In the face of looming cuts in federal funding, Gov. Kathy Hochul discussed the state’s preparedness and response capabilities as extreme weather continues to grow in frequency and intensity each year.
“New York state is no stranger to extreme weather, and New Yorkers must be prepared for the myriad of severe weather events that come our way,” Hochul said. “Keeping our state safe and protected is my top priority, and my administration is committed to ensuring accessible emergency weather preparedness and an all-hands-on-deck approach to response and recovery operations as severe weather threats increase.”
New York has one of the nation’s most diverse threat landscapes, especially when it comes to the threat of extreme weather. Since taking office in 2021, weather-related natural disasters have resulted in eight Major Disaster Declarations, five Emergency Declarations and one Fire Management Assistance Grant Declaration from the federal government, as well as the declaration of at least 19 State Disaster Emergencies by Hochul herself.
The diversity of natural threats has been wide ranging too. In 2024 and 2025 alone, New York has:
• Broken 49 high temperature records
• Broken 10 low temperature records
• Broken 19 snowfall records
• Experienced 38 tornadoes
• Experienced 20 significant brush and wildfires, including the largest wildfire in the state in more than 30 years
• Experienced at least 20 significant rainfall events
• Experienced impacts from two tropical systems (Beryl and Debby)
In December 2023, Hochul announced the creation of New York’s State Weather Risk Communication Center at the State University of New York at Albany. The center is a first-of-its kind operational collaboration between university researchers and state emergency managers and serves as a clearinghouse for critical weather information. It also works to develop tools to help emergency managers make informed decisions to help protect communities and examines how communicating extreme weather risks to the public can be improved.
New York State Weather Risk Communication Center Director Nick Bassill said, “New York is leading the nation in building a strong connection between weather experts, emergency managers and the public — which is critical as our state faces increasingly frequent and extreme weather. From hurricanes to lake effect snow and everything in between, the State Weather Risk Communication Center at UAlbany is working daily to help state and local emergency managers better prepare for and respond to severe weather events.”
Additionally, Hochul announced a new real-time emergency and weather alert system earlier this year as part of the state’s Hurricane Preparedness Week recognition efforts. Managed by the division, this text option allows New Yorkers to text the name of their county or borough to 333111 to receive real time emergency and weather alerts and updates directly to their phones. New Yorkers should also remember to follow their local forecasts and visit the DHSES Facebook page, follow @NYSDHSES on X, or visit dhses.ny.gov for important safety information.
Heat waves and other extreme heat events are likely to happen again this summer and state agencies are working to implement initiatives recommended by the state’s Extreme Heat Action Plan to help New Yorkers prepare for heat’s negative health and environmental impacts. In June, New York State marked significant progress on the first year of implementation of the Extreme Heat Action Plan (EHAP) with the first readiness update now available. The EHAP, led by DEC and NYSERDA along with DHSES and DOH under the direction of Hochul, includes nearly 50 actions by state agencies to address extreme heat impacts across four tracks (local planning and capacity building, community preparedness and workers’ safety, resilient buildings and access to cooling, and advancing ecosystem-based adaptations).