ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo blamed the upstate weather for prompting New Yorkers to flee to other states.

Cuomo told reporters Tuesday that while job losses and high taxes once drove people to leave New York, his administration has ended that trend and improved the local economic situation.

He said many of the New Yorkers leaving the state now are doing so for personal reasons or decisions that he called "climate based."

The comments came after Cuomo's Republican challenger, Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro, said on Monday that Cuomo has failed to stem the number of New Yorkers leaving for states with lower taxes and more jobs.

While New York continues to attract immigrants from other countries, a study last year found that it led the nation in net migration to other states.