NOAA's Climate Data Records (CDRs) are robust, sustainable, and scientifically sound climate records that provide trustworthy information on how, where, and to what extent the land, oceans, atmosphere and ice sheets are changing. These datasets are thoroughly vetted time series measurements with the longevity, consistency, and continuity to assess and measure climate variability and change. NOAA CDRs are vetted using standards established by the National Research Council (NRC).

Climate Data Records are created by merging data from surface, atmosphere, and space-based systems across decades. NOAA’s Climate Data Records provides authoritative and traceable long-term climate records. NOAA developed CDRs by applying modern data analysis methods to historical global satellite data. This process can clarify the underlying climate trends within the data and allows researchers and other users to identify economic and scientific value in these records. NCEI maintains and extends CDRs by applying the same methods to present-day and future satellite measurements.

Terrestrial CDRs are composed of sensor data that have been improved and quality controlled over time, together with ancillary calibration data.

The Mean Layer Temperature - NOAA CDR V5.0 is a monthly global dataset with 2.5°×2.5° grid resolution covering the period from November 1978 to present. The dataset measures mean layer atmospheric temperatures from the lower-troposphere to the lower-stratosphere. The dataset was inter-calibrated and merged from three generations of microwave sounders, MSU, AMSU-A, and ATMS, with 16 polar-orbiting satellites including TIROS-N, NOAA-6, NOAA-7, NOAA-8, NOAA-9, NOAA-10, NOAA-11, NOAA-12, NOAA-14, NOAA-15, NOAA-18, NOAA-19, MetOp-A, Aqua, SNPP, and NOAA-20. The dataset includes temperature mid-troposphere (TMT, MSU channel 2 merged with AMSU-A channel 5 and ATMS channel 6), temperature upper-troposphere (TUT, MSU channel 3 merged with AMSU-A channel 7 and ATMS channel 8), temperature lower-stratosphere (TLS, MSU channel 4 merged with AMSU-A channel 9 and ATMS channel 10), and temperature lower-troposphere (TLT, derived from combinations of TMT, TUT, and TLS). TLT, TMT, TUT, and TLS measure layer temperatures peaking roughly at 3km, 5km, 10km, and 17km, respectively, above the Earth's surface. Features in the dataset development include a use of backward merging approach, development of an observation- and semi-physically-based algorithm for diurnal drift adjustment, and removal of spurious calibration drifting errors in NOAA-15, NOAA-14, NOAA-12, and NOAA-11 through recalibration. Satellite microwave sounding observations in stable sun-synchronous orbits (Aqua, MetOp-A, SNPP, NOAA-20) were used as a reference in the backward merging process. Bias corrections and satellite recalibration have resulted in inter-consistent CDR records for reliable climate change investigation.

This NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) is a record for the Northern Hemisphere (NH) Snow Cover Extent (SCE) spanning from October 4, 1966 to present, updated monthly after the 10th of each month. Data prior to June 1999 in the NH SCE CDR are based on satellite-derived maps of NH SCE produced weekly by trained NOAA meteorologists. In June 1999 weekly NOAA NH SCE maps ceased production, and were replaced by daily SCE output from the Interactive Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS). The weekly SCE maps are digitized to an 88x88 (cells) Cartesian grid laid over a NH polar stereographic projection. Each grid cell in the NH SCE CDR has a binary value, indicating snow covered or snow free. The NH SCE CDR has been used in international assessments of climate variability and change, and in investigations regarding the role of snow cover in the climate system. Mapping accuracy is such that this product is considered suitable for continental-scale climate studies. The data are updated monthly in netCDF file format with variables including SCE and National Meteorological Center (NMC) grid (88x88 cell) coordinates.

The NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Gridded Dataset (NClimGrid) consists of four climate variables derived from the GHCN-D dataset: maximum temperature, minimum temperature, average temperature and precipitation. Each file provides monthly values in a 5x5 lat/lon grid for the Continental United States. Data is available from 1895 to the present. On an annual basis, approximately one year of "final" nClimGrid will be submitted to replace the initially supplied "preliminary" data for the same time period. Users should be sure to ascertain which level of data is required for their research.

