This 2025-2026 winter has been consistently snowy, with fresh snow every few days—quite a shift from previous years. The largest recorded snowfall in Sullivan County occurred on February 16, 1958, when thirty-eight inches of snow immobilized the region. At that time, weather forecasting was not as notable or advanced as it is today. Many community members worked in farming and fishing, which made them more aware of impending bad or threatening weather conditions.

In the Town of Highland for the past ten years we have had a state-of-the-art high tech weather station sponsored by the University of Albany and the NYS Division of Homeland Security right in the village of Eldred. Since August of 2016, the station has been located up behind the Highland Senior Center on Route 55. It is part of a network of one hundred and twenty-seven weather stations throughout New York State called NYS Mesonet- the country’s largest and most advanced state weather observation network. The term “Meso” refers to any weather phenomena that range in size from less than a mile to hundreds of miles long and last a few minutes or up to hours. Each of the stations uses solar panels and are equipped with outdoor cameras, advanced sensors that collect data every 3 to 30 seconds then automatically calculates five-minute averages on temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, atmospheric pressure, solar radiation, snow and rain depth, soil temperature, and moisture levels. Sponsored by New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, the Mesonet weather system is one of the nation’s most advanced detection systems, and the weather stations data is transmitted to scientists at the University of Albany’s Tier3 Certified Scientific Data Center. It is then processed into files and sent to emergency managers throughout the State, utility companies, ground and air transportation hubs, farms and other weather-related businesses and the public for use in forecasting and decision making. In fact, one recent research study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Bolder Colorado found that New York State was the most economically sensitive state to weather and climate variability. With New York State having at least one weather station in all sixty-two counties, this Early Warning Severe Detection System saves billions of dollars by facilitating rapid response to catastrophic weather events when necessary. 

Since its construction in 2016, our weather station has undergone several significant upgrades. It now participates in the Profiler Network, which features advanced stations equipped with Doppler Lidar for measuring wind speed and direction and microwave radiometers for gauging temperature and humidity. These improvements help provide better forecasts for storms, tornadoes, and microburst conditions.

It always makes me smile when I see the Highland Highway Department share a storm forecast from the National Weather Service in Binghamton, knowing that our Eldred weather station which is part of the National Weather Service sits right on the Highway Department grounds. The Mesonet Network, which issues highly accurate Eldred forecasts daily, does so by collecting and analyzing local data and information from the other weather stations in the system.

The Eldred Mesonet weather station offers real-time online access, weather alerts, and 3D analyses. Users can view current conditions and get a ten-day weather forecast, compare historical data and files, and request information directly from University of Albany scientists. Visit nysmesonet.org, select the Mesonet tab, and find Eldred or other New York State locations for more details. A wonderful resource right here in town!