NOAA News Releases
View satellite imagery of areas impacted by California wildfires
View satellite imagery of areas impacted by California wildfires
NOAA satellite imagery from January 2025 California wildfires. (Image credit: NOAA Satellites)
Download Image January 12, 2025
Ocean & Coasts Satellites wildfires satellite images aerial imagery 0 Off
Martin Gonzalez
Natural Resource Management Specialist
NOAA Fisheries, West Coast Region
EPP/MSI participation
Education
- B.S. double major in Marine Biology and Earth Science from University of California, Santa Cruz, supported by the Undergraduate Scholarship Program.
The NOAA EPP/MSI scholarship gave me the knowledge, skills, and connections to succeed in the field of marine science. It opened up many doors and, through the [21st Century Conservation Service Corps Act] Direct Hire Authority, allowed me to get a job at NOAA right after university.
Martin Gonzalez Office of Education EPP/MSI USPBuilding resilience in the face of a rapidly-changing ocean
Building resilience in the face of a rapidly-changing ocean
Boats in a harbor in Stonington, Maine. (Image credit: NOAA)
Download Image January 10, 2025
Fisheries resilience 0 Off
Genetic diversity in Alaska red king crab may provide climate change resilience
Genetic diversity in Alaska red king crab may provide climate change resilience
Bristol Bay red king crab tagged with an acoustic tag. (Image credit: NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Kodiak Laboratory)
Download Image January 10, 2025
Fisheries 0 Off
Dive into our top marine stories, podcasts, posts, and videos of 2024
Dive into our top marine stories, podcasts, posts, and videos of 2024
A Bryde’s whale photographed in the Mariana Archipelago. (Image credit: NOAA Fisheries/Adam Ü (NOAA Fisheries MMPA-ESA Permit #14097))
Download Image January 10, 2025
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2024 was the world’s warmest year on record
2024 was the world’s warmest year on record
Antarctic sea ice coverage second lowest on record, behind 2023
SEPTEMBER 29, 2024. Gentoo penguins and seals make their return to Palmer Station in Antarctica. Antarctic sea ice coverage in 2024 was the second lowest on record. (Image credit: Evan Quinter/ U.S. National Science Foundation/Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
January 10, 2025It’s official: 2024 was the planet’s warmest year on record, according to an analysis by scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
Along with historic heat, Antarctic sea ice coverage dropped to its second-lowest extent (coverage) on record.
Below are highlights from NOAA’s 2024 annual global climate report:
A world map plotted with color blocks depicting percentiles of global average land and ocean temperatures for the full year 2024. Color blocks depict increasing warmth, from dark blue (record-coldest area) to dark red (record-warmest area) and spanning areas in between that were "much cooler than average" through "much warmer than average." (Image credit: NOAA/NCEI)Download Image Climate by the numbersEarth’s average land and ocean surface temperature in 2024 was 2.32 degrees F (1.29 degrees C) above the 20th-century average — the highest global temperature among all years in NOAA’s 1850-2024 climate record. It was 0.18 of a degree F (0.10 of a degree C) warmer than 2023, which was previously the warmest year on record.
Regionally, Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America (tied with 2023) had their warmest year on record. Asia and the Arctic had their second-warmest year on record.
The planet’s 10 warmest years since 1850 have all occurred in the past decade. In 2024, global temperature exceeded the pre-industrial (1850–1900) average by 2.63 degrees F (1.46 degrees C).
Map of global average surface temperature in 2024 compared to the 1991-2020 average, with places that were warmer than average colored red, and places that were cooler than average colored blue. The bars on the graph shows global temperatures compared to the 20th-century average each year from 2024 (right) back to 1976 (left) — the last year the world was cooler than average. Based on data from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information. (Image credit: NOAA Climate.gov, using NOAA NCEI data)Download Image 2024 as ranked by other scientific organizationsOther scientific organizations, including NASA, the Copernicus Climate Change Service offsite link and the UK Met Office have conducted separate but similar analyses that also rank 2024 as the warmest year on record.
