research and Innovation Hub at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, further catapulting New York's national leadership in groundbreaking research that saves lives, grows the economy, and improves national security.
The launch of the SUNY Research Leadership Academy to develop research leaders, strengthen communication and collaboration skills, and advance inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) fields. The Academy will help support researchers and provide important skills including how to better communicate effectively with the general public on the tangible, real-world benefits provided by research conducted across the SUNY system.

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY's 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country's oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, more than 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.

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