Getting to know your State Climate Office

The state climatologist program serves as the focal point for activities pertaining to each state's weather and climate by collecting and archiving climate data, maintaining active research programs, and providing climate education and outreach programs. Many state climate offices also provide data services, tools, publications, and analysis through their web sites and social media outlets. State climatologists also regularly conference with and provide interviews to media organizations and broadcast meteorologists.

At the New Jersey State Climate Office at Rutgers University, we average one interview a day with television, radio, and print media. As one would expect, this number is even higher during and immediately following major weather events such as snowstorms, floods, droughts, heat waves, and cold spells. Recently, our staff has kept busy upgrading our NJWxNet mesonet to ingest and display observations at 5-minute resolution, assisting our agricultural partners with climate research and analysis, and coordinating the state's ever-growing CoCoRAHS network.

This talk will further discuss the role of state climate offices, provide some suggestions, and hopefully open a discussion on how broadcasters can develop a close two-way relationship with their state's climate office.