Regional Climate Services Providers


National Weather Service Local Office Climate Services 
The National Weather Service (NWS) provides a timely, accurate, and reliable suite of subseasonal to seasonal monitoring and prediction products using trusted data, state-of-the-art models. The NWS advances in physical as well as social sciences to provide impact-based decision support services in an easy-to-understand format from trained, professional staff.  At the local level NWS offices deliver products and services to users, conduct outreach and education; conduct local climate studies; and maintain partnerships with communities. The trusted information NWS provides, and the trusted relationships local offices develop, help communities in their efforts to prepare, respond, and reduce climate-related risks.  


NOAA Regional Climate Services Director 
NCEI’s six Regional Climate Services Directors (RCSDs) regularly engage with stakeholders about climate information needs, and help build and strengthen active partner networks with public and private constituents. They help to connect and integrate NOAA’s work with partner organizations that develop and deliver climate services at the regional level, including the Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment programs, Regional Climate Centers, state climatologists, the National Integrated Drought Information System as well as other agencies, institutions, and organizations. These efforts increase the value of climate information to users and support more efficient, cost-effective delivery of products and services.


National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) 
The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), housed within NOAA, is a congressionally mandated multi-agency partnership that coordinates drought monitoring, forecasting, planning, and information at national, state, and local levels across the country. NIDIS manages regional drought early warning systems (DEWS) which utilize new and existing networks of federal, tribal, state, local, and academic partners to make climate and drought science accessible and useful for decision makers and stakeholders.

Check out the Pacific Northwest DEWS and  the Intermountain West DEWS for information specific to the NOAA Western Region. 


Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC)
The Regional Climate Centers (RCC) deliver climate services at national, regional and state levels working with NOAA partners in the National Climatic Data Center, National Weather Service, the American Association of State Climatologists, the Regional Sciences and Assessment Program, and other NOAA Research Institutes. They also partner with the Department of Interior Climate Science Centers and Landscape Conservation Cooperatives. This successful effort has resulted in jointly developed products, services, and capabilities that enhance the delivery of climate information to the American public. As NOAA and Congress work to help society adapt to climate and its variations, these collaborative efforts form a framework for a comprehensive suite of activities encompassing service, data stewardship, and applied research components.

Check out this fact sheet offsite link to learn more or visit the WRCC site to find data and explore resources.... offsite link


National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) 
The National Drought Mitigation Center help people, organizations and institutions build resilience to drought through monitoring and planning. Capabilities include climatology, social science and public engagement, and work on scales from individual ranches to local, state and tribal government, and countries across the world. NDMC is also the academic partners and web host of the U.S. Drought Monitor offsite link, a map released every Thursday showing general areas of drought and labels them by intensity, focused on broad-scale conditions. 

Explore the available education, planning, and monitoring resources.... offsite link


Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) Program
The RISA program builds relationships that help local decision makers and researchers collaborate on adapting to climate change. Through regionally-focused and interdisciplinary research and engagement teams, RISA expands the Nation's capacity to adapt and become resilient to extreme weather events and climate change. RISA teams accomplish this through applied and co-developed research and partnerships with communities. A central tenet of the RISA program is that learning about climate adaptation and resilience is facilitated by and sustained across a wide range of experts, practitioners, and the public. As such, the RISA program supports a network of people, prioritizing wide participation in learning by doing, learning through adapting, and managing risk with uncertain information.  

Learn more about the RISA program here...


Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS)
The Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) is a national-regional partnership working to provide new tools and forecasts to improve safety, enhance the economy, and protect our environment. Integrated ocean information is available in near real time, as well as retrospectively. Easier and better access to this information is improving our ability to understand and predict coastal events - such as storms, wave heights, and sea level change. Such knowledge is needed for everything from retail to development planning.

Explore more about IOOS....


NOAA Fisheries Science Centers
The Northwest Fisheries Science Center (link) and Southwest Fisheries Science Center (link) conduct leading-edge research and analyses that provide the foundation for management decisions to protect, recover, restore, and sustain ecosystems and living marine resources. 

Learn more about the Northwest Fisheries Science Center and Southwest Fisheries Science Center...


