NOAA Climate.gov

NOAA Climate.gov is dedicated to providing valuable science and information to support a climate-conscious nation. The well-being of Americans—covering health, security, and economic stability—is deeply influenced by climate and weather conditions. There is a growing need for information that assists individuals in navigating the climate-related challenges and opportunities they encounter. At NOAA Climate.gov, we offer timely and credible scientific insights and data regarding climate issues. Our mission is to enhance public comprehension of climate science and events, ensure that our data products and services are easily accessible, provide climate support to businesses and the economy, and equip individuals with the tools and resources they need to make informed climate-related decisions. Each section of NOAA Climate.gov is tailored to meet the needs of different groups: - **News & Features** serves as a magazine-like section for those interested in climate science, covering important topics related to climate adaptation and mitigation. Explore this area… - **Maps & Data** functions as an access point for reusable climate maps and datasets that illustrate various climate conditions. This section is designed for officials and professionals seeking data to guide their decisions or to create climate adaptation reports. Check it out… - **Teaching Climate** offers educational resources, including learning activities, curriculum materials, multimedia tools, and professional development for both formal and informal educators looking to integrate climate science into their teaching.

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Articles

What’s the hottest Earth’s ever been?

1 month ago | climate.gov | Michon Scott |Rebecca Lindsey

This article was first published in August 2014, and it has been updated to include new research published since then. This article is one of a three-part series on past temperatures. One is about how warm the Earth has been “lately.” The other is about the coldest Earth's ever been. Our 4.54-billion-year-old planet probably experienced its hottest temperatures in its earliest days, when it was still colliding with other rocky debris (planetesimals) careening around the solar system.
The weather and climate influences on the January 2025 fires around Los Angeles

2 months ago | climate.gov | Rebecca Lindsey

HighlightsA trifecta of fire-friendly climate conditions set the stage for the January 2025 fires: back-to-back wet winters that boosted vegetation, a record-dry fall, and an extremely strong Santa Ana wind event. By one estimate, record-low fall precipitation had a bigger influence on the exceptionally low vegetation moisture than the near-record summer and fall temperatures.
2024: An active year of U.S. billion-dollar weather and climate disasters | NOAA Climate.gov

Jan 10, 2025 | climate.gov

With Hurricane Helene at the top of the list, there were 27 disasters in the United States in 2024 that individually cost $1 billion or more. It was the second-highest number since the NOAA record began in 1980.
January 2025 update: La Niña is here

Jan 9, 2025 | climate.gov | Emily Becker

La Niña conditions emerged in the tropical Pacific in December. There’s a 59% chance La Niña will persist through February–April, followed by a 60% chance of neutral conditions in March–May. Read on for the recent observations that led us to declare the (long-awaited) onset of La Niña and lots of details for current and potential upcoming conditions.
2024 Arctic Report Card: The amount of sea ice that survives Arctic summer is roughly half of what it used to be

Dec 10, 2024 | climate.gov | Rebecca Lindsey

File Name Resolution File Size View Download arctic-report-card-2024--sea-ice--2400px.jpg 2400 × 2981 1,184.9 KB According to NOAA’s 2024 Arctic Report Card, the amount of sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean at the end of the summer melt season in September was the sixth smallest on record. The ranking added another year to a nearly two-decade long streak: the last 18 years are the 18th-smallest ice extents of the 46-year satellite record.
2024 Arctic Report Card: Migratory Arctic caribou populations have fallen by 65%

Dec 10, 2024 | climate.gov | Rebecca Lindsey

File Name Resolution File Size View Download arctic-report-card-2024--caribou-numbers--2400px--corrected-01.jpg 2400 × 2446 1,067.9 KB According to NOAA’s 2024 Arctic Report Card, the number of caribou that roam the Arctic tundra grazing on lichen and other cold-hardy plants has declined by 65 percent over the past few decades.
2024 Arctic Report Card: Arctic precipitation has increased across all seasons

Dec 10, 2024 | climate.gov | Haley Thiem

File Name Resolution File Size View Download arctic-report-card-2024--precipitation--2400px.jpg 2400 × 2826 1,085.1 KB According to NOAA’s Arctic Report Card, summer (July–September) 2024 was the Arctic’s wettest summer on record, based on data going back to 1950. From 1950 through 2024, annual precipitation (rain and snow) has increased across the Arctic (60–90°N), with the increase most noticeable in winter (January–March).
2024 Arctic Report Card: The Arctic tundra is now a net source of carbon dioxide

Dec 10, 2024 | climate.gov | Haley Thiem

According to NOAA’s Arctic Report Card, the Arctic tundra region has become a source of carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere, driven by a combination of microbial activity in thawing permafrost and emissions from wildfires, which are becoming more frequent. In 2024, permafrost temperatures ranked highest on record at nearly half of Alaska’s long-term monitoring stations. Meanwhile, 2024 ranked as the second-highest year for wildfire emissions north of the Arctic Circle.
2024 Arctic Report Card: Big regional differences in the length of the 2023-24 snow season across the Arctic

Dec 10, 2024 | climate.gov | Michon Scott |Rebecca Lindsey

Over the 2023–2024 season, snow accumulation across the Arctic exceeded the 1991–2020 average, according to the Arctic Report Card. While some localized areas experienced snow cover duration that was relatively long compared to recent years, long-term records show on average snow is melting earlier in both North America and Eurasia. This map shows how the length of the 2023-24 snow-covered season ranked in the historical record dating back to 1998.
Since 2000, the intensity and size of Western U.S. droughts have been dominated by heat, not lack of precipitation

Nov 25, 2024 | climate.gov | Rebecca Lindsey

The simplest definition of a drought is below-average precipitation. But drought intensity depends a lot on air temperatures. The hotter it is, the more moisture the atmosphere inhales from the surface. Recent NOAA-funded research found that across the western United States, the climate factors driving drought intensity underwent a role reversal at the start of the 21st century.