Press Release: 1994-4 For Release: January 1994 Contact: Joan Vandiver Frisch, Manager, NCAR Media Relations Boulder, Colorado 80307-3000 303)-497-8607; fax : 303-497-8610 E-mail: jfrisch@ncar.ucar.edu 1994 Revised Dial-an-Expert Tip Sheet on Regional Climate Centers Including List of Directors' Names, E-mail Addresses, and Telephone, and Fax Numbers BOULDER--As the Midwest and Northeast emerge from one of the coldest spells in 20 years, parts of the West have enjoyed record warmth. Whether it is heat, cold, drought, flooding, or snowfall, newspaper editors and reporters-- as well as local and national TV weathercasters--may wish to know if their region has hit a new weather record. Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, receive many inquiries about where to find information on regional climate trends. While NCAR scientists are concerned with research which will answer longer-term questions about climate change-- forecasts and impacts--there is now a group of centers which can deliver shorter-term information for the United States. This type of timely, regional climate information was not accessible for public or private use until 1982, when an experimental North Central Regional Climate Center was set up to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach. As a result of the success of the North Central Center, a national network of six regional climate centers developed in the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, High Plains, West, and South. Because of the existence of these centers today, the agricultural, energy, transportation, construction, and tourist industries, as well as government agencies and the scientific research community, have access to better information to use as a basis for making sounder economic, environmental protection, and conservation decisions for all the 48 contiguous states, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. The Regional Climate Center (RCC) concept grew from a need for easy access to timely, regional climate data such as meteorological information, on temperature means and extremes; precipitation probability distribution; and daily, monthly, or annual values of estimated solar radiation levels. Climate naturally occurs in regional dimensions, and the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina, was generally not able to meet the localized needs for more accurate, detailed climate services. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration manages this RCC network as part of the Climate Analysis Center of the National Weather Service. Educational opportunities for students and for individuals with a special interest in climate have also been enhanced by the development of the RCCs. The centers all conduct applied research tackling regional weather conditions, effects of climate on specific crops, and general impacts of climate change. The centers have public programs through various publications and news stories which are designed to promote the general public's understanding of regional climate and its effects on society and the environment. What does someone do if data are needed from each of the six RCCs? It could be inconvenient to contact every regional center separately. Basic data for the whole national network of observing stations (collective information on each of the six regions) are maintained at the National Climatic Data Center Federal Building, Asheville, North Carolina 28801. In addition, each state has a state climatologist who can be contacted through one of the Regional Centers or Asheville. These climatologists are also good sources for specialized climate information, statistics, and data. For more information on RCCs, or on how to use the daily climate data and other benefits the centers offer, here are the names, e-mail addresses, and telephone and fax numbers of each of the six Regional Climate Centers and their respective directors: High Plains Climate Center, Kenneth G. Hubbard, director, E-mail: agme006@unlvm.unl.edu, Department of Agricultural Meteorology, Room 242, L. W. Chase Hall, University of NebraskaŠLincoln, NE 68583-0728, phone: 402-472-6706, fax: 402-472-6614. For climate data requests, call 402- 472-6709. Midwestern Climate Center, Kenneth Kunkel, director, E-mail: k-kunkel@uiuc.edu, Illinois State Water Survey, 2204 Griffith Drive, Champaign, IL 61820, phone: 217-244-8226, fax: 217-333-6540. For climate data requests, call 217-244-8226. Northeast Regional Climate Center, Warren Knapp, director, E-mail: nrcc@cornell.edu, 1123 Bradfield Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, fax: 607-255-2106. For climate data requests, call 607-255-1751. Southeast Regional Climate Center, David J. Smith, director, E-mail: smith@cirrus.scwrc.scarolina.edu, Southeast Regional Climate Center, South Carolina South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Water Resources Division, 1201 Main Street, Suite 1100, Columbia, SC 29201, phone: 803-737-0849, fax: 803-765-9080. For climate data requests, call 803-737-0849, or 737-0850. Southern Regional Climate Center, Robert A. Muller, director, E-mail: rmuller@maestro.srcc.lsu.edu, Department of Geography and Anthropology, 254 Howe Russell Complex, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, phone: 504-388-6870, fax: 504-388-2912. For climate data requests, call 504-388-5021. Western Regional Climate Center, Dick Reinhardt, director, E-mail: rrwrcc@sage.unr.edu, Desert Research Institute, Box 60220, Reno, NV 89506-0220, phone: 702-677-3103, fax: 702-677-3157. For climate data requests, call 702-677-3106. The End