Check Applied Forecasts

Climate change-related effects on lake and coastal ecosystems—such as warming waters and intense precipitation—can result in unsafe conditions for recreation. Moreover, because standard E. coli tests can take more than 18 hours, local advisory decisions are frequently incorrect. Virtual Beach, a software package developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, allows users to generate statistical models to predict levels of disease-causing pathogens such as E. coli and enterococci at specific freshwater/saltwater beach sites.

This webpage from the NOAA National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center provides current information related to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), including forecasts for the United States.

The current conditions section includes maps and animations for sea surface temperatures, tropical outgoing longwave radiation, and winds.

In addition to maps of current conditions, the page also offers links to: 

EPA's Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) is used throughout the world for planning, analysis, and design related to stormwater runoff, combined and sanitary sewers, and other drainage systems in urban areas. There are many applications for drainage systems in non-urban areas as well.

This tool was developed around six scenarios related to the question: “How can we maintain viable ranchlands and their ecosystem services in light of future integrated threats?” The scenarios represent alternative futures of climate/land use/hydrological change for the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition focus area (the foothills around the Central Valley and most of the southern Inner Coast Range).

Climate change will increase sea levels, shoreline erosion, and the frequency and intensity of coastal flooding along the California coast and in the San Francisco Bay region. Resource managers and planners in the area need locally relevant maps and tools that help them understand vulnerabilities and plan for action.

Understanding San Francisco Bay’s vulnerabilities to sea level rise is important for both biodiversity conservation and for management of public infrastructure. Coastal marshes provide essential ecosystem services, such as water filtration and flood abatement, while also providing important habitat for species of conservation concern. Improving our understanding of how tidal marsh habitats will be affected by sea level rise is important so that we maximize ecosystem services that coastal marshes provide and ensure that endemic populations of plants and animals persist into the future.

EPA’s National Stormwater Calculator is a downloadable application (requires a computer running Microsoft© Windows operating system) for estimating the annual amount of rainwater and frequency of runoff from a specific site anywhere in the United States (including Puerto Rico). Estimates are based on local soil conditions, land cover, and historic rainfall records. A climate change component is included to help users explore how climate change impacts may affect the amount of stormwater runoff produced by a site, and how it is managed.

NOTICE: Due to flooding that occurred at the Silver Spring data center on March 9, 2021, precipitation frequency estimates will not be available through the Precipitation Frequency Data Server (PFDS) until further notice. Teams are working to resolve the issues.

In the meantime, you may post queries to hdsc.questions@noaa.gov (the NOAA Atlas 14 official email address for any public inquiry).

The site shows visualizations of flooding for ten coastal communities in Delaware. Each flood map has an interactive before/after slider tool to display the landward extent of flooding (horizontal) and floodwater depths (vertical) expected to occur during a 100-year flood (or 1 percent annual chance) event.

The maps can help residents, property owners, and community decision makers visualize the potential depth and extent of flood impacts, providing an improved understanding of damage possible from a significant flood or storm in their area.

The Climate Change Atlas documents the current and projected future distribution of 134 tree species and 147 bird species in the eastern United States. Changes in temperature and precipitation will affect the future distribution of tree species, and changes in the distribution of trees will have an effect on many species of birds. The Atlas can help to answer a range of questions concerning current and projected suitable habitat in the year 2100.