Weather and climate graphics

Heather McFarland

ACCAP climate specialist Rick Thoman is a longtime Alaska resident and expert in Alaska climate and weather. Rick regularly creates and shares reliable, data-based maps and graphics describing Alaska’s changing environment.

Follow Rick on Mastodon and Substack.

ACCAP science communicator Laura Weingartner works with Rick and other subject matter experts to create graphics communicating climate science, environmental trends, and impacts on people, animals and ecosystems.

ACCAP emeritus Heather McFarland created many of these visually appealing and easy-to-understand graphics that convey complex data and messages about Alaska's changing environment and impacts to people.

View and download Heather's creations from Alaska's Changing Environment and its spin off reports on Flickr.

All graphics are free to download and share!

Alaska community and regional trend graphics

Community-specific trends in temperature, precipitation, first frost, snowfall, smoke and more, from Juneau to Utqiaġvik, and surrounding waters.

Bar graph titled "Beaufort Sea, September Average Ice Extent from 1979 to 2023". The blue to green ombré bars showing September extent and black trendline showing estimated median. The black line shows a 71% decrease from 1979 to 2023.

View on Flickr

Alaska-wide climate trend graphics

Trends across Alaska in air and ocean temperatures, precipitation, snow, growing season, river flows, sea ice and wildfire.

Climate stripes graphic showing blue lines for cold years and red lines for warm years.

View on Flickr

Monthly and seasonal climate graphics

Statewide monthly and seasonal maps and graphics for Alaska's lands and surrounding waters, including departures from normal.

Map of Eastern Russia, Alaska, and Western Canada titled "Average Temperature: Departure from Normal" in January 2024. Color gradient shows Chukchi Sea being a dark red with Interior Alaska and Western Canada being a dark blue.

View on Flickr