Kentucky Climate Center
The Kentucky Climate Center, located at Western Kentucky University and housed in the Department of Geography and Geology, was created in 1978 and is nationally recognized as the State Climate Office for Kentucky. The purpose of the Kentucky Climate Center is to conduct research and disseminate information of climatic variability and change, influences of the natural environment upon human activity, and impacts of human activity upon the natural environment; promote understanding and appreciation of the natural environment and its importance to society; and work with the public and private sectors to promote sustainable development.
In addition to housing the Office of the State Climatologist, the Kentucky Climate Center is home to the Kentucky Mesonet and the Climate Research Laboratory. The Kentucky Mesonet is a statewide network of automated weather and climate stations that is recognized as the official source of climatological observations for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
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 Kentucky Climate Center is recognized by the AASC.
Phone: (270) 745-5983
Related Organizations:
- National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)
- Western Kentucky University
- American Association of State Climatologists (AASC)
