How much rain fell over the weekend? What was the temperature over the last few weeks? Tables of daily weather observations can answer these common questions.
Where do these data come from?
The Global Historical Climatology Network includes daily observations from automated and human-facilitated weather stations across the United States and around the world. The GHCN-Daily dataset includes observations from World Meteorological Organization, Cooperative, and CoCoRaHS networks. If observed, each station dataset includes daily max and minimum temperatures, total precipitation, snowfall, and depth of snow on ground.
What can I do with these data?
- Check records of past weather: explore how hot or cold it got through the week, how much rain or snow/sleet/hail fell, and how deep any snow was on the ground.
- Check what the weather was like on specific dates in history: did a snowstorm affect voter turnout on an election day? What was the weather on dates that are important to you?
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How do I use the site?
NOTE: You may want to print these instructions so you can read them while you perform each step in another browser tab.
Go to the Climate Data Online Search page (opens in a new tab)
- Under Select Weather Observation Type/Dataset, select Daily Summaries.
- Under Select Data Range, click the calendar icon and select dates on the Start and End calendars to reflect your dates of interest. Then click APPLY.
- Under the Search for dropdown, select ZIP codes
- Enter the ZIP code of interest as the Search term, and then click Search.
Your search results show up in the left column with a map of your ZIP code on the right.
- Click the orange ADD TO CART button in the left column (these data are free).
- Place your cursor over the Cart button in the upper right. Click the orange VIEW ALL ITEMS button to go to the Select Cart Options page..
On the Select Cart Options page, continue with the default selections. Scroll to the bottom and click CONTINUE.
On the Review Order page, enter your email address (twice) and click SUBMIT ORDER. You can also find Help links on this page.
The REQUEST SUBMITTED page offers further information
The action will now move to your email inbox. First, you'll receive a notice that the request has been submitted. Usually, just a few minutes later, you'll receive an email stating that your order has been processed. The second email contains a link for you to download the data you requested, in a multi-page data table. Check all pages to see the full range of data.
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Data Format(s)TXT (ASCII), CSV, PDF
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Documentation Type Link & Description General -
Data TypeLand-based stationEssential Climate VariablesAir temperature,
Click to see more detail