Sea Grant
The National Sea Grant College program was established by the U.S. Congress in 1966 and works to create and maintain a healthy coastal environment and economy. The Sea Grant network consists of a federal/university partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and 34 university-based programs in every coastal and Great Lakes state, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The network draws on the expertise of more than 3,000 scientists, engineers, public outreach experts, educators and students to help citizens better understand, conserve and utilize America's coastal resources.

Find more information on the wide-array of Sea Grant programs....


State Climatologists 
State Climatologists currently exist in 47 states and Puerto Rico. They are typically either employees of state agencies or are staff members of state-supported universities. They work closely with other climate services partners including NOAA National Center for Environmental Information, the NOAA Regional Climate Centers, and the National Weather Service. A strong partnership with these organizations is being nourished. This activity helps provide improved climate services for the nation through greater integration of data quality control, improved communication among the sector, and more coordinated referral of customer inquiries.

Find your state climatologist... offsite link


U.S. Department of Agriculture Climate Hubs 
A unique collaboration across the department's agencies, the USDA Climate Hubs link research and program agencies in their regional delivery of timely and authoritative tools and information to agriculture producers and professionals. The vision is for a robust and healthy agriculture production and natural resources under increasing climate variability and climate change. There are ten hubs located across the country. 

Check out Hubs in the Northwest, California, Northern Plains, and Southwest for information specific to the NOAA Western Region. 


USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASC) 
Climate Adaptation Science Centers is a network comprised of the National CASC and nine regional CASCs, covering the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawai'i, the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands, and the U.S. Caribbean. CASCs fund projects generating research, data sets, and tools to help natural and cultural resource managers protect natural places & local communities in a changing climate. They have also supported over 200 students and early-career scientists and managers through 10+ fellowship and training programs. 

Check out the CASC main page for an overview and dive into CASCs within the NOAA Western Region, which include: Northwest and Southwest


California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI)
CalCOFI conducts quarterly cruises off southern & central California to collect a suite of environmental and marine ecosystem data. These data are used to study the California Current, manage its living resources, and monitor the indicators of El Niño and climate change.

Access available CalCOFI data... offsite link

Popular Climate Resources
 

West Watch
West Watch is a monthly webinar series that brings together NOAA staff and partners from across the agency and region to share information about climate conditions and impacts. 
Access here...


Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook Reports
Two-page reports on regional climate impacts with an overview of recent conditions and outlooks. Access the latest and past reports...


El Niño/La Niña Impacts and Outlook Reports
Regional Summaries of impacts of El Niño/La Niña events and what communities might expect when new conditions are pending. Access the latest and past reports....


National Climate Assessment
The two-part congressionally mandated report by the U.S. Global Change Research Program assesses the science of climate change and variability and its impacts across the United States, now and throughout this century. View the entire  report... Pacific Northwest Chapter and Southwest Chapter


Climate Resilience Toolkit
A website designed to help people find and use tools, information, and subject matter expertise to build climate resilience. It offers information from all across the U.S. federal government in one easy-to-use location. Explore the toolkit...


U.S. Drought Portal (Drought.gov)
Developed by NOAA’s National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) program, the U.S. Drought Portal offers access to maps, data, and expert assessments through easy-to-use tools designed to help decision makers monitor, plan for, and recover from water shortages. Visit the U.S. Drought Portal to get the latest drought impacts for your neighborhood and learn more about drought....


U.S. Drought Monitor
This map is released every Thursday, showing parts of the U.S. that are in drought, using five classifications. View the Drought Monitor map to see current conditions... offsite link


Climate at a Glance
This map is released every Thursday, showing parts of the U.S. that are in drought, using five classifications. Check out the map here..


California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (CCIEA)
CCIEA is an interdisciplinary research effort led by NOAA scientists along the U.S. West Coast that supports  ecosystem-based management of the California Current. Learn more about the research... 


JISAO Seasonal Coastal Ocean Prediction of the Ecosystem (JSCOPE)
JSCOPE provides short term (six to nine month) forecasts of ocean condition that are testable and relevant to management decisions for fisheries, protected species and ecosystem health. Access the forecasts... offsite link


Climate, Ecosystems, and Fisheries Initiative
NOAA is building the end-to-end, operational modeling, and decision support system needed to provide the information and capacity resource managers and stakeholders need to reduce impacts and increase resilience in a changing. Access the system...