By Rick Karlin | Times Union, Albany
Albany, N.Y. — The University at Albany on Thursday unveiled a new Weather Risk Communication Center, which is described as a first-of-its kind collaboration between university researchers and state emergency managers who deal with severe weather events.
With an annual $1.5 million investment, the center will serve as a clearinghouse for critical weather information and develop new tools to help emergency managers make more-informed decisions to protect communities from weather-related hazards.
“New Yorkers know all too well that climate change has caused more frequent, intense, and unpredictable storms across our state, and we need innovative ideas to help us respond,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a prepared statement about the new collaboration.
The announcement was also made Thursday by Al Roker on NBC’s “Today” show, after showing a pre-recorded package he did at UAlbany — with Hochul giving him a tour. Roker is a SUNY graduate himself, from Oswego.
The center’s work will combine forecasts from the National Weather Service and supplemental data from the New York State Mesonet with on-the-ground information about critical infrastructure to create new sources of information.
For example, during the massive September storm that dumped more than seven inches of rain in New York City in just 24 hours, the center would have been able to create real-time maps informed by advanced weather observations with data about the city’s sewer infrastructure and capacity to help pinpoint where and how flooding was likely to occur and when evacuations might be necessary. Additionally, before or during a snowstorm, the center will monitor forecasts and Mesonet data to map road surface temperatures and inform roadway pre-treatment planning.
The Mesonet, based at UAlbany, is a statewide system of weather observation stations that can give real-time views of weather conditions across the state.
The center will also be able to help other public entities such as local school systems, whose leaders have to decide if they are having a snow day, for instance, during winter storms.
When extreme weather is not in the forecast, the center offers emergency weather training and workshops, as well as preparing analysis of weather emergencies and examines how the state and its partners communicate the risks associated with extreme weather.
The center is based inside UAlbany’s ETEC building, which is home to one of the nation’s largest clusters of atmospheric and climate researchers, including the National Weather Service and UAlbany’s Atmospheric Sciences Research Center.
The annual $1.5 million will fund approximately 10 full-time positions, hourly student employment and internship opportunities, as well as work with the Mesonet to develop new data-computing products and to purchase equipment for the center’s operations hub.
The State Weather Risk Communication Center will operate in parallel with a $3 million federal grant secured by UAlbany to fund the Exploitation of Mesonets for Emergency Preparedness and Response in Weather Extremes (EMPOWER) project.
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