It has been a dangerous and damaging summer in upstate New York, with a record number of tornadoes even before August. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says the situation warrants more study.
According to the National Weather Service, New York has recorded 23 tornadoes this month alone, setting a new record. It’s also nearly double the record set in July 1992.
Speaking at the state’s Mesonet Operations Command Center, a network of monitoring systems based at the University at Albany’s ETEC campus, Schumer says the increased funding would support technology upgrades and research capabilities.
The Democrat is seeking $30 million — an increase of $10 million over last year.
“We're going to keep seeing terrible storms throughout our region, throughout the country,” Schumer said. “It's worse than it used to be, and that's why we need to make sure that this Mesonet system isn't just up and running, but state of the art.”
An EF2 tornado touched down in the city of Rome on July 16th that ripped roofs from houses, reduced brick buildings to rubble and toppled steeples from two historic churches. No one died but the storm left debris throughout downtown.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has requested a federal emergency declaration to support response and recovery efforts for 15 upstate counties impacted by storms on July 15th and 16th.
Christopher Thorncroft, the center’s Executive Director and Director of UAlbany’s Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, says mesonets are a critical part of weather infrastructure in New York and can provide critical information for first responders.
“Each site is equipped with automated sensors that measure weather information, such as temperature, wind speed, snow, rainfall,” Thorncroft said. “We also have cameras that photograph the current conditions, which is invaluable. Mesonet data is collected in real time, feeding weather prediction models and decision-making support tools for across New York including government, the National Weather Service, emergency managers, as well as the general public.”
Thorncroft says the funding would support the center’s 127 sites across the state’s 62 counties and laser technology used to monitor the atmosphere.
“Without that kind of money, we could lose some of the sensors,” Thorncroft said. “So, we need, we do need that extra money.”
Schumer’s effort comes at a time when some Republicans are proposing to cut funding for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service and privatize their services.
Schumer says recent storms show why it’s important to increase funding for weather systems.
“These are potentially life and death questions, if you can know better and quicker and more in advance where a tornado will hit and precisely where it will hit, you can save lives,” Schumer said.
In 2023, Schumer secured $1.35 million for UAlbany to expand its Empire State Vertex project, which uses data from 17 mesonet sites to understand lower parts of the atmosphere and its instability every 5 minutes.
Data gathered by the Mesonet can be accessedhere or at nysmesonet.org
