New York State Mesonet Celebrates 10 Years at Schuylerville Site

By Mike Nolan

ALBANY, N.Y. (Aug. 12, 2025) — The New York State Mesonet, a statewide weather observation network operated by the University at Albany, is celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its first station this month.

Following Superstorm Sandy, and several other extreme weather events in New York, FEMA provided the state with a recovery and resiliency grant to establish the Early Warning Severe Weather Detection Network in 2014, now known as the NYS Mesonet.

The Mesonet’s Schuylerville site, located at Saratoga County’s Hudson Crossing Park, was the first station to start collecting weather data in August 2015. The network has since grown into the most advanced and largest early-warning weather detection system in the nation, featuring 127 standard weather stations, spaced an average of 17 miles apart across the state. UAlbany designed, installed and continues to operate the network.

Each site is equipped with automated sensors that measure various weather data points in real time, including temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, pressure, precipitation, solar radiation, snow depth and soil information, as well as a camera that photographs current conditions. 

In addition, several sub-networks of specialty sites have been deployed, including a Profiler Network of 17 sites that provide additional data about the atmosphere vertically (up to 6 miles above ground); a Flux Network of 18 stations that monitor surface energy; and a Snow Network of 20 sites measure the water content of snow.

The data is collected every five minutes, feeding weather prediction models and decision-support tools for users across New York.

“Simply put, the weather information the New York State Mesonet provides helps protect lives and property across our state,” said Chris Thorncroft, director of UAlbany’s Atmospheric Sciences Research Center. “As we celebrate 10 years of Mesonet data, we’re not just marking a date on the calendar. We are recognizing the importance of having real-time, localized information as our changing climate brings more frequent and extreme weather events.”

Mesonet Birthday Party

To celebrate the Schuylerville site’s 10th anniversary, Mesonet staff hosted a birthday party at Hudson Crossing Park on Friday. 

The event featured remarks from Thorncroft, along with NYS Mesonet Director June Wang, Timothy Burke, deputy director of the Office of Emergency Management at the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Village of Schuylerville Trustee Michelle Campbell and Kate Morse, executive director of Hudson Crossing Park.

“It is our mission to provide the best data, products and service to keep New Yorkers safe when severe weather strikes,” said Wang. “Since our first site, right here in Schuylerville, began officially collecting data in August 2015, that’s exactly what we have done.”

“Data collected from the network has been invaluable,” added Burke. “Our office references the Mesonet almost daily. It informs our preparation, response and recovery efforts.”

After the remarks, Mesonet field technician Nick Farruggio led a site tour, followed with a weather balloon launch, supported by Campbell and Sen. Tedisco, and a Mesonet cake that was cut and shared with attendees.

“Mother Nature is not always kind like the beautiful day today,” Tedisco said. “The Mesonet provides great benefits for our residents, small businesses and the local economy, since New York weather can change with the turn of a head. Congratulations and best of luck at another, not 10, but 100 years.”

“This station has stood here quietly, but its impact has been profound — not just here but across the entire state,” added Campbell. “This station provides real-time weather data, helping emergency responders, farmers, researchers, and local governments make smarter, safer decisions every day.”

See media coverage of the Mesonet’s 10-year celebration in the Times Union, Saratogian/Troy Record, WNYT, WTEN and WAMC Radio.

Schuylerville Site Records

In total, the Schuylerville site has collected more than 25 million weather observations and collected 663,073 real time camera images. 

Site records include:  

• Max temperature of 98 F set on June 24, 2025 at 4:00 p.m.
• Max apparent temperature of 110.6 F set on June 23, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.
• Minimum temperature of negative 23.2 F set on Jan. 7, 2018 at 7:25 a.m.
• Max wind gust of 49.9 mph set on Dec. 23, 2022 at 12:10 p.m.
• Max daily precipitation of 2.84 inches set on Aug. 3, 2020  

The Mesonet’s real-time weather data is available for public viewing on its website and mobile app.