Wisconsin Climate Divisions
Variables: Temperature, Precipitation, Cooling Degree Days, Heating Degree Days, Palmer Drought Indices
Data Host: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Data Set Citation: Vose, Russell S.; Applequist, Scott; Squires, Mike; Durre, Imke; Menne, Matthew J.; Williams, Claude N., Jr.; Fenimore, Chris; Gleason, Karin; Arndt, Derek (2014): NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (NClimDiv). NOAA National Climatic Data Center. doi:10.7289/V5M32STR
How to Download the Data
- Select a climate division by using the “Select Station” drop-down menu on the left, and the map on the right will display the area within the climate division.
- Select data set variables by checking/unchecking the boxes next to the corresponding variable names.
- Select the period of record under the Time panel by inserting the dates for the “Start Date” and “End Date” options by year (e.g., 2023) or full date (e.g., YYYY-MM-DD)
- Select the option for annual (averaged by year), seasonal (averaged by season), and month (averaged by month) temporal resolutions for the data in the “Dataset Period” drop-down.
- Select the output by using the “File Type” drop-down menu.
- Download the data by clicking the “Download Data” button at the bottom of the panel.
Featured Variables
| Variable | Keyword Option | Description |
| Total Precipitation | PRCP_inches | PRCP_mm | Total precipitation in inches (in) or millimeters (mm) |
| Palmer Drought Severity Index | PDSI | This is the value (index) generated that indicates the severity of a wet or dry spell. PDSI values 0 to -.5 = normal; -0.5 to -1.0 = incipient drought; -1.0 to -2.0 = mild drought; -2.0 to -3.0 = moderate drought; -3.0 to -4.0 = severe drought; and greater than – 4.0 = extreme drought. |
| Modified Palmer Drought Severity Index | PMDI | The modification of the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PMDI) incorporates a weighted average of the wet and dry index terms, using the probability as the weighting factor. This is the value (index) generated that indicates the severity of a wet or dry spell. PDSI values 0 to -.5 = normal; -0.5 to -1.0 = incipient drought; -1.0 to -2.0 = mild drought; -2.0 to -3.0 = moderate drought; -3.0 to -4.0 = severe drought; and greater than – 4.0 = extreme drought. |
| Average Temperature | TAVG_degF | TAVG_degC | Average temperature reported in degrees Fahrenheit (deg F) or Celsius (deg C) |
| Maximum Temperature | TMAX_degF | TMAX_degC | Maximum temperature reported in degrees Fahrenheit (deg F) or Celsius (deg C) |
| Minimum Temperature | TMIN_degF | TMIN_degC | Minimum temperature reported in degrees Fahrenheit (deg F) or Celsius (deg C) |
| Heating Degree Days | HDDCDV | Heating Degree Days (HDD) accumulate on days colder than 65 degrees Fahrenheit when a heating system is used. |
| Cooling Degree Days | CDDCDV | Cooling Degree Days (CDD) accumulate on days warmer than 65 degrees Fahrenheit when a cooling system is used. |
Available File Types
These are the file options available from the GLADS.
| File Type | Description |
| Comma Separated Values (CSV) | This option will create output as a delimited text file with values separated by commas. The data is not viewable within the web browser when this data export option is selected. The web browser will typically offer the user the option of opening the file in MS Excel or a similar spreadsheet program for display. |
| Web Output Table (HTML) | This option will display data in a structured table (with variable names and units as headings) in the user’s web browser. |
| Network Common Data Framework (NetCDF) | This option will download the desired data as a NetCDF file. The data is not viewable within the web browser when this data export option is selected. The user will need third-party software supporting this format when saving the file to their computer. |