[Watersheds] NOAA Revises Climate Normals

[Panciera, Ernie (DEM)]

From: Association of Clean Water Administrators Weekly Wrap

NOAA Revises Climate Normals
Every 10 years, NOAA releases an analysis of U.S. weather of the past three decades that calculates average values for temperature, rainfall and other conditions. That time has come again. Known as the U.S. Climate Normals, these 30-year averages - now spanning 1991-2020 - represent the new "normals" of our changing climate. They are calculated using climate observations collected at local weather stations across the country<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.weather.gov/news/212304-citizen-science-climate__;!!KKphUJtCzQ!esXUNZiV9gjL5UUE-CadmIg_vJwmlQyo8F_BslMt4ybPjUsBj8dyiePh0LZvU2JVTbWSC0LN$ [weather[.]gov]> and are corrected for bad or missing values and any changes to the weather station over time before becoming part of the climate record.
Simply stated: The Normals are the basis for judging how daily, monthly and annual climate conditions compare to what's normal for a specific location in today's climate.
The U.S. Climate Normals are a large suite of data products that provide information about typical climate conditions for thousands of locations across the United States. Normals act both as a ruler to compare today's weather and tomorrow's forecast, and as a predictor of conditions in the near future. The official normals are calculated for a uniform 30 year period, and consist of annual/seasonal, monthly, daily, and hourly averages and statistics of temperature, precipitation, and other climatological variables from almost 15,000 U.S. weather stations.
NCEI generates the official U.S. normals every 10 years in keeping with the needs of our user community and the requirements of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and National Weather Service (NWS). The 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals are the latest in a series of decadal normals first produced in the 1950s. These data allow travelers to pack the right clothes, farmers to plant the best crop varieties, and utilities to plan for seasonal energy usage. Many other important economic decisions that are made beyond the predictive range of standard weather forecasts are either based on or influenced by climate normals.
For the past decade, the Normals have been based on weather observations from 1981 to 2010. In early May, climate experts at NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) issued an updated collection<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/noaa-delivers-new-us-climate-normals__;!!KKphUJtCzQ!esXUNZiV9gjL5UUE-CadmIg_vJwmlQyo8F_BslMt4ybPjUsBj8dyiePh0LZvU2JVTbexw0-5$ [ncei[.]noaa[.]gov]> based on the weather occurring from 1991 to 2020. The data set reflects a "new normal" that takes the most recent 30 years of climate change-influenced weather and climate conditions into account. (More: See our Climate Normals Explainer<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://noaa.gov/explainers/understanding-climate-normals__;!!KKphUJtCzQ!esXUNZiV9gjL5UUE-CadmIg_vJwmlQyo8F_BslMt4ybPjUsBj8dyiePh0LZvU2JVTVTaLkNB$ [noaa[.]gov]>.)
Access the new Normals data here<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/us-climate-normals?mc_cid=45ddf60386&mc_eid=10e7577f1b__;!!KKphUJtCzQ!esXUNZiV9gjL5UUE-CadmIg_vJwmlQyo8F_BslMt4ybPjUsBj8dyiePh0LZvU2JVTYlKB4bl$ [ncei[.]noaa[.]gov]>, and learn more about the Normals and their change over time here<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.noaa.gov/news/new-us-climate-normals-are-here-what-do-they-tell-us-about-climate-change__;!!KKphUJtCzQ!esXUNZiV9gjL5UUE-CadmIg_vJwmlQyo8F_BslMt4ybPjUsBj8dyiePh0LZvU2JVTfsjconP$ [noaa[.]gov]>.
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Attached:  Providence New Climate Normals:  showing difference from 1981-2010 to 1991-2020

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