But conditions are still prime for early snowmelt and summer drought.
Weather
Posted inArticles
Snapshot of a drought in progress
Southwest Colorado’s snowpack is dismal and melting fast.
Posted inArticles
This just happened: Alaska’s warm winter
It might seem like the big weather story this winter was the spate of snow and cold that hit the East Coast. But a more prolonged and sobering story was all the snow and cold that did not hit large parts of the West, and especially Alaska. Today, the Sierra Nevada’s snowpack hovers at around […]
Posted inArticles
The art – and science – of forecasting wildfires
This model could eliminate guesswork and predict fire according to geography.
Posted inArticles
Dry January means more drought across West
After a rainy December, many states now have lower-than-normal snowpacks.
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Mapping Earth’s hidden water
A new NASA satellite will measure the planet’s soil moisture.
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New cloud seeding study from Wyoming
Research renews the debate about whether scientists can really make more rain.
Posted inDecember 22, 2014: The Dust Detectives
The dust detectives
Scientists are closer than ever to understanding how microscopic airborne particles shape the Earth, and the West.
Posted inArticles
Residential wells run completely dry in the Central Valley
The drought is not an abstract threat for families in Porterville, California.
Posted inNovember 10, 2014: Fallout
USGS launches a billion-dollar initiative to map the West in 3D
LIDAR is about to become more widespread — helping agriculture, pilots and homeowners.
Posted inOctober 13, 2014: Charles Bowden's Fury
Flash flood chaser
One man’s obsession improves forecasting in southern Utah.
Posted inArticles
Climate change found to have spurred worldwide heatwaves
But floods and droughts have less certain links to planetary warming.
Posted inWotr
Spring comes grudgingly to Wyoming’s high desert
Although I expect more heartless wind and freezing nights, I think winter’s tight grip has been loosened. Summer lies ahead.