Climate Research Programs

Climate Reference Network for the U.S.


Climate Normals for the U.S.


Colonial Era Archive


The Comprehensive Aerological Reference Data Set (CARDS)


The International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS)


The Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN)


Nineteenth Century U.S. Climate Data Set


The United States Historical Climatology Network (USHCN)

Climate Reference Network for the U.S.

A new network of stations to measure weather and climate across the United States. Data will be used operationally to put climate anomalies into historical perspective and to detect climate change.

Climate Normals for the U.S.

A descriptive summary of the climate normals products for the United States. The statistics and computational procedures for daily, monthly, and annual station normals and monthly and annual divisional, statewide, regional, and national normals are reviewed. The 1961-90 normals products are described in detail, and normals products from earlier periods (1951-80, 1941-70, 1931-60) are briefly discussed. The discussion addresses use and interpretation of climate normals.

Colonial Era Archive

NOAA Climate and Global Change program to locate and digitize early historical climate data for data sparse underdeveloped countries.

The Comprehensive Aerological Reference Data Set (CARDS)

DOE and NOAA Climate and Global Change program providing a high quality global upper air database containing daily rawinsonde observations, 1948-1990 (still building 1991-current). Also, an upper air station history available for 2400+ stations.

The International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS)

ICOADS is a joint project between NOAA and NCAR to update and enhance the most extensive and widely used set of surface marine data available for the global ocean over the past two centuries. The program is partially funded by the NOAA Climate and Global Change program.

The Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN)

GHCN is a comprehensive global baseline climate data set comprised of land surface station observations of temperature, precipitation, and pressure. All GHCN data are on a monthly basis with the earliest record dating from 1697.

Nineteenth Century U.S. Climate Data Set

NOAA Climate and Global Change program to rescue and provide quality assured 19th century temperature and precipitation data recorded at US Military Posts and Department of Agriculture observing stations.

The United States Historical Climatology Network (USHCN)

USHCN is a high-quality moderate sized data set of monthly averaged maximum, minimum, and mean temperature and total monthly precipitation developed to assist in the detection of regional climate change.