News

View of mountains and fields and part of the town of Ronda, Spain.

March 12, 2025

Assessing the Global Climate in February 2025

The February global surface temperature was 2.27°F (1.26°C) above the 20th-century average of 53.8°F (12.1°C), making it the third-warmest February on record.

Great Alaska Earthquake destruction in Kodiak, Alaska

March 28, 2017

Updated March 11, 2025

On This Day: Great Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami

On March 27, 1964, the largest recorded earthquake in U.S. history struck Alaska’s Prince William Sound.

2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami destruction

March 11, 2021

Updated March 10, 2025

On This Day: 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Honshu, Japan, generating a deadly tsunami.

Downtown Honolulu on Oahu, Hawai’i—the shot was taken from an altitude of about 1,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean.

March 10, 2025

Assessing the U.S. Climate in February 2025

The average temperature of the contiguous U.S. in February was 34.9°F, 1.0°F above average, ranking in the middle third of the 131-year record.

Church in Guadalajara, Mexico with pigeons flying overhead.

February 12, 2025

Assessing the Global Climate in January 2025

January temperature marks a new global milestone. Temperatures were above average over much of the globe, but much below average over the United States, Greenland, and far eastern Russia.

Wildfire in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles on January 8, 2025. Image is from Koreatown towards Getty Center and Brentwood. Images showcase dense smoke clouds, burning hillsides and urban areas at risk.

February 10, 2025

Assessing the U.S. Climate in January 2025

The average temperature of the contiguous U.S. in January was 29.2°F, 0.9°F below average, ranking in the coolest third of the 131-year record and the coldest January on record (2005–25) for the U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN).