Climate-related events require explanations that are both timely and of scientific merit. Objective assessment of the nature and causes of extreme events is scientifically challenging, and the complexity of physical processes inevitably requires the use of climate models to test and quantify cause-effect linkages.

One key factor to an objective assessment of weather/climate events is data availability, both observational data and model simulations that address the unique environment of a climate-related event under consideration. This site is intended especially for the purpose of enabling near real-time assessments of physical factors driving weather/climate events by a broad scientific community and other interested users.