We often hear temperature changes explained on a global scale, but just how are those changes playing out in your local temperatures? This calculator answers that question for every American state.
The new tool is the work of NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center. Using data on average temperatures collected since 1895, you can look at how average, maximum, and minimum temperatures have shifted.
But, that data is not just available by year — you can also break it down further into winter, spring, summer, and fall, which is particularly useful as we hear more and more about temperatures busting through seasonal records. So, if you’re curious about how to contextualize new information about temperature changes in your area, you can see on a graph, for instance, how an average Texas winter would have felt over 100 years ago:
To illustrate just how pervasive the changes are, the NCDC also put together a mapping tool that you can use to see the cumulative effect of how the averages have changed. For instance, look at this map of how far the average temperatures of 1901-1910 differed from 20th century norms:
And then compare it with the most recent map of how far temperatures in 2011-2013 deviate from those same averages:
You can check out the data for your own state right here.
Maps and Graphs made using the NCDC tool, Top image: Gary Whitton / Shutterstock
