In this example, recent rapid high temperatures made one recent reading on the top graphic go "off the scale" of red colors. By making each color represent a larger temperature range (0.15° C in the bottom graphic vs 0.10° C in the top graphic), all data values are represented by the bottom graphic without going off the color scale.

VERSION TWO (uploaded 2019-07-28) adds two color scales on the left side (0.15° C per color in the taller bottom graphic vs 0.10° C per color in the shorter top graphic). The HEIGHTs of stripe graphics have been adjusted to correspond to the respective color ranges encountered: the top graphic uses 7 of 8 blue colors and "9" of 8 red colors (that is, off the scale), whereas the bottom graphic uses only 5 of 8 blue colors and 6 of 8 red colors (stayed within the scale).

General notes:

• Credit for general concept of w:warming stripes: climate scientist Ed Hawkins, w:University of Reading, U.K.
• In w:Warming stripes graphics, data values are visualized using color rather than locations of points on a graph.
• Source data values for the two graphics above are identical
• Each color (up to 8 blue and 8 red) covers a temperature range that differs between top and bottom graphics above
• Horizontal scale is time, from 1850 (left) to 2018 (right).
• Data is global (not for a locality).
• A thin purple horizontal bar (purposely designed to be visually discreet) shows the reference period for each graphic (the average temperature over the reference period determines the boundary between red and blue colors)
• The top panel is derived from the Wikimedia file pictured below as an "other version".
• Source data for both graphics (same source data) is listed in the Wikimedia file pictured/linked below.