An annotated map of the world plotted with the year's most significant climate events. See the story below as well as the report summary from NOAA NCEI at http://bit.ly/Global202413 offsite link. (Image credit: NOAA/NCEI) Download Image Other notable climate findings and events- Antarctic sea ice ran near record lows: Antarctic sea ice extent (coverage) averaged 4.00 million square miles in 2024, second lowest on record. The maximum extent in September was 6.59 million square miles, which ranked second lowest, and the minimum extent in February was 830,000 square miles, which also ranked second lowest. Arctic sea ice extent averaged 4.03 million square miles in 2024, seventh lowest on record. The maximum extent in March was 5.74 million square miles, which ranked 15th lowest, while the minimum extent in September was 1.69 million square miles, which ranked sixth lowest.
- Upper ocean heat content set record high: The 2024 upper ocean heat content, which is the amount of heat stored in the upper 2,000 meters of the ocean, was the highest on record. Ocean heat content is a key climate indicator because the ocean stores 90% of the excess heat in the Earth system. The indicator has been tracked globally since 1958, and the five highest values have all occurred in the last five years.
- Global tropical cyclone activity was near average: Eighty-five named storms occurred across the globe in 2024, which was near the 1991–2020 average of 88. Forty-two of those reached tropical cyclone strength (sustained winds of 74 mph or higher), and 23 reached major tropical cyclone strength (sustained winds of 111 mph or higher). These also included four storms that reached Category 5 (sustained winds of 157 mph or higher) on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. The global accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) was about 21% below the 1991–2020 average.
More: Access NOAA NCEI’s year-end 2024 global climate report and images.
Media contact
John Bateman, nesdis.pa@noaa.gov, (202) 424-0929
Climate Satellites monthly climate report heat global average temperatures 0 Off2024 was nation’s warmest year on record
2024 was nation’s warmest year on record
Year marked by active hurricane season, near-record number of tornadoes
JULY 16, 2024: People cool off and play in water sprayed from a fire hydrant during hot weather in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. New York state — and the continental U.S. — had their warmest year on record in 2024. (Image credit: Getty Images)
January 10, 2025Last year was a record-warm year for the U.S., as the nation was hit by numerous tornadoes and devastating hurricanes, according to scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.
Here’s a recap of major climate and extreme weather events across the U.S. in 2024:
Climate by the numbers 2024The average annual temperature across the contiguous U.S. was 55.5 degrees F — 3.5 degrees above the 20th-century average — ranking as the nation’s warmest year in NOAA’s 130-year climate record.
Seventeen states — Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin — had their warmest year on record.
Annual precipitation across the contiguous U.S. totaled 31.58 inches (1.66 inches above average), which placed 2024 in the wettest third of the climate record.
Precipitation was above average across portions of the West, central Rockies, Deep South, Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, Southeast and Northeast. Precipitation was below average across much of the Northern Rockies and Plains, parts of the Southwest and across portions of the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic region.
A map of the world plotted with some of the most significant climate events that occurred during 2024. See the story below as well as more details in the report summary from NOAA NCEI athttp://bit.ly/USClimate202413 offsite link offsite link. (Image credit: NOAA/NCEI) Download Image Billion-dollar disasters in 2024The Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters update is a quantification of the weather and climate disasters totalling $1 billion in collective damages for each event. In 2024, the U.S. saw 27 of these events, which include:
- 17 severe storm events.
- Five tropical cyclones.
- Two winter storms.
- One flooding event.
- One drought/heat wave event.
- One wildfire event.
This ranks second highest for number of billion-dollar disasters in a calendar year, behind 2023’s 28 events. The U.S. cost for these disasters in 2024 was $182.7 billion, and was the fourth-highest price tag on record. This total annual cost may rise by several billion as additional costs from identified events are reported.
Since records began in 1980, the U.S. has sustained 403 separate weather and climate disasters where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion — based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) adjustment to 2024 — per event. The total cost of these 403 events exceeds $2.915 trillion.
