Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the approval of the first 19 sites for the New York State Mesonet and released their locations on Monday. Included are sites in Montgomery, Saratoga and Schoharie counties.
The mesonet is an early-warning weather detection system to be composed of 125 weather stations that will be installed across the state, located an average of 20 miles from each other.
The project was first announced in Jan. 2014. It has an estimated price tag $23.6 million and will be entirely paid for through the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
FEMA also approved the construction and installation of the first set of weather stations to provide localized and accurate observations regarding air, wind, soil, and radiation conditions.
Each station will have one observation tower that looks like cellphone towers but are a fraction of the height, standing 30 feet tall. The towers will be centered on a 33-foot-square fenced-in plot, and they must be at least 300 feet from any tall obstacles and potential heat sources, including trees, buildings and pavement.
As of June 22, roughly half of the station sites had been secured, awaiting government approval. Now that 19 of these sites have been approved, the project is set to move forward to the construction phase.
Cuomo said given the storms that have affected communities in recent years, like Tropical Storm Irene, the system is essential in preparing residents for future extreme weather events.
“The mesonet system is part of how our administration is moving forward with future storms in mind, and I am proud to see this important milestone reached,” he said. “We will continue building New York state back smarter and stronger to keep New Yorkers safe.”
The first 19 sites approved are located in 18 different counties across the state. The locations are identified by county, site name, and property name:
Columbia, Valatie Research Farm, Valatie Research Farm
Erie, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Buffalo
Essex, Whiteface Mountain Base, ASRC Research Facility
Herkimer, Cold Brook, Homestead Farm
Montgomery, FMCC, FMCC
Montgomery, Sprakers, Mead Farm
New York, Governor’s Island, Governor’s Island
Oneida, Westmoreland, Elliot Farm
Oswego, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Oswego
Otsego, Laurens, Leahy Farm
Rockland, SUNY Rockland, SUNY Rockland
St. Lawrence, SUNY Potsdam, SUNY Potsdam
Saratoga, Schuylerville, Lock C-5
Schoharie, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Cobleskill
Suffolk, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Stony Brook
Tioga, Berkshire, Simmons Farms
Warren, Chestertown, Starbuck Property
Washington, Whitehall, Lock C-11
Ulster, Woodstock, Stang Farms
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