The Colorado Climate Center: Climate Monitoring, Climate Research, and Climate Services for Colorado

The Colorado Climate Center, based in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University since 1973, has a threefold mission to serve our state. We are responsible for monitoring the state’s weather and climate, including analyzing trends and extremes and operating two of our own weather observing networks; for conducting applied research toward improved understanding and prediction, with a particular focus on drought; and for providing value-added services and interpretation of climate data. This presentation will provide an overview of these activities and responsibilities. This will include discussion of the CCC’s drought monitoring and early warning activities; an overview of our partnerships with the Regional Climate Centers and the National Centers for Environmental Information; an introduction to the CoCoRaHS and CoAgMET observation networks; an overview of our data holdings and resources; and our plans for the future, including potential collaborations with other organizations.