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Facing an uncertain climate future: New York deploys a statewide mesonet

The challenge: The solution: Address changing Build a best-in-class, weather patterns, improve statewide mesonet using The client: forecasting, and protect WindCube lidar the public New York State The mesonet is run by scientists In New York, several decades of at the State University of New Industry: trend data show that adverse York at Albany, in partnership State government weather events are more frequent with the National Weather Service and the New York and severe. The state is especially Vaisala provided: vulnerable because of its coastal State Department of Homeland location, high population density, Security and Emergency Services. WindCube Scan 100S and large urban centers. It includes a network of 180 weather stations, 17 of which are Governor Andrew Cuomo put it profiler sites equipped with a bluntly: “There is a frequency of WindCube lidar and a radiometer. refresh rates (every 5 minutes) extreme weather like we have All counties and municipalities and resolution (0-2km in the never seen before.” are covered by this expansive network infrastructure, making case of wind profiling). Just as importantly, it allows for 24/7 When officials noted “serious it one of the most ambitious monitoring of high convection gaps” in existing meteorological mesonets ever built. from the surface to the top of observations, the state initiated the mixing layer — a previously the New York State Mesonet. Its The mesonet uses WindCube unobserved region of weather primary purpose is to provide Scan 100S lidar units to measure activity. early warning and actionable wind profiles, Planetary Boundary intelligence using high-density Layer (PBL) height, and aerosol weather observations. Vaisala’s backscatter. Due in part to WindCube lidar is a critical the lidar data, the network component. provides previously impossible The benefits: System planners also expect to Better forecasts, save millions of dollars in state “The technology that we’re resources and promote sizeable using is best in class … improved safety, and economic gains to trucking, That’s important because international leadership energy, aviation, and other [the boundary layer] is industries through sharing the new where a lot of weather The New York State Mesonet weather data. takes place.” provides drastically improved, real-time weather information As governments adapt to an for agencies, industries, and Dr. Everette Joseph uncertain climate future, New researchers across the state. Most Director, Atmospheric Sciences Yorkers hope that their mesonet importantly, it enables much more Research Center will be used as an example for effective, location-specific disaster effectiveness, integration, and response — the network’s primary value over time. goal, as explained by Governor Cuomo.

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