Indicators

Each indicator below tracks one measurable signal of a changing climate in the United States, built from public data with the code and sources published alongside it.

Note🚧 Coming soon

This site is under construction. Content is being added indicator by indicator — check back soon.


A Closer Look: Glaciers in Glacier National Park

This regional feature examines how the surface area of glaciers in Glacier National Park in Montana has changed since 1966.
A Closer Look: Heat-Related Workplace Deaths

Deaths of U.S. workers attributed to heat exposure on the job.
A Closer Look: Land Loss Along the Atlantic Coast

This feature provides a closer look at one consequence of sea level rise along the Atlantic coast: the conversion of land to open water.
A Closer Look: Temperature and Drought in the Southwest

A closer look at trends in temperature and drought in the southwestern United States.
A Closer Look: The Black Guillemots of Cooper Island

This feature explores changes in bird populations on an island along Alaska’s Arctic northern coast.
Bird Wintering Ranges

This indicator examines changes in the winter ranges of North American birds.
Coastal Flooding

This indicator shows how the frequency of coastal flooding has changed over time.
Cold-Related Deaths

Deaths in the United States attributed to extreme cold.
Community Connection: Cherry Blossom Bloom Dates in Washington, D.C.

How the peak bloom date of Washington, D.C.’s Yoshino cherry trees has changed since 1921, alongside the dates of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Community Connection: Ice Breakup in Three Alaskan Rivers

This feature examines the timing of spring river ice breakup in three communities that have kept detailed records for more than 100 years.
Drought

This indicator measures drought conditions of U.S. lands.
Freeze-Thaw Conditions

This indicator tracks the number of days the U.S. and North American landscape is not frozen.
Great Lakes Ice Cover

This indicator measures the area and duration of ice cover in the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Water Levels and Temperatures

This indicator measures water levels and surface water temperatures in the Great Lakes.
Growing Degree Days

How growing degree days have changed at 280 long-term weather stations across the contiguous 48 states since 1948, and what that suggests about pollen seasons.
Heat Waves

Trends in the frequency, duration, season length, and intensity of heat waves in 50 large U.S. cities since 1961, and in the U.S. Annual Heat Wave Index since 1895.
Heat-Related Deaths

Deaths in the United States attributed to extreme heat.
Heat-Related Illnesses

Hospitalizations in the United States attributed to extreme heat.
Heating and Cooling Degree Days

This indicator examines changing temperatures from the perspective of heating and cooling needs for buildings.
Heavy Precipitation

This indicator tracks the frequency of heavy precipitation events in the United States.
High and Low Temperatures

Trends in unusually hot and cold temperatures across the United States.
Lake Ice

This indicator measures the amount of time that ice is present on lakes in the United States.
Lake Temperature

This indicator shows changes in surface water temperatures in North American lakes.
Leaf and Bloom Dates

How the timing of first leaf and first bloom dates in lilacs and honeysuckles has changed across the contiguous 48 states and Alaska.
Length of Growing Season

How the length of the growing season, and the timing of spring and fall frosts, has changed across the contiguous 48 states since 1895.
Lyme Disease

This indicator tracks the rate of reported Lyme disease cases across the United States.
Marine Heat Waves

This indicator tracks the occurrence of unusually high temperatures in U.S. coastal waters.
Marine Species Distribution

This indicator examines changes in the location of fish, shellfish, and other marine species along U.S. coasts.
Permafrost

This indicator shows trends in permafrost temperature at select sites in Alaska.
Ragweed Pollen Season

How the length of ragweed pollen season has changed at 11 locations across the central United States and Canada since 1995.
Residential Energy Use

How much electricity and natural gas U.S. homes use for summer cooling and winter heating, alongside cooling and heating degree days.
River Flooding

How the magnitude and frequency of river flooding have changed at stream gauge stations across the United States since 1965.
Sea Level

This indicator describes how sea level has changed over time.
Sea Surface Temperature

This indicator describes global trends in sea surface temperature.
Seasonal Temperature

Trends in average seasonal air temperature across the contiguous United States since 1896, and how the change varies by season and by state.
Snowfall

This indicator uses two different measures to show how snowfall has changed in the contiguous 48 states.
Snowpack

This indicator measures trends in the amount and timing of snowpack in the western United States.
Stream Temperature

This indicator shows how stream water temperatures have changed at 129 stream gauges across the Chesapeake Bay region from 1960 to 2014.
Streamflow

How the amount and timing of streamflow in rivers and streams across the United States have changed since 1940.
Tribal Connection: Trends in Stream Temperature in the Snake River

This feature tracks the summer water temperature of the Snake River.
Tropical Cyclone Activity

Frequency, intensity, and duration of hurricanes and other tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico.
U.S. and Global Temperature

How average air temperature has changed across the contiguous United States and worldwide since 1901, and how those changes vary by climate division.
West Nile Virus

This indicator tracks the rate of reported West Nile neuroinvasive disease cases across the United States.
Wildfires

This indicator tracks the frequency, extent, and severity of wildfires in the United States.
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