A new weather station has opened in Franklin Township as part of the Rutgers New Jersey Weather Network following a $25,000 State Strategic Impact Grant from the American Water Charitable Foundation.
The station will provide publicly accessible weather and climate data to support research, education, agriculture and emergency preparedness efforts across New Jersey.
The American Water Charitable Foundation is a philanthropic non-profit organization established by American Water. It awarded the $25,000 grant in 2024 to the Rutgers University Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist. New Jersey American Water made space available for the station at its Canal Road Water Treatment Plant.
The weather station is now operating as part of the Rutgers New Jersey Weather Network. Through its online data portal, users can access current and historical observations from Franklin Township, including temperature, dew point, relative humidity, barometric pressure, precipitation, wind speed and wind direction, with data available in five-minute, hourly and daily intervals.
“This new station expands our capability to monitor real-time weather conditions in Central New Jersey,” said State Climatologist Dr. John Krasting. “While the data will be invaluable to our office, the real winners are local residents, who will now have state-of-the-art observations from their own community informing everything from severe weather warnings to decisions about their daily lives.”
Current conditions and station information are available on the Franklin Township station webpage.
The grant also supported the creation of an educational lesson focused on regional weather and climate data, including observations collected at the Franklin Township station. Designed for middle and high school classrooms, the resource helps students and educators explore local weather and climate patterns using real-world data, with a focus on communities served by New Jersey American Water. This curriculum is available at no cost through the New Jersey State Climate Office’s education resources webpage.
“The project reflects our commitment to investing in innovative partnerships that advance education, environmental stewardship and community resilience across New Jersey,” said Mark McDonough, president of New Jersey American Water.
The State Strategic Impact grant is part of the Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program, focusing on three pillars of giving: Water, People and Communities. State Strategic Impact grants support high-impact projects and initiatives throughout American Water’s national footprint.
