Climate Central Takes Over NOAA’s Weather Event Database
As NOAA steps away from its longstanding weather event database, the nonprofit Climate Central steps in to ensure its continued operation. Under the leadership of Adam Smith, a senior climate scientist who previously managed the project for NOAA, the database will remain a vital tool for understanding weather impacts.
The comprehensive database plays a crucial role in documenting weather events and evaluating their consequences. Smith emphasizes the importance of this data, stating, “Extremes impact different places and people in different ways, depending on how prepared you are for them or how much risk or vulnerability you might have to them. And so we’re trying to provide data and information from many different directions.”
The project’s continuation was championed by local community groups, academic circles, and members of Congress following NOAA’s cessation of the project in early 2025. They recognized the database’s significance for a variety of applications, particularly in research.
Smith explains the value of the data further, “You would see a difference in the ratios and the risk climatologies of how these different sized impact events by geography, by hazard type, how those change. And that’s another kind of data dimension that is informative to people. Even after you’re rebuilding post-disaster, you know, how should you choose to rebuild, maybe with more resilience. So the next disaster won’t impact you in the same way.”
Looking ahead to 2026, Climate Central plans to introduce a revamped mapping feature. This update will enable a detailed risk assessment at the county level, allowing for the comparison of smaller scale events against major billion-dollar disasters.
