The New York State (NYS) Mesonet or Early Warning Weather Detection System is an advanced, statewide weather station network. This network will be the first of its kind in New York and will consist of up to 125 surface weather stations that will detect weather phenomena across the entire state. This weather detection system will provide federal, state, and local communities with access to high-resolution, real-time data, and more robust predictive models.
- Each station will measure temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, precipitation, solar radiation, atmospheric pressure, and soil moisture/temperature at three depths (5, 25, and 50 cm).
- 17 of these sites will have instrumentation to measure vertical profiles of wind, temperature, and moisture.
- 20 of these sites will measure snow depth and snow water equivalent for hydrological applications.
- All data will be transmitted in real-time to the University at Albany, where the data will be quality controlled and then disseminated to the public via our website – http://nysmesonet.org – every five minutes.
- The NYS Mesonet will support more accurate and precise decision-making in agriculture, emergency management, energy, ground transportation and aviation. For example, real-time data will be provided to the National Weather Service, and data will be utilized by a number of state agencies.
- The NYS Mesonet is partnering with state universities and private companies to develop new and improved weather and agricultural-related products and prediction models.
- Each station consists of a 33 ft tower centered within a 33 ft x 33 ft plot of land. To ensure the highest quality of data each station must be at least 300 feet from the nearest obstacle (tall trees, buildings, etc.) and potential heat sources (pavement) and 100 feet from corn.
- Installations are currently underway with the whole network expected to be completed by the end of 2016.
- We are still searching for hosts for NYS Mesonet weather stations across the state!
- The University at Albany will pay for any expenses associated with installation and maintenance of each station.
- Those who host a NYS Mesonet weather station on their property will have full access to the collected data and the agricultural models and decision-making tools.
If you would be interested in hosting a Mesonet site, please contact Dr. Jerald Brotzge at jbrotzge@albany.edu or call us at 518-442-6386. If you would like to learn more about the NYS Mesonet, please visit our website at http://nysmesonet.org.
