climate

Luckily, we’re pretty landlocked here in the Southwest, so unlike the East Coast, we don’t have to worry about hurricanes causing massive flooding and downing trees and power lines. Or do we? As it turns out, hurricanes and tropical storms in the eastern Pacific play a major role in our moisture budget and rainfall extremes.

Mounting evidence points to a possible return of La Niña this fall. This is not good news for the Southwest where severe to exceptional drought conditions already cover much of Arizona and New Mexico (see drought map below).

Many of us have seen the seasonal outlooks issued by the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) forecasters. These predictions are extremely important to those who have to make choices based on temperature and precipitation, such as natural resource managers, farmers, and ranchers.

Do you ever wonder what Westerners think about climate change, energy choices and broader conservation issues?

In a perspective published in Science last week, climate scientists Jonathan Overpeck, Gerald Meehl, Sandrine Bony, and David Easterling suggest that climate data—from paleoclimate records to model simulations—should be available in an easy to use, open access format for the public.

Crackling thunder and pounding rain finally pelted my tin roof in downtown Tucson for the first time this summer on July 21, more than two weeks after the historical start date of the monsoon season in Tucson. The slow beginning to the season begged the question, Why?