Tiny tutorial: Climate at a Glance

Climate at a Glance, from the National Centers for Environmental Information, shows temperature and precipitation at local, regional, national, and international scales. You can change your parameters to show monthly, seasonal, or multi-year averages. To learn more about how NOAA monitors climate on land, in the atmosphere, and in the ocean, check out the educational resources in our climate data monitoring collection.

Animated tiny tutorial on using Climate at a Glance from the National Centers for Environmental Information.

Below, you can look through each step at your own pace.

Step 1: Go to https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag
Step 1: Go to https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag (NOAA Education)
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Step 2: Select "County" from the top menu. Then select "Time Series."
Step 2: Select "County" from the top menu. Then select "Time Series." (NOAA Education)
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Step 3: Choose the month, years, state, and county that you are interested in. Click "Plot" to show your selected data.
Step 3: Choose the month, years, state, and county that you are interested in. Click "Plot" to show your selected data. (NOAA Education)
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Step 4: The data shows the difference between the 20th century temperature average and the average temperature for the month selected across multiple years. You can hover your mouse over the graph for specific data points.
Step 4: The data shows the difference between the 20th century temperature average and the average temperature for the month selected across multiple years. You can hover your mouse over the graph for specific data points. (NOAA Education)
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Step 5: Scroll down to see a table showing the average temperature for each year in the selected month. To download data, select from these formats: xml, csv, or json.
Step 5: Scroll down to see a table showing the average temperature for each year in the selected month. To download data, select from these formats: xml, csv, or json. (NOAA Education)
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Step 6: VALUE: The average temperature for a specific month and year. RANK: A ranking comparing all years, with "1" being the year with the lowest average temperature. DEPARTURE FROM MEAN: How much the average for the specific month and year differed from the 20th century mean for that month.
Step 6: VALUE: The average temperature for a specific month and year. RANK: A ranking comparing all years, with "1" being the year with the lowest average temperature. DEPARTURE FROM MEAN: How much the average for the specific month and year differed from the 20th century mean for that month. (NOAA Education)
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Step 7: To view seasonal differences, select "Time Scale: 3-Month" and the last month of the season. For summer (June - August), select August. Click "Plot" to view the data.
Step 7: To view seasonal differences, select "Time Scale: 3-Month" and the last month of the season. For summer (June - August), select August. Click "Plot" to view the data. (NOAA Education)
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