Climate Quick Reference Guides For Your County

Posted on: 12/15/2022 - Updated on: 12/15/2022

Posted by

CAKE Team

Overview

In an era where information is at our fingertips, sometimes it can still be hard to find what you're looking for, especially if you want local information. That’s how a Southwest Climate Hub NRCS liaison identified a need. Where can I go to get the basic climate information for my county?

There are so many excellent resources for climate change information, but not one quick way for people to know what the recent (last 30 years) and projected (mid to late century) changes are that impact agricultural production for a specific county. The Southwest Climate Hub and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) partnered together to create Climate Quick Reference Guides.

The Climate Quick Reference Guides were developed from 2022 NOAA State Summaries, Risk Management Agency (RMA) data analyzed through the Southwest Climate Hub’s AgRisk Viewer, and other published climate change data. The Guides can be viewed at either a State level or at a County level. With two clicks on a map, key changes in historic and projected climate most impactful to agricultural production pop up on a one-page PDF. There are some counties that do not return data due to a lack of specified data for that area, as the Guides are refined all counties will eventually have a Guide. 

In areas where the impacts of climate change rely on more localized data, such as the Caribbean, Alaska, and the Pacific Islands a customized approach is being taken by working with local experts on the data and graphics that should be used for those Climate Quick Reference Guides. Guides in those areas will be available in 2023.

Managing Organizations

USDA's Climate Hubs are a unique collaboration across the department's agencies. They are led and hosted by the Agricultural Research Service and Forest Service located at ten regional locations, with contributions from many agencies including the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and the Risk Management Agency.

NRCS works with farmers, ranchers and forest landowners across the country to help them boost agricultural productivity and protect our natural resources through conservation.The conservation practices NRCS promotes are helping producers prepare for what’s ahead. From systems that help improve the health of the soil and water to restoring wetlands and wildlife populations, we’re helping to ensure the health of our natural resources and the long-term sustainability of American agriculture.