The Reuters Climate Monitor provides real-time data on temperature anomalies worldwide by comparing current conditions to historical averages. This tool highlights areas experiencing unusual heat or cold, tracking how today’s temperatures deviate from long-standing norms.
To create a reliable historical context, the Climate Monitor utilizes the ERA5 reanalysis dataset from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. This dataset allows researchers to calculate typical temperatures for approximately one million grid squares across the globe, taking into account daily calendar fluctuations.
Climate scientists refer to this established set of averages as the normal temperature. The baseline used by the Climate Monitor is derived from a 30-year period between 1961 and 1990, which is commonly recognized by scientists as a standard reference timeframe. To minimize variability, reference temperatures for each day are computed using a 31-day rolling window that spans 15 days before and after the specific date across all 30 years of collected data.
