High Plains Regional Climate Center

High Plains Regional Climate Center
Name	High Plains Regional Climate Center
Formation	1987
Headquarters	Lincoln, Nebraska
Region served	Colorado; Kansas; Nebraska; North Dakota; South Dakota; Wyoming; Montana; Utah
Parent organization	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; National Centers for Environmental Information

Contents

High Plains Regional Climate Center. The High Plains Regional Climate Center provides climate services and data for the High Plains region, supporting agriculture in the United States, water resources management, disaster preparedness and meteorology across multiple states. It operates within networks linked to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United States Department of Agriculture, and regional universities to provide climate information used by stakeholders in Lincoln, Nebraska, Boulder, Colorado, and other High Plains communities.

Overview

The center is one of six regional nodes that form the Regional Climate Centers network associated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Centers for Environmental Information. It serves the states of Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming and coordinates with land-grant institutions such as University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Colorado State University, and University of Wyoming. Services emphasize observational datasets, seasonal outlooks, drought monitoring, and decision-support tools used by agencies including the United States Department of Agriculture, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Bureau of Reclamation.

The center was established in the late 1980s amid efforts by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service to regionalize climate services. Early collaborations included partnerships with the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration-funded projects and land-grant universities like Iowa State University and Kansas State University. Over time it expanded data holdings through integrations with the Cooperative Observer Program and worked alongside federal programs such as the Climate Prediction Center and the State Climatologist network. The center’s growth paralleled national initiatives including the formation of the National Integrated Drought Information System and advances from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments.

Programs include operational climate monitoring tied to the Drought Monitor, seasonal outlooks coordinated with the Climate Prediction Center, and agricultural decision support aligning with United States Department of Agriculture extension services. It provides specialized support for irrigation management projects, municipal water supply planning, and infrastructure resilience assessments used by the Federal Highway Administration and United States Army Corps of Engineers. The center delivers assistance to sectors affected by extreme events catalogued by the National Climatic Data Center and works with National Integrated Drought Information System partners on impacts and forecasts.

The center maintains observational networks and gridded datasets integrated with resources from the Global Historical Climatology Network, the PRISM Climate Group, and the National Centers for Environmental Information. Products include station-based climate summaries, long-term normals used by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, interactive maps, and climate dashboard tools used by practitioners at the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Data feeds support research published in journals such as Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Journal of Climate, and reports for agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency.

Research collaborations span universities and federal labs including University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Colorado State University, South Dakota State University, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and the United States Geological Survey. Joint projects have addressed topics in hydrology relevant to the Missouri River basin, evapotranspiration studies tied to the Central Plains and land-atmosphere interactions examined with researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. Partnerships extend to regional organizations such as the High Plains Aquifer Atlas initiatives and multi-state consortia coordinating climate resilience planning with the Midwestern Regional Climate Center.

Outreach includes workshops for extension agents from Oklahoma State University and Kansas State University, webinars for stakeholders including producers represented by the National Farmers Union, and training for emergency managers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Educational materials support curricula at institutions such as University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Colorado State University and public communication via collaborations with media outlets in Denver and Omaha. The center contributes to public-facing tools used by state agencies including offices of the State Climatologist and resource managers at the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Governance is typically provided through university-host arrangements and advisory committees drawing representatives from partner institutions such as University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Colorado State University, and regional state agencies. Funding sources include cooperative agreements with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, grants from the United States Department of Agriculture, project support from the National Integrated Drought Information System, and competitive research awards from agencies like the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Geological Survey.