Information
on the Nevada Climate Tracker
Rationale:
Although there exists
clear indication of changes in the global surface temperature, the
regional manifestation of climate change is not well quantified at the
present
time. Driven by the interests of the
governmental, economic, and scientific communities it is pertinent to
develop
an objective method to define and monitor climate specific to the state of Nevada.
Data:
Monthly gridded data from the PRISM database,
are used to assess climate across the state. The primary
variables that are considered in this process are monthly average mean
temperatures and monthly precipitation totals. We
consider climate extending back to
January of 1895. Although no effort is taken to adjust for impacts of urbanization, the statewide values as used in this analysis
consider the areal average of the state, thereby giving very little weight to the few urbanized areas of Nevada.
Products:
Statewide time series
are produced each month. Preliminary products for the last
available month will be updated by 10th of each month once the PRISM dataset is updated. Data from up to six months ago is
considered
provisional, as data continues to filter in and undergoes quality
control procedures.
- The TIME SERIES pages displays time
series for the pertinent
variables on monthly, season, and annual timescales for the state as a whole, the datasets are available below each graphic.
- The SUMMARY OF THE PAST 12 MONTHS pages synthesize monthly
temperature and precipitation over the past 12 months for the state, superposed along with both the 1949-2005 means and extremes
over the entire period of record.