Former NOAA employees launch Climate.us to replace government climate data site shut down in 2025

Climate.us, a privately run climate information website, launched on or around June 24, 2025, filling a gap left when the federal government shut down Climate.gov, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's flagship public climate data portal. The new site was created by former NOAA employees who had previously staffed the government site and were laid off as part of Department of Government Efficiency reductions.

Rebecca Lindsey, a former program director for Climate.gov, now heads the Climate.us project. She told NPR that while most of the underlying federal climate data remains technically accessible on government servers, it has become difficult to find. As of June 24, 2025, visitors to the NOAA climate site are presented with a page citing Executive Order 14303 and directing users to NOAA.gov/climate. Lindsey described the result as NOAA having "renovated a store, and they had the front door open into a closet."

Lindsey and two colleagues began rebuilding the site in August 2025. The effort raised approximately $280,000 through crowdfunding to cover technical costs, recruited around 80 volunteer scientists to a science advisory panel, and received an additional one-time grant from an anonymous donor that Lindsey said will sustain the project through at least February 2027. She noted that creating a new search capability to replace the original site's licensed tool was among the most significant technical hurdles.