In March 2015, data for thirteen Alaskan climate divisions were added to the NClimDiv data set. Data for the new Alaskan climate divisions begin in 1925 through the present and are included in all monthly updates. Alaskan climate data include the following elements for divisional and statewide coverage: average temperature, maximum temperature (highs), minimum temperature (lows), and precipitation. The Alaska NClimDiv data were created and updated using similar methodology as that for the CONUS, but with a different approach to establishing the underlying climatology. The Alaska data are built upon the 1971-2000 PRISM averages whereas the CONUS values utilize a base climatology derived from the NClimGrid data set. In January 2025, the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) began summarizing the State of the Climate for Hawaii. This was made possible through a collaboration between NCEI and the University of Hawaii/Hawaii Climate Data Portal and completes a long-standing gap in NCEI's ability to characterize the State of the Climate for all 50 states. NCEI maintains monthly statewide, divisional, and gridded average temperature, maximum temperatures (highs), minimum temperature (lows) and precipitation data for Hawaii over the period 1991-2025. As of November 2018, NClimDiv includes county data and additional inventory files In March 2015, data for thirteen Alaskan climate divisions were added to the NClimDiv data set. Data for the new Alaskan climate divisions begin in 1925 through the present and are included in all monthly updates. Alaskan climate data include the following elements for divisional and statewide coverage: average temperature, maximum temperature (highs), minimum temperature (lows), and precipitation. The Alaska NClimDiv data were created and updated using similar methodology as that for the CONUS, but with a different approach to establishing the underlying climatology. The Alaska data are built upon the 1971-2000 PRISM averages whereas the CONUS values utilize a base climatology derived from the NClimGrid data set.

As of November 2018, NClimDiv includes county data and additional inventory files.

The Atmospheric Layer Temperature Climate Data Record (CDR) dataset is a monthly analysis of the tropospheric and stratospheric data using temperature sounding microwave radiometers flown on polar-orbiting weather satellites providing an important record of upper atmosphere temperatures by merging data from the older Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) and the new Advanced Microwave Sounding Units (AMSUs). The instruments measure the brightness temperature (Tb) for each channel and corresponds to an average temperature of the atmosphere averaged over that channel's weighting function. Global average and global anomaly maps on a 2.5 x 2.5 degree resolution are produced from each month's data from both the MSU and the AMSU for over a 31 year period (1978-2011) for each channel (layer); the Temperature Lower Troposphere (TLT); the Temperature Middle Troposphere (TMT); the Temperature Troposphere/Stratosphere (TTS) ; the Temperature Lower Stratosphere (TLS). UAT 4 Layer MW data is important to continue into the future to ensure the existence of a high-quality record of atmospheric temperatures for climate change detection and climate model verification activities. The data are available in netCDF-4 file format with variables containing standard deviation, quality flags, and projection information and will be updated monthly.

The NOAA Ocean Surface Bundle (OSB) Climate Data Record (CDR) consist of three parts: sea surface temperature; near-surface wind speed, air temperature, and specific humidity; sensible and latent heat fluxes. This portion of the OSB CDR is the NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) of Ocean Near Surface Atmospheric Properties. Evaluation the near-surface atmospheric temperature, humidity, and wind in comparison to similar values at the sea surface describe essential aspects of the air-sea exchange. The Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I), a passive microwave sensor, along with the sea surface temperature CDR provide this data after application of a combination of statistical techniques using neural networks and diurnal warming parameterizations. From these data, the near-surface fluxes of evaporation/latent heat and sensible heat calculations provide the CDR final record on a 3-hourly 0.25 degree resolution grid over the global ice-free oceans.

The Temperatures of Troposphere / Stratosphere (TTS) (AMSU channel 7 and MSU channel 3) CDR is generated by using National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Europe METeorological Operational satellite-A (Metop/A) satellites. High quality radiosonde observations (RAOBs) identified by coincident Global Positioning System (GPS) Radio Occultation (RO) temperature profile measurements from Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) and Challenging Mini-satellite Payload (CHAMP) are used to calibrate the AMSU channel 7 measurements from multiple NOAA and Metop-A missions. The calibrated AMSU TTS from 2001 to 2014 are then used to calibrate MSU TTS in the same time period and then the calibrated MSU TTS are used to calibrate those overlapped MSU TTS from 1980 to 2001.

