ARL to begin transmitting data from the first USHCN-Modernization stations
Beginning the week of October 5, ARL will turn on the first 10 United States Historical Climatology Network-Modernization (USHCN-M) stations to begin transmitting regional climate data. These 10 stations are a part of a pilot project deployment of 141 stations in the southwest: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. Modernization of NOAA’s HCN was designated as a major program for NOAA in 2007. The HCN is a 1,221 station sub-set of the National Weather Service’s Cooperative Observer Network, which collects daily and monthly records of basic meteorological variables (precipitation and temperature). The USCHN-M is based on the design of, and inter-operability with, NOAA’s US Climate Reference Network, a national climate network for temperature and precipitation. The USHCN-M Pilot Project is a partnership among three NOAA offices: OAR’s Air Resources Laboratory, National Weather Service, and the NESDIS National Climatic Data Center. Project governance is through an Executive Steering Committee comprised of senior managers from the three NOAA offices. Completion of the modernization will allow NOAA to better meet the mission of providing the nation with data regarding the state of a region’s climate.