The Wisconsin State Climatology Office (SCO) advances regional climate science in support of a wide range of communities, businesses, and agencies within Wisconsin and the Midwest. The SCO is part of UW–Madison’s Rural Partnerships Institute, a campuswide organization supporting Wisconsin’s rural and Tribal communities.
Our office is housed within the Nelson Institute Center for Climatic Research, the Division of Extension, and the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
The SCO’s mission is to provide climate services that help Wisconsinites use weather and climate information most effectively.
These services are centered around three elements:
- Information: providing users with reliable weather and climate information
- Interpretation: assisting users in how to understand and apply this information
- Investigation: conducting basic and applied research on Wisconsin’s climate
The SCO collaborates with various organizations to deliver quality climate services. Some close partners of this office include:
- The Wisconsin Environmental Mesonet (“Wisconet”), a statewide network of weather and soil monitoring stations within the Rural Partnerships Institute
- The Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts, a collaboration of scientists and stakeholders who foster solutions to climate change impacts in Wisconsin
- The Midwestern Regional Climate Center, which provides climate services for the entire Midwest
- The USDA’s Midwest Climate Hub, which develops science-based information for agricultural and natural resource stakeholders
- The American Association of State Climatologists, which fosters science-based climate services on local and state levels