A record number of tornados in the state and other instances of extreme weather has Senator Chuck Schumer pushing for $30 million in federal funds to upgrade the nation's weather monitoring systems. This includes New York State’s advanced regional weather early warning systems, known as mesonets, little local satellites that more accurately predict the weather. There are 127 mesonets across the state and three in Erie County. Schumer says advanced weather tracking systems like mesonets help keep people safe.
They not only are more localized — so they can help us localize where the weather is — but they are more accurate and able to tell things in advance," said Schumer. "They're able to look at the atmosphere in different layers. So they look at what's happened at 500 feet up, 1,000 feet up, 2,000 feet up, all the way up into the stratosphere. So, this is a great system, and it can allow a more timely, more quick, and more localized weather prediction — which will save money, and save lives.”
Schumer says increased funding for weather services-related projects is an investment against what he calls the extreme proposal to dismantle and cut funding for agencies like the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