A map of the U.S. plotted with 27 weather and climate disasters each costing $1 billion or more that occurred between January and December, 2024. (Image credit: NOAA/NCEI)Download Image Other notable climate and weather events in 2024- A near-record tornado year: As of this writing, NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center continues to confirm the tornadoes that occurred during 2024; the current count is 1,735, which is the second-highest number of confirmed tornadoes on record (2004 had 1,817), and well above the 30-year (1991–2020) average of 1,225. Four EF-4 tornadoes were confirmed during 2024, and occurred in Elkhorn, Nebraska (April 26); Marietta, Oklahoma (April 27); Barnsdall, Oklahoma (May 6) and Greenfield, Iowa (May 21).
- A destructive Atlantic hurricane season: It was an active Atlantic hurricane season, with18 named tropical systems forming during 2024. Eleven of those storms were hurricanes (tied with 1995 for fifth highest on record), including five that intensified to major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher). Five of those 11 hurricanes made landfall in the U.S., which ties with 1893, 2004 and 2005 as the fourth-highest number of hurricanes to make landfall in the U.S. during a season. Those five hurricanes were Hurricanes Beryl, Debby, Francine, Helene and Milton. Hurricane Helene was the seventh-most-costly Atlantic hurricane on record.
- Wildfires burned millions of acres: The number of wildfires across the U.S.in 2024 was slightly below the 20-year average (2001–20), with more than 61,000 wildfires reported over the year. However, the total number of acres burned from these wildfires — 8.8 million acres — was 26% above the 20-year average. The Park Fire, the fourth-largest wildfire in California history, burned nearly 430,000 acres and destroyed over 600 structures.
More: Access NOAA NCEI’s year-end 2024 U.S. climate report and images.
Media contact
John Bateman, nesdis.pa@noaa.gov, (202) 424-0929
Climate Satellites monthly climate report Billion-Dollar Disasters heat temperature rankings 0 Off
New NOAA study offers pathway to improved Arctic outbreak forecasts
New NOAA study offers pathway to improved Arctic outbreak forecasts
Monitoring Arctic sea ice conditions provides a window into changes in the Arctic climate as well as the global climate. (Image credit: NOAA)
Download Image January 8, 2025
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Calif. wildfires rage on: Get the latest fire weather forecasts, maps and safety info
Calif. wildfires rage on: Get the latest fire weather forecasts, maps and safety info
Smoky view of wildfire burning with power lines in the foreground. (Image credit: Adobe Stock Images)
January 8, 2025
Weather fire weather 0 Off
Weather printable activities and materials
Weather printable activities and materials
Download, print, and share these free weather education resources.
The Water Cycle poster.
Download Image Activities and coloring pages- Hurricane tracking charts
- National Weather Center coloring book offsite link
- Owlie Storms Ahead! activity book
- Science On a Sphere paper globe cutouts
- SciJinks weather coloring pages
- Water cycle paper craft: color with labels | black and white with labels | black and white no labels | lesson
- Weather activities and coloring pages from Peachtree City Forecast Office (click the "classroom resources and activities" tab)
- A "hole" lot of clouds disc (5 clouds): color | black and white | lesson
- A "hole" lot of clouds (10 clouds): color | black and white | lesson
- Beaufort wind scale wheel | Learn more: Wind and sea scales
- CloudSpotter wheel: color | black and white | lesson
- Cloud cycle wheel | lesson
- El Niño/La Niña wheel | Learn more: Effects of ENSO in the Pacific
- Heat index: relative humidity wheel | dew point wheel | Learn more: Heat index
- Hurricane damage potential wheel | Learn more: Hurricane damage potential
- Spring tide/neap tide wheel: Black background | white background (less ink) | lesson
- Water cycle wheel | Learn more: Hydrologic cycle
- Cloudwise/weatherwise cloud chart
- Heat index graph by relative humidity
- Heat index chart by dew point
- Heat index chart by relative humidity
- How do hurricanes form?
- How do wildfires spread?
- Water cycle
- Black and white: 8.5"x11" labeled | 8.5"x11" no labels | 11"x17" no labels | 8.5"x11" quiz
- Color: 8.5"x11" | 11"x17" | 24"x36"
- El hidrológical ciclo (water cycle materials in Spanish)
- Black and white: 8.5"x11" labeled | 8.5"x11" no labels | 11"x17" labeled | 11"x17" no labels | 8.5"x11" quiz
- Color: 8.5"x11" | 11"x17" | 24"x36"
- What causes a thunderstorm?
