All it takes is one tweet to send Twitter into a frenzy – in this case, over a screenshot of stripes.

Starting with…

It’s time to #ShowYourStripes by visiting: https://t.co/xZmp3uP2OQ!

We have made warming stripes graphics available for virtually every country, and including US states and UK regions. These are free to use however you like!

These are my #warmingstripes: England (1884-2018). pic.twitter.com/v5C6GD3koL

— Ed Hawkins (@ed_hawkins) June 17, 2019

Then continuing with…

Inspired by @ed_hawkins’ #ShowYourStripes initiative. I have built an @ArcGISOnline map showing temperature (and precipitation) stripes for… wait for it…

Every single county in the Contiguous United States. https://t.co/pe0sor2KCE pic.twitter.com/IiWjv89eI6

— Jared Rennie (@jjrennie) June 17, 2019

Pretty quickly, everyone was posting this data visualization/creation of science art. But here’s the part that I wish I saw more of on Twitter – scientists sharing this powerful graphic with their communities outside of STEM. Although I certainly didn’t see every post with the temperature record, there are audiences that could be engaged with this visual – with some explanation (colors, years, etc.).

The boundary between red and blue is the average of 1971-2000 for all the country graphics.

— Ed Hawkins (@ed_hawkins) June 17, 2019

This is a great tool for visualizing exactly how #ClimateChange is happening where you are. Blue stripes are cooler than average years, red stripes are hotter. Click the images to see the trend, and use the link to generate the image for your own location. https://t.co/4TB3ASfJbz

— Katie Mack (@AstroKatie) June 17, 2019

Yes, there are going to be lots of opportunities for sharing and engaging with these two key websites:

https://showyourstripes.info/

Temperature and precipitation stripes by U.S. county

But I encourage everyone to tag someone else outside the STEM community, to share the context and meaning of this data. I decided to start with my state senators:

Dear @SenToomey & @SenBobCasey – Please see this graphic. From left to right, represents annual average temperatures for Pennsylvania from 1895-2018 using @NOAA data. Blue stripes are cooler than average yrs, red stripes hotter. #ClimateChange in PA – it’s real #ShowYourStripes pic.twitter.com/yBS76G74lk

— Dr. G (@guertin) June 18, 2019

How are you going to #ShowYourStripes to a non-scientist? Please add some suggestions in the comments field below – and maybe start with something on June 21st, the official Show Your Stripes Day.

Reminder: next Friday (21st June) is #ShowYourStripes day!

From Monday you’ll be able to download the #warmingstripes for your own country to raise awareness of our warming world and start conversations about the risks, implications & solutions. #FridaysForFuture #ClimateStrike pic.twitter.com/x56bnyvaoz

— Ed Hawkins (@ed_hawkins) June 14, 2019