Over the next few weeks I am planning to highlight a variety of sources that you can use to find climate data for your local area, whether it is in the Southeast or elsewhere. There are many sources of information available on the web, some of which are more useful than others. I hope by describing some of the different places you can get climate data, you will be able to get the information you need more quickly.
Today I am highlighting the State Climatologists (SCs) as a whole, although in coming weeks I will look at individual offices around the Southeast. The American Association of State Climatologists is the national organization of SCs and provides a link to all the SC offices around the country at https://stateclimate.org/. Almost every state has a state climatologist, although they are housed in a variety of places. Many of them are located in universities where they do research as well as outreach to the public. Some are in government offices where they provide guidance to state agencies. A few states have SCs with the title but no funding for the office, so they provide limited service to the public. At the web site they provide a map with links to each state’s SC office as well as information on state climatologists in general.
State climatologists are one of the primary sources of information on applied climate across the US. Many of them have years of service to their chosen states and know not only the details of the climate there but also the best sources of information on many related topics. They can generally work with you to provide the information you need in a form that you can use or at least know where to get it or if it even exists. I encourage you to visit the web site of your state’s office and see what they have to offer. In coming weeks I will highlight a few of the offices of Southeastern state climatologists and some of the information and tools they provide.
Disclaimer: I am a former state climatologist of Wisconsin and assistant SC of Georgia as well as a past president of AASC, so I have a vested interest in promoting this excellent group of specialists!
