Weather readings at Mohonk Lake began in the mid-1880s, taken by the Smiley family, founders of the neighboring Mohonk Mountain House, and are now continued by Mohonk Preserve. Beginning in the late 1970s, data collection expanded to include regular monitoring of the pH of precipitation, lakes, and natural streams.
Composed of more than 40,000 days of weather observations, these records comprise the collection of the Preserve’s Mohonk Lake Cooperative Weather Station, established in 1896 by the U.S. Weather Bureau (now the National Weather Service).
A preliminary analysis of the Preserve’s weather data shows that the average temperature has risen about two degrees over the past 127 years.
Why is this data important?
To identify the extent of global climate change, researchers need access to reliable data covering the longest period possible. The Preserve’s weather data is dependable because the station has been in the same, comparatively stable location for over a century and the same protocol has been followed by the relatively few people involved in collecting the data.
Weather Archive
Looking for more information from a previous month and year? Please visit NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center.
Banner photo of the Shawangunk Ridge by Stephen D. Stewart-Hill