- What causes a tornado?
- What causes lightning?
- What is precipitation?
- What is the jet stream?
- What's the difference between weather and climate?
- Why does the wind blow?
Regional B-WET grants are open
Regional B-WET grants are open
As part of the Pacific Northwest Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Program, Environmental Science Center’s naturalists Orian and Carolina virtually walked students through all aspects of water quality testing on the Duwamish River in Seattle, Washington. Students used the chat feature of Zoom to share their analyses of the tests. (Image credit: Kharli Rose)
Download Image January 6, 2025The B-WET program offers regional funding opportunities through local NOAA host offices. Regional funding opportunities are generally published in late summer or fall each year. Each regional B-WET funding opportunity includes priorities that promote Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) that are tailored to local environmental challenges, culture, and needs, making them relevant to participants and their daily lives.
Education Office of Education B-WET 0 OffHoist a flag for cold waves and other weather conditions
Hoist a flag for cold waves and other weather conditions
Postcard of the U.S. Weather Bureau Building at Charles City, Iowa. c. 1900. Note the Weather Forecast Flag system flags flown on the flag pole mounted on the roof. They appear to be the blue flag with a black pennant above, indicating a forecast of higher temperatures and rain. (Image credit: Courtesy of Steve Doty, NOAA NCDC (ret.))
Download Image January 6, 2025Nowadays, we have radio, TV and the internet to tell us when a cold front or other weather is headed our way. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, signal flags were used to alert U.S. citizens to weather conditions.
The origin of weather signal flagsWeather signal flags grew out of the use of the maritime signal flag, which was red, with a black square inside. Starting in 1871, this flag was used at 20 ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, as well as the Great Lakes.
In 1878, the Army Signal Service’s Weather Bureau began flying coded flags outside weather buildings and post offices to share forecasts with locals.
Illustration of the Signal Service flags used in 1886. (Image credit: NOAA)Download ImageThe original weather signal flags included a red circle, crescent, and star for warmer, cooler, and steady temperatures, respectively. A blue circle, crescent, and star indicated general rain or snow, fair weather, and local rain or snow. A special white flag with a black square in the center indicated a sudden cold wave moving through.
A new look for weather signal flags Excerpt from the 1894 edition of Bureau of Navigation’s "Merchant Vessels of the United States." (Image credit: Public Domain)Download ImageBy the early 1890s, the flags had been updated. The circles, crescents, and stars were replaced by a new system. This included a white flag for fair weather, blue for precipitation, and horizontal bars of white above blue for local rain. A black triangular flag was placed above one of these flags for warmer weather and below for colder weather. When the temperature remained about the same as the day before, the black triangular flag was not displayed. The cold wave flag remained unchanged. It was never flown with the black triangular flag, as it already indicated a sharp temperature drop.
A 6 foot by 6 foot cold wave flag provided to the U.S. Weather Bureau as a sample of an unknown company’s work sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. (Image credit: NOAA Heritage)Download Image The network growsBy 1886, 290 locations were capable of displaying these weather flags and the forecast could be relayed further by telegraph, telephone, and railway. They were so popular that W.B. Hazen, the Chief Signal Officer at the time, recommended that $5000 be allocated in the 1886-87 fiscal year to expand the network.
Photo of W.B. Hazen taken between 1855 and 1865. (Image credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Brady-Handy Photograph Collection)"There is no feature of the service which has proven more valuable, and the system should be extended to every town in the United States, and also to stock agricultural districts when practicable," W.B. Hazen wrote in the Annual Report of the Chief Signal Officer of the Army to the Secretary of War.
Wind and hurricane weather signal flags were added in the mid-1890s and a series of vertical lights was added in 1916 for nighttime use.
New technologies improve weather warningsIn 1927, the Weather Bureau decided to begin phasing out their use of weather signal flags. They would purchase no replacements once their existing stock of flags had been exhausted. However, the flags remained in use in some areas until the 1960s.
As radio and television became more popular, these flags were no longer needed, but today’s National Weather Service still issues weather warnings to inform and protect the American public and is always working to improve that capability.
Weather Heritage heritage history Heritage stories weather winter 0 Off