Illinois State Climatologist Office

The Illinois state climatologist promotes the use of climate information in areas crucial for the economic and environmental benefit of Illinois by disseminating climate information, monitoring climate events, conducting applied research, making presentations to community organizations, and talking to individuals and the media. The Illinois state climatologist has extensive records of climate data for the state, including daily temperature, precipitation, and snowfall data for nearly 400 sites, of which 200 are currently active. Additional data are available from a variety of federal and state networks. The Illinois state climatologist is located at the Illinois Water Survey, a division of the Institute of Natural Resources Sustainability at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

State Climate Offices are an integral component of the National Climate Service Partnership, which also includes NOAA's National Climatic Data Center and six Regional Climate Centers (RCCs). State climate offices recognized by the  American Association of State Climatologists (AASC) work closely with one another, and with the regional and national counterparts, to provide climate data and services at the local level. Specifically, AASC recognized state climate offices (or ARSCOs) provide one or more of the following services:

1) Coordinate and collect weather observations for the purpose of climate monitoring; 2) Summarize and disseminate weather and climate information to the user community; 3) Demonstrate to the user community the value of climate information in the decision making process; 4) Perform climate impact assessments and weather event evaluations; 5) Conduct climate research, diagnosis, and projections.

The Illinois State Climate Office is recognized by the AASC.

Phone: (217)333-0729

Related Organizations:

• National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)
• Illinois State University
• American Association of State Climatologists (AASC)