The integrated near-real time climate monitoring data base of NCDC's climate monitoring branch

The Climate Monitoring Branch (CMB) of the NOAA National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) is tasked with monitoring current climate anomalies and putting them into a historical perspective. These responsibilities include participation in the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) and North America Drought Monitor (NADM) activities. In the past, daily station data have been used for operational snow monitoring in the U.S., but monthly climate division data have formed the basis for U.S. drought monitoring and monthly station data have been used for USDM and NADM monitoring. This talk will review a new integrated near-real time (INRT) daily station data base that will form the basis for CMB's operational climate monitoring. This data base will enable NCDC to better coordinate NOAA operational climate monitoring with our partners in the Regional Climate Centers, State Climatologists, USDA, NWS, and other federal and state organizations. The INRT data base consists of daily maximum and minimum temperature, precipitation, snowfall, and snow depth from stations across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Operational quality assurance of the data is being performed based on limits and internal consistency checks. Several updates will be made, with provisional or preliminary data being overwritten by final quality-controlled data as it becomes available in a delayed mode.