The Gridded Satellite (GridSat-B1) data provides a uniform set of quality controlled geostationary satellite observations for the visible, infrared window and infrared water vapor channels. GridSat-B1 uses the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) B1 dataset providing coverage every 3 hours from 1980 to the present, and is updated quarterly as possible. The ISCCP B1 data have been quality controlled, calibrated, remapped and merged together to provide a nearly global coverage of top of the atmosphere radiances. Long-term temporal normalization is performed via calibration against HIRS channel 12 data during the period of record. The IR window channel data has received more extensive inter-satellite calibration and is thus identified as a Climate Data Record (CDR) by the NOAA CDR Program. GridSat-B1 data are projected on an equal angle grid, which facilitates the mapping and subsetting of the data. Since the ISCCP B1 native resolution is approximately 8km, the resolution of the equal area grid is 0.07 degrees latitude (approximately 8km at the Equator). The data span the globe in longitude and range from 70 degrees South to 70 degrees North latitude. GridSat version 2 differs from version 1 in the following ways: a) three channels are provided instead of just one, b) more quality control on the calibration, navigation and flagging of bad data, and c) extension of the period of record. Data are stored using netCDF-4 file format following the Climate and Forecast (CF) Conventions and the Attribute Convention for Dataset Discovery (ACDD) which facilitates usage with compatible software applications. Documentation and source code are available for the dataset.

Note: This dataset version has been superseded by a newer version. It is highly recommended that users access the current version. Users should only use this version for special cases, such as reproducing studies that used this version. This dataset contains gridded daily Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from the NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Surface Reflectance. The data record spans from 1981 to 10 days before the present using data from eight NOAA polar orbiting satellites: NOAA-7, -9, -11, -14, -16, -17, -18 and -19. The data are projected on a 0.05 degree x 0.05 degree global grid. This dataset is one of the Land Surface CDR products produced by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the University of Maryland (UMD). Improvements made for Version 4 include 1) additional data from NOAA satellites extending the time period, 2) improved geolocation accuracy from use of OLE instead of TLE, 3) center of the grid is used as the reference, and 4) data value of a grid cell is computed as an average of available good observations. The dataset is in the netCDF-4 file format following ACDD and CF Conventions. The dataset is accompanied by algorithm documentation, data flow diagram and source code for the NOAA CDR Program.

This dataset contains gridded daily Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from the NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Surface Reflectance. The data record spans from 1981 to 10 days before the present using data from eight NOAA polar orbiting satellites: NOAA-7, -9, -11, -14, -16, -17, -18 and -19. The data are projected on a 0.05 degree x 0.05 degree global grid. This dataset is one of the Land Surface CDR Version 5 products produced by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the University of Maryland (UMD). Improvements for Version 5 include using the improved surface reflectance data, correcting the data for known errors in time, latitude, and longitude variables, as well as improvements in the global and variable attribute definitions. The dataset is in the netCDF-4 file format following ACDD and CF Conventions. The dataset is accompanied by algorithm documentation, data flow diagram and source code for the NOAA CDR Program.

This dataset contains the bias-corrected CPC MORPHing technique (CMORPH) global precipitation analyses, version 1, and is obtained from the NOAA Climate Data Record [https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/climate-data-records/precipitation-cmorph]. The following description is from the NOAA Climate Data Record CMORPH dataset page: This data set is for the bias-corrected, reprocessed CPC Morphing technique (CMORPH) high-resolution global satellite precipitation estimates. The CMORPH satellite precipitation estimates are created in two steps. First, the purely satellite-based global fields of precipitation are constructed through integrating Level 2 retrievals of instantaneous precipitation rates from all available passive microwave measurements aboard low earth orbiting platforms. Bias in these integrated satellite precipitation estimates is then removed through comparison against CPC daily gauge analysis over land and adjustment against the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) merged analysis of pentad precipitation over ocean. The bias corrected CMORPH satellite precipitation estimates are created on an 8 km by 8 km grid over the global domain from 60 degrees S to 60 degrees N and in a 30-minute interval from January 1, 1998. Due to the delay of some input data sets, this formal version (Version 1) bias corrected CMORPH is produced manually once a month at a latency of 3-4 months. For the CDR production, the bias corrected CMORPH generated at its native resolution of 8 km by 8 km / 30-minute is upscaled to form THREE sets of data files of different time/space resolution for improved user experience: a) the full-resolution CMORPH data; Output variable: precipitation rate in mm/hour; spatial resolution: 8 km by 8km (at equator); spatial coverage: global (60S-60N); temporal resolution: 30min; data period: January 1, 1998 to the present b) Hourly CMORPH; Output variable: precipitation rate in mm/hour; spatial resolution: 0.25 degrees latitude/longitude;...

