From supercomputers and state-of-the-art models to observations and outlooks, we provide data, tools, and information to help people understand and prepare for climate variability and change.

A collage of typical climate and weather-related events: heatwaves, drought, hurricanes, wildfires and changes in sea ice coverage.
Building a Climate-Ready Nation

NOAA is working to help create a thriving nation whose prosperity, health, security, and continued growth benefit from and depend upon a shared understanding of, and collective action to reduce the impacts of climate change.

Satellite image of hurricane Ida.
Story map: In harm’s way, Hurricane Ida’s impact on socially vulnerable communities
May 16, 2022

With every climate-related disaster, economic damages are measured and addressed, while the human toll is less readily assessed. Explore NCEI's Story Map to learn about the human cost of extreme weather from Hurricane Ida.

Sunset over the ocean.
Story map: In Hot Water: Ocean Heat and Our Warming World
January 17, 2022

The global ocean is heating up, with far-reaching consequences. This leads to big problems for our planet, such as sea-level rise, increases in severe weather, massive melting of glaciers and ice sheets, and displacement of marine habitats. Explore NCEI's Story Map to learn about one of the most important indicators of climate change—Ocean Heat Content.

thermometer icon on top of globe image
About NOAA Climate.gov

NOAA Climate.gov provides timely and authoritative information about climate.  We promote public understanding of climate science and climate-related events through videos, stories, images, and data visualizations; we make common data products and services easy to access and use; and we provide tools and resources that help people make informed decisions about climate risks, vulnerability, and resilience.

Go to Climate.gov
About NCEI

The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) host and provide access to one of the most significant archives on earth, with comprehensive oceanic, atmospheric, and geophysical data. From the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun and from million-year-old tree rings to near-real-time satellite images, NCEI is the nation’s leading authority for environmental information.

Go to NCEI
$1.16 trillion

Over the past 15 years (2005-2019), there have been 156 separate billion-dollar weather or climate disasters in the U.S that have cost a combined $1.16 trillion in damages.

2019 was second-warmest year on record

Earth’s global average surface temperature was 1.71°F (0.95°C) above the 20th-century average in 2019. Nine of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 2005.

28 times more efficient

Methane is roughly 28 times more efficient at trapping heat in the Earth’s atmosphere compared to carbon dioxide, and current levels of methane in the atmosphere are higher than at any point in the past 2,000 years.

A month-long cyclone?

The longest-lived tropical cyclone (hurricane) on record was the Pacific’s Hurricane John, which lasted 31 days in 1994, from August 10–September 10.

19

The number of La Nina events across the tropical Pacific Ocean since 1950. La Ninas cool the waters of the central and eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean affecting the air above it, starting a domino-effect in the atmosphere impacting the climate worldwide.

~ 4000

The number of Argo buoys currently deployed across the world’s ocean to measure the temperature and salinity. First deployed in 2000, Argo buoys measured their 2 millionth ocean profile in 2018.

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