The PRISM Climate Group gathers climate observations from a wide range of monitoring networks, applies sophisticated quality control measures, and develops spatial climate datasets to reveal short- and long-term climate patterns. The resulting datasets incorporate a variety of modeling techniques and are available at multiple spatial/temporal resolutions, covering the period from 1895 to the present. Whenever possible, we offer these datasets to the public, either free of charge or for a fee (depending on dataset size/complexity and funding available for the activity).
- Methods used by the PRISM model
- Descriptions of the PRISM datasets
- How we developed the PRISM model
- Calendar of PRISM dataset updates
- What's new at PRISM
30-Year Normals: At the end of each decade, average values for temperature and precipitation are computed over the preceding 30 years. The current set of 30-year normals covers the period 1981-2010.
Comparisons: Maps showing how observed values have been deviating from long-term conditions (also known as anomalies) - includes the new Drought Indicator tool.
This Month: Although still very preliminary, results based on daily data readings are available for the month-in-progress.
Prior 6 Months: Provisional results based on both monthly and daily data are available for the 6 most recently completed months.
Recent Years: Daily and monthly observations become stabilized after 6 months. At that point the time series datasets are posted in this section, along with annual values computed at the end of each year.
Historical Past: Values prior to 1981 are based on less extensive observations. Time series datasets computed using monthly modeling are available for the years 1895-1990.
Gallery of State Maps: Prepared map images for each state in the continental US.
FAQ: Answers to frequently asked questions
