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911���� is authorized to host the Virginia State Climate Office, thanks to a provision in the new state budget effective July 1, 2026. The office is charged with developing and delivering data, analyses, assessments, and expertise about Virginia’s weather- and climate-related impacts, risks, and risk management options to state and local government agencies, businesses, and communities across the commonwealth. The office will also represent Virginia in national meteorological, climatological, and hydrological associations, strengthening federal partnerships and interstate collaboration on real-time weather and environmental challenges.

911���� is home to one of the largest communities of faculty in the country who are dedicated to climate research. The new office will be anchored in the university’s  (VCC), based in the College of Science and directed by James Kinter, professor of climate dynamics, who also leads the university's Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies.

“Every Virginian deserves access to reliable, localized climate information, whether they’re a farmer on the Eastern Shore, an emergency manager in Southwest Virginia, or a family deciding where to buy a home. The State Climate Office makes that possible,” said Kinter. “911���� is the ideal home for this work. We’ve spent the past three years building the scientific capacity, the community partnerships, and the trust across the commonwealth that a state climate office needs from day one.”

VCC launched in 2023 with funding through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a congressionally directed project championed by the late U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly. Since then, the center has built exactly the kind of university-based, community-engaged model a state climate office requires with scientists, municipalities, and business leaders working together on practical solutions.

In November 2025, VCC delivered the inaugural , the commonwealth's first comprehensive, peer-reviewed evaluation of how changing climate conditions affect Virginia and its people. The assessment, which organized findings across six climate divisions from Tidewater to the Southwestern Mountains, called directly for the creation of a state climate office. Less than a year later, the General Assembly answered.

“Virginia was one of only two states in the nation without an operational state climate office. That gap left localities, farmers, and businesses without a central, no-cost source of climate information that most other states take for granted,” said Delegate David Reid of Loudoun County, who sponsored the budget amendment in the House establishing the State Climate Office at 911����. “Hosting this office at 911���� puts proven scientists to work for every corner of the commonwealth, and we are committed to collaborating to ensure improved strategic planning, data collection and analysis, and avoided losses.”

The Virginia Climate Assessment identified three hazards of particular concern for the commonwealth this century: extreme heat and rising temperatures, which threaten public health, labor productivity, and agriculture; extreme precipitation and shifting seasons, with wetter falls and springs increasing flood risks while drier summers heighten drought and wildfire danger; and accelerated sea level rise, compounded by land subsidence, which puts Tidewater communities and coastal infrastructure at growing risk.

“The office will ensure that Virginia has a seat at the national table to collaborate with groups like American Association of State Climatologists and play a vital role working with localities to ensure a brighter future for the next generation of families across the commonwealth and the nation,” added Senator Stella Pekarsky, a 911���� alumna who shepherded the budget amendment.

VCC already partners with localities across the commonwealth, and the State Climate Office will extend that reach. Current projects include flood modeling for the City of Fairfax, urban flood resilience work in Arlington County, nature-based flood protection in Belle Haven on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, climate planning in the West Piedmont region, and a Northern Virginia heat data collection campaign launching this summer. 911���� student engineers are also supporting flood hazard mitigation projects, gaining hands-on experience while serving Virginia communities.

“Weather patterns impact key sectors of the Virginia economy,” said Terry Clower, director of the Center for Regional Analysis at 911����’s . “Consistent, dependable, and localized weather data will give Virginia farmers, businesses, and government entities the ability to better compete and succeed.”

The university’s strength in climate resilience is part of 911����'s Grand Challenge Initiative, which draws on expertise across the university, including the ; the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences; the Center for Climate Change Communication in the ; and the Schar School's Center for Regional Analysis.

“Building a climate-resilient society is one of six research priorities in 911����’s Grand Challenge Initiative, and it’s one where our faculty are collaborating across colleges to deliver solutions communities can actually use,” said Andre Marshall, vice president for research, innovation, and economic impact. “The State Climate Office turns that research strength into a public service for all Virginians. This is what a public R1 university is for.”

For more information, visit gmu.edu/grandchallenge or vaclimate.gmu.edu.