Climate Change Indicators in the United States
Temperatures are rising, snow and rainfall patterns are shifting, and more extreme climate events – like heavy rainstorms and record high temperatures – are becoming more common. Many of these observed climate changes are linked to rising levels of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, caused by human activities. EPA’s indicators provide evidence of these changes and their impacts on people and the environment. EPA partners with dozens of data contributors to compile and keep these indicators up to date.
| Just released! Visit Climate Change Indicators in the United States: Fifth Edition for a report that uses these indicators to show interconnections in how climate change affects people and the environment, why the impacts matter, and examples of how people and communities are addressing these challenges. |
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View the Indicators
Check out more than 50 indicators that show the causes and effects of climate change.
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Dig into the Data
Explore the data with maps and figures.
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Indicator Stories
Follow along with detailed narratives and supporting data about specific effects of climate change.
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About the Indicators
Learn about how EPA develops indicators, find answers to frequent questions, and access publications.
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Heat is on the rise.
As the concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continue to increase, the United States has experienced warming temperatures, more unusually hot summer days, and more frequent heat waves that threaten people’s health and strain the electric power grid. The Fifth Edition reveals the connections between these trends and the serious consequences for people across the country. -
Extreme events.
Rising global average temperature is associated with widespread changes in weather patterns. Extreme events such as heavy rainstorms, hurricanes, floods, droughts, and wildfires have happened throughout history, but human-induced climate change is expected to make these events more frequent and/or intense. Explore how these events are changing and why it matters. -
Ocean impacts
The heat-trapping greenhouse gases that humans have added to the atmosphere are making the Earth’s oceans warmer and more acidic. Changes in the oceans affect the Earth’s climate and weather patterns and threaten marine ecosystems and biodiversity and the people whose livelihoods depend on them. Read about the ways the oceans are changing. -
Alaska's warming climate.
Like most of the Arctic, Alaska is warming more quickly than the rest of the world. The state is also uniquely vulnerable to climate change due to its frozen features, such as widespread permafrost and sea ice. Entire ecosystems, communities, and Indigenous ways of life could vanish as these frozen features shrink or disappear. With an entire chapter devoted to Alaska, the latest report highlights the changes happening in the largest U.S. state.