Global Surface Summary of the Day is derived from The Integrated Surface Hourly (ISH) dataset. The ISH dataset includes global data obtained from the USAF Climatology Center, located in the Federal Climate Complex with NCDC. The latest daily summary data are normally available 1-2 days after the date-time of the observations used in the daily summaries. The online data files begin with 1929 and are at the time of this writing at the Version 8 software level. Over 9000 stations' data are typically available. The daily elements included in the dataset (as available from each station) are: Mean temperature (.1 Fahrenheit) Mean dew point (.1 Fahrenheit) Mean sea level pressure (.1 mb) Mean station pressure (.1 mb) Mean visibility (.1 miles) Mean wind speed (.1 knots) Maximum sustained wind speed (.1 knots) Maximum wind gust (.1 knots) Maximum temperature (.1 Fahrenheit) Minimum temperature (.1 Fahrenheit) Precipitation amount (.01 inches) Snow depth (.1 inches) Indicator for occurrence of: Fog, Rain or Drizzle, Snow or Ice Pellets, Hail, Thunder, Tornado/Funnel Cloud Global summary of day data for 18 surface meteorological elements are derived from the synoptic/hourly observations contained in USAF DATSAV3 Surface data and Federal Climate Complex Integrated Surface Hourly (ISH). Historical data are generally available for 1929 to the present, with data from 1973 to the present being the most complete. For some periods, one or more countries' data may not be available due to data restrictions or communications problems. In deriving the summary of day data, a minimum of 4 observations for the day must be present (allows for stations which report 4 synoptic observations/day). Since the data are converted to constant units (e.g, knots), slight rounding error from the originally reported values may occur (e.g, 9.9 instead of 10.0). The mean daily values described below are based on the hours of operation for the station. For some stations/countries, the visibility will sometimes 'cluster' around a value (such as 10 miles) due to the practice of not reporting visibilities greater than certain distances. The daily extremes and totals--maximum wind gust, precipitation amount, and snow depth--will only appear if the station reports the data sufficiently to provide a valid value. Therefore, these three elements will appear less frequently than other values. Also, these elements are derived from the stations' reports during the day, and may comprise a 24-hour period which includes a portion of the previous day. The data are reported and summarized based on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT, 0000Z - 2359Z) since the original synoptic/hourly data are reported and based on GMT.

The NASA LaRC cloud and clear sky radiation properties dataset is generated using algorithms initially developed for application to TRMM and MODIS imagery within the NASA CERES program. The algorithms have been adapted to operate upon AVHRR, an instrument that has fewer spectral channels than MODIS. This dataset utilizes calibrated AVHRR reflectances from a companion FCDR. Cloud and clear-sky radiation properties are derived globally at the 4 km Global Area Coverage pixel scale during both day and night using this approach. CDR quality variables include: Cloud and clear sky pixel detection (count), Cloud top thermodynamic phase (count), Cloud optical depth (count), Cloud particle effective radius (micrometers), Air pressure at effective cloud top (hPa), Air temperature at effective cloud top (K), and Height at effective cloud top (km). Other Non-CDR Quality Variables include: Air pressure at cloud top (hPa), Air temperature at cloud top (K), Height at cloud top (km), Height at cloud base (km), Air pressure at cloud base (hPa), Overshooting cloud top detection mask (count), Land and sea surface temperature retrieval (K), Shortwave broadband albedo (unit less), Longwave broadband flux (W/m2), Snow and ice cover flag (count), Land and sea surface temperature retrieval quality flag (count), Clear sky pixel classification (count), Cloudy pixel classification (count)

Annual Climatological Summary contains historical monthly and annual summaries for over 8000 U.S. locations. Observing stations are located in the United States of America, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Pacific islands of the U.S. and associated nations. The major parameters are: monthly mean maximum, mean minimum and mean temperatures; monthly total precipitation and snowfall; departure from normal of the mean temperature and total precipitation; monthly heating and cooling degree days; number of days that temperatures and precipitation are above or below certain thresholds; and extreme daily temperature and precipitation amounts. Annual Climatological Summary is derived from the NCDC Summary of the Month dataset (DSI-3220).

