Overview

 Infrastructure systems, such as buildings, schools, roads, bridges, water lines, sewage systems, communication 

systems, and power plants, are a fundamental part of daily life. Both rapid and gradual climate changes can affect 

these systems and have significant impacts on society. Extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, hurricanes, 

and tornadoes, can heavily damage infrastructure, creating large 

clean-up and rebuilding costs. Heavy rains can overwhelm sewer 

and storm-water systems. Droughts can cause water shortages. 

Gradually changing temperatures can affect energy costs and 

air quality, as well as water quality and availability over time. A 

rising sea level will affect how and where new infrastructure is 

built in low-lying coastal areas and whether existing infrastructure 

needs to be relocated or redesigned. Facilities and systems can 

be designed, built, operated, and regulated to withstand, manage, 

or harness the impacts of weather and climate. Areas with high 

winds may be ideal for wind farm construction. Many different 

groups are involved in setting and regulating standards, designing 

and constructing various buildings and systems, operating and 

managing these facilities and systems, and providing insurance. 

Having access to pertinent long- and short-term weather and 

climate information is critical for these purposes. 

Key Stakeholders NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) works with 

various groups, both as an information provider and as an applied 

research partner, to examine the effects of weather and climate 

on civil infrastructure. This type of information can help engineers 

and decision makers within the civil infrastructure sector make 

practical decisions in order to adapt to climate changes and variations and to mitigate possible effects. There are many 

different government and non-governmental organizations, and public and 

private groups and businesses that can benefit from using relevant climate and 

weather-related information. Some major groups include:

	 • Federal regulatory, environmental, and water resources agencies

	 • State natural resource and transportation departments

	 • State environmental agencies

	 • County and city governments

	 • Academia and other researchers

	 • Insurance companies

	 • Corporations that contribute in various ways to infrastructure

 facilities and systems

	 • Professional societies and trade groups

Sector Needs Climate information is often available only as raw observations or in 

the form of tables, graphs, or written summaries, which may be difficult for users who are not well-versed in climate 

science to fully interpret. To bridge this gap, NCDC is partnering with groups within the industry to translate climate data 

into accessible, useful, and accurate products; and to leverage NCDC’s climate expertise to better understand what the 

information means and how it can be used most effectively. 

NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center

Sectoral Engagement Fact Sheet

Civil Infrastructure
NOAA Satellite and Information Service

National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS)

National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)

U.S. Department of Commerce

Climate information can be used in a variety of ways. Some examples are listed 

below:

•	 Using climate data to design and construct buildings to withstand 

hurricane-force winds.

•	 Using historic precipitation data to build roads above potential flood levels.

•	 Using maximum precipitation data for designing and constructing dams.

•	 Using hourly and daily temperatures to determine averages and frequency 

distributions, such as cooling and heating degree days, to design appropriate 

heating, cooling, and refrigeration systems.

•	 Using ice thickness (due to freezing rain) for structural design consideration. 

NCDC Data and Products There are many different types of useful climate information available. Some 

examples include:

• Surface observations made at thousands of locations across the globe, for

 hourly, daily, and monthly averages. 

• Summaries produced from data, such as temperature frequency distributions.

• Dynamic Normals, which provides daily and monthly averages and extremes

 for a given location.

• The Air Freeze Index, a measure of how much and how often air temperatures are above and below freezing

during the winter, useful for determining if Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations (FPSF) should be utilized.

• CD-ROM/DVDs, such as the International Station Meteorological Climate Summary (ISMCS), which

 contains climatic data summaries from thousands of weather stations around the world, and Integrated 

 Surface Data, which contains climate information dating as far back as 1901 for about 10,000 weather stations.

• Publications, including Local Climatological Data (provides a monthly summary of daily observations), 

 Climatological Data (provides annual average values), Comparative Climatic Data (provides average

 and extreme values), and Storm Data (provides monthly reports of damaging weather).

Collaboration between climate scientists and the civil infrastructure community 

is essential in helping to build the necessary bridges that will transform climate 

science into information that is relevant and credible. Having NOAA membership on 

selected committees has proven to be an excellent way to improve communication and 

information use. Ongoing communication is important to ensure that the information 

that NCDC provides is appropriate and relevant to civil infrastructure needs. As climate 

changes in the years ahead and the effects become more noticeable, new information needs will 

emerge. NCDC will work closely with this sector, attending trade meetings and sponsoring future workshops and 

conferences, in order to better understand, address, and anticipate these needs.

Additional details about available NOAA products and the economic benefits of these products are provided at:

http://www.economics.noaa.gov

For further information on obtaining NCDC climate services and products related to civil infrastructure please contact:

Customer Services Branch

NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center

151 Patton Avenue

Asheville, NC 28801-5001 U.S.A. 

828-271-4800 • TDD 828-271-4010 

Fax 828-271-4876

E-mail: ncdc.orders@noaa.gov

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov

Agriculture ▪ CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE ▪ Coastal Hazards ▪ Energy ▪ Health ▪ Insurance 

Litigation ▪ Marine and Coastal Ecosystems ▪ National Security ▪ Tourism ▪ Transportation ▪ Water Resources

June 2010