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Program Overview

The U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) is a system of climate observing stations developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The USCRN's primary goal is to provide long-term temperature, precipitation, and soil moisture and temperature observations that are of high quality and are taken in stable settings.

Data from the USCRN are used in a variety of climate monitoring and research activities that include placing current climate anomalies into an historical perspective. The USCRN provides the United States with a reference network that meets the requirements of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). The network consists of 114 commissioned stations in the contiguous United States, 21 stations in Alaska (with a plan to eventually have a total of 29), and 2 stations in Hawaii.

The USCRN Program Manager is Howard Diamond. The program is managed and coordinated by the National Centers for Environmental Information, a component of NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS).

Hawaii USCRN station