Rutgers Weather Station Adds Franklin Township Data
Rutgers Weather Station in Franklin Township provides public weather observations in five-minute, hourly and daily intervals.
American Water Charitable Foundation and New Jersey American Water announced the completion of a new Rutgers New Jersey Weather Network station in Franklin Township, Somerset County, supported by a $25,000 grant awarded in 2024. New Jersey American Water provided space at its Canal Road Water Treatment Plant for the installation and operation. The station makes current and historical observations publicly available through Rutgers University’s New Jersey Weather Network. Data is published in five-minute, hourly and daily intervals.
Local Weather Data Available
The Franklin Township station records temperature, dew point, relative humidity, barometric pressure, precipitation, wind speed and wind direction. Current conditions and station details are available through the Franklin Township station webpage.
Dr. John Krasting, New Jersey State Climatologist, said:
“Through the coordination among Rutgers and New Jersey American Water, this new station expands our capability to monitor real-time weather conditions in Central New Jersey. 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.”
Education Resource Added
The grant also funded an educational lesson on regional weather and climate data, including observations from the Franklin Township station. The no-cost resource is designed for middle and high school classrooms and is available through the New Jersey State Climate Office’s education resources webpage.
Support for Community Resilience
The State Strategic Impact grant sits within the Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program, which focuses on Water, People and Communities. The project combines a secure site for local monitoring with public access to weather observations and classroom materials.
Mark McDonough, President of New Jersey American Water, said:
“We’re proud to support Rutgers University’s work to expand access to high-quality weather and climate data through this new station in Franklin Township. The project reflects our commitment to investing in innovative partnerships that advance education, environmental stewardship and community resilience across New Jersey.”
