The Reuters Climate Monitor

Reuters has launched a new Climate Monitor, an impressive interactive globe that allows anyone to see how today's temperatures compare with what used to be considered normal around the world. The map visualizes temperature anomalies in real-time, revealing where conditions are unusually hot or cold compared to historical averages.

The interface is beautifully simple. Click anywhere on the globe and Reuters instantly reports the location's current temperature anomaly - showing how many degrees warmer or cooler today's forecast high is than the historic average for that date. Select your hometown and you can quickly discover whether you're experiencing a typical day or part of a larger warming trend.

What elevates the Climate Monitor beyond a standard weather map is its historical context. Alongside the current anomaly, Reuters provides a monthly temperature chart that compares this year's temperatures against long-term averages. This allows users to move beyond the question of "What's the weather today?" and instead ask "How unusual is today's weather?"

Reuters uses the Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis dataset to establish historical normals based on the 1961–1990 climate reference period, a benchmark widely used by climate scientists. These averages are calculated for approximately one million grid squares covering the Earth's surface and are smoothed using a 31-day rolling window to reduce short-term noise.

To assess current conditions, Reuters combines these historical baselines with forecasts from ECMWF's HRES forecasting system. Because the two datasets are generated using different models, Reuters applies a statistical correction to ensure they are directly comparable before calculating temperature anomalies. The result is a global map showing where temperatures are departing from what was once considered normal.

Reuters says the Climate Monitor will play a key role in its climate and weather reporting, providing readers with immediate context for major news events. During the FIFA World Cup, for example, the tool can help illustrate whether host cities are experiencing unusually high temperatures and how match-day conditions compare with historical norms. Likewise, if forecasters detect the return of El Niño later this year, Reuters can use the monitor to show where temperatures are deviating most strongly from long-term averages and how those anomalies evolve over time.

At a time when many weather maps focus exclusively on current conditions, the Reuters Climate Monitor adds an essential layer of historical perspective. It is both an engaging exploratory map and a compelling visualization of a warming world.

Via: Datawrapper's Data Viz Dispatch