A research program at the University at Albany is being awarded $460,281 to examine factors that cause extreme winter weather events in North America. The program, led by Dr. Andrea Lang, professor of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences at UAlbany, is being administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Program Office.

“With fires, floods, hurricanes and other extreme weather events now raging across our nation, we must look to science and act with the greatest urgency,” Congressman Paul Tonko said in a statement, announcing the grant. “These disasters have taken or upended countless American lives and cause hundreds of billions of dollars in damage. Researching the ways climate change and other factors are driving these devastating events allows us to adapt, build greater resilience and better prepare and protect our communities.”

“As increasingly extreme weather is felt across the globe, there has never been a more important time to train atmospheric and environmental scientists who can address the complex challenges associated with climate change,” said Ryan Torn, chairman of the UAlbany Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences. “This research will play a crucial role in understanding what factors impact winter weather in the Northeast, in turn enhancing forecasting and resiliency in our communities.”

NOAA’s Climate Program Office is awarding $48.7 million in grants to support 79 projects that will improve resilience across the nation. Through collaborations that effectively leverage resources from the broader scientific community, these awards are to help NOAA tackle challenges in many areas of climate science, including weather and climate extremes, drought and water resources, changing atmospheric composition and its impacts, and more.