ALBANY, NY (CortacaToday) – Senator Chuck Schumer calls for state storm tracking system upgrades.

In the wake of a record-setting month of extreme weather in Upstate NY, Schumer is pushing to increase federal funding for the statewide early storm detection system, Mesonet. Schumer seeks to raise the funding from $20 million to $30 million. The Senate Majority Leader says increasing resources is critical as severe weather rises.

“As climate change creates the conditions for more extreme weather that devastates our communities, as we’ve seen in Rome and across Upstate New York, we need to be giving our nation’s weather observation system more support – not less,” said Schumer. “You don’t need to be a weatherman to forecast that cutting these services would cause major problems for Upstate New Yorkers who rely on having real-time accurate weather data for storms. It is more important than ever to focus on prioritizing federal funding for the National Weather Service to ensure that our systems aren’t just running, but state-of-the-art.”

Officials say 20 confirmed tornadoes touched down in July alone, including the EF-2 that destroyed the city of Rome, and an EF-0 in nearby Virgil.