In 2022, the CDC Lyme Disease Surveillance Data ranked Vermont as the second state with the highest incidence rates of Lyme disease, with a rate of 202.8 cases per 100,000 people. In comparison, according to Vermont officials, reports of human Lyme disease cases in the 1990s were rare. Humans in the United States contract the Lyme disease-causing bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, through tick bites. According to the Vermont Department of Health, infected blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis), commonly known as deer ticks, are the primary vectors of Lyme disease in Vermont. The CDC indicates that untreated Lyme disease may present early symptoms, typically occurring 3 to 30 days following an infected tick bite. These symptoms include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, swollen lymph nodes, and erythema migrans (EM) rash. Additionally, the CDC reports that more severe symptoms, which can manifest from days to months after an infected tick bite, may include severe headaches, neck stiffness, a heightened presence of EM rash, facial palsy, arthritis, intermediate pain in tendons, muscles, joints, and bones, heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat, episodes of dizziness, nerve pain, and inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. While extremely rare, Lyme disease can result in the development of Lyme carditis, where it has been reported in 1–5% of diagnosed patients, and even more rarely, it can result in death. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department reports that wooded areas are a common habitat for blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis), which primarily feed on small and large animals such as mice, shrews, birds, raccoons, opossums, deer, and occasionally humans. As deer serve as temporary hosts for tick survival and movement, the project utilizes deer population data as a proxy to measure human and deer interaction. According to the Vermont Department of Health, "researchers believe that a greater proportion of blacklegged ticks may be infected with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease in areas where their population is growing due to climate change.". This project investigates the correlation between temperature and precipitation data in Vermont and the incidence of human Lyme disease, building on previous studies that have associated Lyme disease with warmer temperatures and sensitivity to precipitation levels.