This data set provides a Climate Data Record (CDR) of sea ice concentration from passive microwave data. The CDR algorithm output is a rule-based combination of ice concentration estimates from two well-established algorithms: the NASA Team (NT) algorithm (Cavalieri et al. 1984) and NASA Bootstrap (BT) algorithm (Comiso 1986). The CDR is a consistent, daily and monthly time series of sea ice concentrations from 25 October 1978 through the most recent processing for both the north and south polar regions. All data are on a 25 km x 25 km grid.Note: A near-real-time version of this data set also exists to fill the gap between the time that this data set is updated through to the present. The data set is called the Near-Real-Time NOAA/NSIDC Climate Data Record of Passive Microwave Sea Ice Concentration (https://nsidc.org/data/g10016).

The Temperatures in the Lower Stratosphere (TLS) (AMSU channel 9 and MSU channel 4) CDR is generated by using National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Europe METeorological Operational satellite-A (Metop/A) satellites which have been calibrated using coincident Global Positioning System (GPS) Radio Occultation (RO) temperature profile measurements from Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) and Challenging Mini-satellite Payload (CHAMP), and Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) from 2001 to the current. The 'adjusted' MSU/AMSU data in the period of 2001 to 2014 were used as reference data to calibrate other overlapped MSU/AMSU data from 1980 to 2001.

Note: This dataset version has been superseded by a newer version. It is highly recommended that users access the current version. Users should only use this version for special cases, such as reproducing studies that used this version. This Climate Data Record (CDR) contains total solar irradiance (TSI) as a function of time created with the Naval Research Laboratory model for spectral and total irradiance (version 2). Total solar irradiance is the total, spectrally integrated energy input to the top of the Earth's atmosphere, at a standard distance of one Astronomical Unit from the Sun. Its units are W per m2. The dataset was created by Judith Lean (Space Science Division, Naval Research Laboratory), Odele Coddington and Peter Pilewskie (Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Science, University of Colorado). The daily- and monthly-averaged TSI data range from 1882 to the present, and annual-averaged TSI data begin in 1610. The data file format is netCDF-4 following CF metadata conventions. The dataset is accompanied by algorithm documentation, data flow diagram and source code for the NOAA CDR Program.

NOAA NEXRAD Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE) Climate Data Record (CDR) is created from the Radar Multi-Radar/Multi-Sensor (MRMS) Reanalysis to produce severe weather and precipitation products for improved decision-making capability to improve severe weather forecasts and warnings, hydrology, aviation, and numerical weather prediction. The data cover a time period from 2002-01-01 to 2011-12-31. NOAA's NEXRAD reanalysis consists of two primary components; (1) Severe weather and radar-reflectivity data generation, (2) Quantitative Precipitation Estimate (including associated precipitation variables and merged rain gauge and radar estimation). This document focuses on the second component of NOAA's NEXRAD reanalysis - the Quantitative Precipitation Estimate (QPE). The primary files generated within this data set are radar-only and radar- gauge (ROQPE, GCQPE, and MOS2D) merged precipitation products as well as ancillary information on precipitation type (PRATE and PFLAG) and radar quality (RQIND). The initial data set covers the time period from January 2002 - December 2011. Radar-only reflectivity, Gauge, Precipitation Flag, and Radar Quality Index for 5-minute data at 1km regular grid over CONUS. Radar only Radar-Gauge Quantitative Precipitation Estimates at hourly scale at 1km regular grid over CONUS. MRMS Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE) uses the most advanced radar technologies and provides high-resolution information about precipitation types and amounts for the nation. The data are stored in netCDF version 4.0 files that include the necessary metadata and supplementary data fields. Data set provides information that can be useful for identification of various types of precipitation, estimation of radar reflectivity, recognition of storm patterns, forecasting technologies for rainfall estimation, and associating different phases of precipitation such as hail freezing rain and snow with radar observations.

Note: This dataset version has been superseded by a newer version. It is highly recommended that users access the current version. Users should only use this version for special cases, such as reproducing studies that used this version. The NOAA Ocean Surface Bundle (OSB) Climate Data Record (CDR) consist of three parts: sea surface temperature, near-surface atmospheric properties, and heat fluxes. This portion of the OSB CDR is the NOAA Climate Data Record (CDR) of Sea Surface Temperature - WHOI. The SST data are found through modeling the diurnal variability in combination with AVHRR observations of sea surface temperature. The data cover a time period from January 1988 - December 2007 at a 3-hourly, quarter-degree resolution.