New Mexico's weather monitoring system is expanding. Here's what this means for the state.

LAS CRUCES - New Mexico’s ZiaMet MesoNet Weather Monitoring Network will be expanding significantly over the next year as $1.8 million in federal funds have recently been appropriated toward the effort.

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) was in Las Cruces Thursday at the Fabian Garcia Research Center following his support of the Fiscal Year 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Agreement which set aside over $2 million in federal funding for southern New Mexico weather monitoring and public safety.

The state’s weather monitoring network is based out of Las Cruces at New Mexico State University. State Climatologist David DuBois explained that there are currently 31 weather stations operating throughout the state, but this bypasses several counties and large portions of more rural areas of the state.

Stations monitor surface weather conditions and sub-surface soil conditions. Data is collected and used to understand patterns and predict future climate numbers. Data is shown online at https://weather.nmsu.edu/ and is updated hourly.

This data is helpful for those in the agricultural industry, emergency responders and managers as well as everyday people who may experience health risks when not properly informed about the changing weather conditions. Data will also aid in making better firefighting decisions when it comes to wildfires in the state.

Another 66 stations should be installed and in operation by July 1, funded by more than $940,000 of state funds allocated through legislation passed in early 2022. With the additional federal funding, the network should consist of 215 total weather stations throughout the state by July 1, 2023.

DuBois mentioned that average temperatures for the Las Cruces area have increased steadily by about 3 degrees Fahrenheit over the last 50 years. As climate change continues to influence weather events, Heinrich said it is important to make decisions based on quality data.

“We have a very large state with a diffuse network of existing weather stations and the investment in this program helps fill in the gaps,” Heinrich said. “If you have an extreme thunderstorm event or some other extreme weather event, being able to document that can be the difference between being able to get insurance to cover a loss or not cover a loss. So, if someone loses their roof to an extreme wind event or an extreme precipitation event, if we have that data, that means somebody can actually get insurance to cover their losses and it means the insurance companies can properly price risk.”

Not only will the new stations fill gaps in remote areas, but also in larger cities like Albuquerque or Las Cruces, where there are differences in temperature depending on the area of the city you are in.

Heinrich mentioned that Oklahoma is one state New Mexico is looking to as a model because of its similarly rural environment and its investment into a more robust weather data network.