Climate Analysis Branch
We would greatly appreciate feedback on this webpage's use, particularly in the classroom, for presentations or for research. Please email Cathy Smith.
Climate Division Plots
Help
How to read file used in plot.
How to reference plots
RSS: Dataset updates RSS (Info)
Climate Division Information
Get data and more info from NCDC.
Get climate division boundaries, Divisional Areas and other useful files from NCDC.
US Map with list of map climate divisions and individual state maps of the climate divisions (with counties).
Get State averaged temperature and precipitation climatologies.
Related Pages
Atmospheric and Ocean Time series (SOI, PNA, etc.).
Get timeseries from climate division dataset and other datasets.
Plot maps and time series at one climate division (from NCDC). Choose "map interface to selected online data". Under select products, choose "divisional data".
 

Custom time series directions

To use your own time series, you currently have three options. You can place the file at your own http site. You can place it on your own anonymous ftp site. Or, you can ftp the file to PSD. The first two options are best if you can do it because you have more control over the file and can delete it, change it or add to it easily. The files should be text and in the format 
year1   yearend
year1   janval febval marval aprval mayval junval julval augval sepval octval novval decval
year2   etc.
yearend janval febval marval aprval mayval junval julval augval sepval octval novval decval
missingvalue
Note that years should be 4 digit integers. There should be at least one space between values. If a value is missing or not defined, use a missing value (in other words, there should be 12 times the number of years of data. The missing value should be outside the range of data. If you have no missing value, you must put a missing value anyway at the end of the file (say, -999.) that is not in the data range.

You can also ftp the file to PSD. Type ftp ftp.cdc.noaa.gov and use anonymous as the login name. Please the file in /Public/incoming/timeseries/.

To specify the filenames, for http, use
http://www.yoururl/filename
For ftp, use
ftp:/dirname/filename
For files placed at PSD, use
/Public/incoming/timeseries/filename
Make sure the full path is specified and is spelled EXACTLY as shown or you will get an error.

I am hoping to use additional methods in the future. One would allow users to open a window and cut and past a time series to the window. The other would read a local file (e.g. from your system) and thus you would not have to have the ability to publish to http or have an anonymous ftp directory. If you know how to do these things, I would appreciate help.