Virginia Climate Center to host State Climate Office
Media Contact
Luis E. Ortiz
Co-director, Virginia Climate Center at George Mason University
James Kinter
Director, Virginia Climate Center at George Mason University
July 9, 2026
The Virginia Climate Center at George Mason University has been authorized to serve as the host of Virginia’s State Climate Office to provide Virginians with vital weather and climate information.
Fairfax, VA — As of July 2026, George Mason University is to host the Virginia State Climate Office under the College of Science’s Virginia Climate Center. The State Climate Office will provide Virginians with a public resource for communities and agencies to receive vital weather and climate data, information, tools, and expert opinions.
“The Virginia Climate Center is delighted to be designated as the host of the Virginia State Climate Office. This is an opportunity for George Mason University and the Center to continue to serve the Commonwealth and promote resilience within our communities,” says director of the Virginia Climate Center Dr. Jim Kinter.
The appointment rectifies a longstanding issue of Virginia being one of only two states without an official climate office, filling a crucial gap that exists in Virginia-focused climate services.
“We have seen an outstanding need for a centralized source of climate data and information that is specific to Virginia and its localities. The Virginia State Climate Office is intended to address that need by establishing a network of data collection across the Commonwealth,” states Dr. Luis Ortiz, co-director of the Virginia Climate Center. “That data will then be used to analyze, track, and document Virginia’s climate as well as provide the public with timely information.”
The Virginia State Climate Office will operate under the Virginia Climate Center and formalize the Center’s public service mission, acting as a hub for all things climate across the Commonwealth. The Virginia State Climate Office will focus on topics of interest to all of Virginia, such as future iterations of the Virginia Climate Assessment, the first of which was published in November 2025. The Virginia Climate Center will continue to collaborate with local, county, and Tribal partners on a project basis to assess local climate risks and co-produce local adaptation solutions.
Updates on the Virginia State Climate Office will be posted to the Virginia Climate Center website and social media channels (LinkedIn, Bluesky, and X).
