SSOD Weather Data – USA, Canada & Global
NOAA SSODv2 overview
SSODv2 is the global daily archive used by this independent Climate Explorer visualization. It provides observed meteorological data for stations in the United States, Canada, and countries worldwide, including UTC-aligned temperature, wind, and precipitation summaries.
Curated by NOAA NCEI, the dataset aligns all aggregations to a UTC calendar day (00:00 to 23:59 UTC) rather than local climatological days, supporting consistent cross-country comparisons.
Climate Explorer is not affiliated with NOAA. NOAA NCEI remains the authoritative source for the observations and their documentation.
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Dataset facts
- Official source
- NOAA NCEI SSODv2.
- Coverage
- Many thousands of stations worldwide, with station-specific periods of record that can extend across many decades.
- Update frequency
- NOAA updates the archive daily.
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication; retain NOAA/NCEI attribution and source metadata.
- Important limitation
- SSOD’s UTC day may differ from a station’s local reporting day. NOAA also cautions that precipitation can be underreported in synoptic messages and that reported daily maximum and minimum temperatures may not capture the true daily extremes.
Looking for data for your country?
This dataset contains meteorological records for every country in the world. If you do not see a dedicated dashboard for your specific region elsewhere on Climate Explorer, you will find the data here.
About this Data
The SSODv2 (Synoptic Summary of the Day) dataset aligns all aggregations to a UTC calendar day (00:00 to 23:59 UTC) rather than local climatological days, supporting consistent cross-country comparisons.
Daily Weather Observations for the United States and Canada
Choose United States or Canada in the country filter to explore available NOAA SSOD station records. The dashboard provides UTC-day summaries of temperature, wind, pressure, and precipitation where those variables are available. Coverage periods and variable availability differ by station, and a UTC day may not match the local climatological day.
What This Explorer Is Best For
The SSOD explorer is best suited to event chronology, station-level daily comparisons and reproducible screening of observed conditions. For an official daily rainfall total, temperature extreme or record claim, verify the result against the relevant national meteorological service or a daily climate product.
Worked example: examine a short heat event at Central Park
A concrete use of SSOD is to reconstruct a sequence of hot days without reducing the event to a monthly average.
- Open the Central Park SSOD view for 1–23 July 2026.
- Confirm the station identifier,
USW00094728, before reading the series. - Inspect maximum temperature for 1–4 July and use the Data tab to check the displayed values and gaps.
- Treat each date as a 00:00–23:59 UTC summary, not automatically as a New York local climatological day.
- For the principal value, compare SSOD with the official local record report. The full verification is documented in New York Heatwave: Four 90°F Days Opened July 2026.
This workflow illustrates the appropriate role of the explorer: SSOD identifies and describes the observed daily sequence; the independent official source establishes whether a local record was tied or broken.
Method: how to make a defensible SSOD comparison
1. Define the question before selecting the variable
Use daily maximum temperature for heat-event timing, daily minimum temperature for warm-night screening, and mean temperature for the average state of the UTC day. These quantities are related, but they are not interchangeable.
2. Keep the station and time basis explicit
Record the station name and identifier, the selected dates, the variable and the unit. Comparisons between stations are most defensible when they use the same UTC window. If the question concerns an official local calendar day, use a source built on that local reporting convention.
3. Inspect completeness before interpreting the chart
Blank cells and broken plot segments represent unavailable values, not zero. SSOD supplies measurement-count fields rather than conventional string quality flags. Climate Explorer applies broad physical-bound and relational-consistency screens, but these checks do not replace NOAA or national-service quality control.
4. Separate screening from verification
SSOD is particularly useful for finding an event window across a consistent global archive. For consequential claims—records, regulatory evidence or exact rainfall totals—follow NOAA’s recommendation to check national-service daily summaries or GHCNd where available.
5. Add climate context with a matched reference
A daily observation is not itself a climate anomaly. For station-based monthly context, pair the event series with the WMO Normals Explorer and read the guide to the limitations of climatological normals. Match the station, variable and calendar month before making the comparison.
Data source
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the SSOD dataset?
SSOD stands for Synoptic Summary of the Day. It is a comprehensive database maintained by NOAA providing daily weather observations aligned to UTC.
Why is UTC alignment important?
It aligns all aggregations to a UTC calendar day (00:00 to 23:59 UTC) rather than local climatological days, supporting consistent comparisons between stations in different time zones.
Does SSOD include daily weather observations for the United States and Canada?
Yes. Choose United States or Canada in the country filter to find available NOAA SSOD station records. The explorer provides UTC-day summaries, while record length and available variables differ by station and period.
Can SSOD alone confirm an official daily record?
No. SSOD is useful for screening and reconstructing UTC-day sequences, but NOAA notes that synoptic precipitation may be underreported and that maximum or minimum temperature may not capture the true daily extreme. Verify record claims with the responsible national meteorological service or an appropriate daily climate product.