FEC: snow store: snow science and technology for operations, research, and economic development in northern new england

The National Science Foundation Office of Integrative Activities awarded the University of Vermont $3,259,097 on August 1, 2026, under the Integrative Activities program (CFDA 47.083) to establish a regional snow and weather monitoring network across Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

The project will install snow and weather measurement equipment at key locations to close observational gaps in Northern New England and advance understanding of snow accumulation and melt processes, orographic precipitation enhancement, rain-snow partitioning, and weather-sensitive economic behavior in winter-dependent industries. Work will integrate automated sensors, manual snow observations, crowdsourced measurements, data assimilation techniques, physically based snow models, economic analysis, and qualitative social science methods. The project will deliver online dashboards to help local providers and forecasters plan and respond to variable winter conditions and natural hazards.

The University of Vermont leads the effort with sub-recipients including the University of New Hampshire, University of Maine, Vermont State University Lyndon, University of Maine at Farmington, and Mount Washington Observatory. The project will expand the STEM workforce by training students, volunteers, and other professionals across the region to strengthen regional research capacity and rural economic development.

Performance of work occurs at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont, with expanded instrumentation at established field sites across the three-state region. The period of performance runs from August 1, 2026, through July 31, 2030.

Abstract

This project identifies a critical data GAP in northern new england: the lack of coordinated snow monitoring infrastructure. This project will address this shortcoming by installing snow and weather measurement equipment at key locations across the region, providing new data that will drive scientific advances in snow science, mountain weather forecasting, and weather-economy linkages. These improvements and online dashboards will help local providers and forecasters plan and respond to variable winter conditions and natural hazards. The project will expand the stem workforce by training students, volunteers, and other professionals across northern new england, strengthening regional research capacity and rural economic development. Led by the flagship university of vermont and supported by the flagship universities of new hampshire and maine, the primarily undergraduate institutions of vermont state university lyndon and umaine farmington, and the non-profit mount washington observatory, this team will serve a broad mix of students and communities. This project will establish a regional snow and weather monitoring network across vermont, new hampshire, and maine to close critical observational gaps in northern new england. The new observations will advance our understanding of snow accumulation and melt processes, orographic precipitation enhancement, near-surface lapse rates, rain-snow partitioning, and weather-sensitive economic behavior on the winter dependent industry. Project work will integrate automated sensors, manual snow observations, crowdsourced measurements, data assimilation techniques, physically based snow models, economic analysis, and qualitative social science methods. Research infrastructure improvements will include expanded instrumentation at established field sites across three epscor jurisdictions, open-access data repositories, public-facing decision-support tools, and the sharing of cross-institutional resources. These activities will be tightly coupled with rural workforce development efforts through microcredentialing, open-access training modules, and industry convenings, and are sustained by partnerships with state SKI associations, the national weather service, and the appalachian mountain club, ensuring long-term research continuity and expanded regional stem capacity. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.