HadGHCNDEX - Gridded Daily Temperature Extremes
HadGHCND (aka HadGHCNDEX) is a gridded daily dataset of near-surface maximum (TX) and minimum (TN) temperature observations. Anomalies (departures from 1961-1990 climatology) and actual temperatures are distributed in two separate files. The dataset is designed primarily for the analysis of climate extremes and also for climate model evaluation. It spans the years 1950 to present and is available on a 2.5° latitude by 3.75° longitude grid. The data are gridded using an angular distance weighting scheme. Input data consists of approximately 3000 stations within the Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN) daily data base. Stations with 20 or more years of record were selected for gridding.
Key Strengths
Long record of daily temperature extremes
Key Limitations
Fewer indices than GHCHNDEX or HadEX2
Sparse coverage in Southern Hemisphere and Tropics
Cite this page
Acknowledgement of any material taken from or knowledge gained from this page is appreciated:
National Center for Atmospheric Research Staff (Eds). Last modified "The Climate Data Guide: HadGHCNDEX - Gridded Daily Temperature Extremes.” Retrieved from https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data/hadghcndex-gridded-daily-temperature-extremes on 2025-07-09.
Citation of datasets is separate and should be done according to the data providers' instructions. If known to us, data citation instructions are given in the Data Access section, above.
Acknowledgement of the Climate Data Guide project is also appreciated:
Schneider, D. P., C. Deser, J. Fasullo, and K. E. Trenberth, 2013: Climate Data Guide Spurs Discovery and Understanding. Eos Trans. AGU, 94, 121–122, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013eo130001
Key Figures
HadGHCND daily maximum temperature anomalies for 1 Jan 2007 and 5 July 2. (Climate Data Guide; D. Shea)
Other Information
station data
2.5 x 3.75
- Caesar, J., L. Alexander, and R. Vose (2006), Large-scale changes in observed daily maximum and minimum temperatures: Creation and analysis of a new gridded data set, J. Geophys. Res., 111, D05101
- Donat, M.G. et al (2013): Global land-based datasets for monitoring climatic extremes. Bull. Amer. Met. Soc
- Alexander L. V. et al (2006): Global observed changes in daily climate extremes of temperature and precipitation. Journal of Geophysical 269 Research-Atmospheres, 111, D05109