🧵 Public science in the US has taken some heavy hits over the last year, but the White House OMB is proposing a series of changes that will result in a TKO for science as we know it unless we fight back. Here's what's happening, and why it matters. 1/n

Very weak landspout taken around 515 PM from 2 miles north of Wellington, looking SE. Lasted for about 4 minutes. Occurred at the intersection of two outflow boundaries?

It is with deep sorrow and profound love that we announce the passing of Sonny Rollins. The Saxophone Colossus died this afternoon at his home in Woodstock, NY at the age of 95. 1/2

“.. Elon Musk gleefully boasted about feeding the United States Agency for International Development into a ‘wood chipper.’ “.. An Ebola outbreak in the region in 2018 took nearly two years to contain. .. This time around, we have far less capacity to respond.” www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/o...

🏜️ CO Drought Update: The northern half of CO saw substantial precipitation earlier this week, leading to improvements for some in the latest Drought Monitor. Southern CO saw less moisture, prompting deteriorating drought conditions in the San Luis Valley.

there is so much wrong or strange messaging about hazardous weather from politicians & other leaders…in contrast, here we get *exactly* the information people need to know about the risks of urban flash flooding (what it is, what the risks are, how to get needed information, with engaging delivery)

(Full disclosure, I bought a replica buzzer too, before GOAT. Without endorsing any particular practice buzzer, I will say this is a legit move by people playing to win, James and Mina obviously know ball.)

Town of Campo under mandatory evacuation after Oklahoma wildfire moves into southeastern Colorado

North of Grand island earlier.

superb bow & arrow overnight in the Great Plains

Dangerous fire weather conditions are expected across the southern High Plains. Severe storms, including very large hail, strong tornadoes, and winds, are expected in the central Plains into the Upper Midwest. See the latest Key Messages for these hazards.

Severe thunderstorm activity will be ramping up in eastern Colorado this weekend, right on time in mid-May. Here’s a blog post from a couple years ago with the where and when of Colorado severe weather, along with where to get timely information. #cowx

RIP to a real one www.jsonline.com/story/money/...

caturday

This is one of the wilder satellite animations I've seen in a minute... Wildfires produce their own thunderstorms while smoke wraps around a low pressure. What a fascinating view out of southern Kansas this evening.

Deeply saddened to read that the University of Washington undergraduate student who was murdered last week was an atmospheric sciences undergraduate. I visited the campus last week and was so inspired by the young cohort of aspiring atmospheric scientists. Juniper Blessing will be missed.

Since I can’t be at @fcst70.bsky.social’s retirement celebration this evening, I wrote a thing instead.

Their Season Ends In Humiliating Fashion: The Minnesota Wild Story

Although the monetary value of the deal is unknown, Instructure says the cybercriminals have returned the hacked personal data and offered assurance “that no Instructure customers will be extorted as a result of this incident.” www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-in...

Texas Monthly writer Aaron Parsley deservedly won a Pulitzer Prize last week for his work describing the horror his family experienced in the July 4th TX flash floods. His words should stir a recommitment to improving flash flood and other wx warnings - and their communication. tinyurl.com/mu6bhvmj

After a record-shattering March, April seemed at least a little more normal in Colorado. But it was again warmer than average. Flash drought set in across the eastern Plains. Mountain snowmelt slowed, but remained record low. Read more in our April 2026 summary: climate.colostate.edu/monthly_summ...

saw him enjoying a ride in the back of a pickup yesterday

Kind of surprised that this hasn't been bigger news. It's finals week for a whole lot of universities, and yet, Canvas (a learning/grading platform used by ~9,000 schools globally) is currently inaccessible because of a pay-or-have-your-data-leaked hack. www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-in...

A stunning morning on the Boulder trails with our long awaited drought relief. It was surreal hearing hummingbirds zooming by in heavy snow conditions.

5.3” of heavy snow this morning in the backyard, for storm total of 5.5” so far, with some light snow still falling. Fort Collins 2.5NW #cowx

slo-mo snow on Cinco de Mayo #cowx

BOU upgrades Winter Storm Watch to Winter Storm Warning valid at May 5, 8:00 PM MDT till May 6, 3:00 PM MDT Link

Finally the kind of storm we've been waiting all spring for in northern Colorado. #cowx

A big May storm is increasingly likely for Colorado Tue-Wed. Highlights: 1) Potential for 4"+ of snow for parts or much of the Denver metro area (low-medium confidence) 2) A big 10-20" mountain snowstorm (high confidence) 3) Significant moisture (medium-high confidence) #COwx

This is my new favorite graphic produced by @climate.colostate.edu and @rschumacher.cloud. It's also been quite fascinating to watch the accumulation of above average temperatures for the water year. Find it here: climate.colostate.edu/co_cag/

Want a routine that gets you outside each morning? And to contribute to science while doing so? Consider joining CoCoRaHS during “Rain Gauge Rally” this April. Get a gauge, measure the precip (or lack thereof); that’s all there is to it! www.cocorahs.org

1:07 PM CDT, 4/17: The @nws.noaa.gov has issued a #ModerateRisk of #SevereWeather this afternoon from NW OK through KS into W MO. Supercells may bring giant #hail & a few #tornadoes. Storms likely organize tonight with 60–90+ mph #winds. Stay #WeatherAware & have alerts on. #SevereWx #QLCS

Well folks, it’s happening. The 661-page budget bill is being read aloud, line by line, by a computer program named Eric. Assuming the motion isn’t pulled, this will go on for ~15 hours, and Rep. Bradley (who moved for the bill to be read) can’t leave the chamber except for brief bathroom breaks.

ENSO-neutral conditions are present and are favored through April-June 2026 (80% chance). In May-July 2026, El Niño is likely to emerge (61% chance) and persist through at least the end of 2026. #ENSO #ElNino 🧪 www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/ana...

March 2026 rewrote the record books for early-spring warmth in Colorado. It was warmer than most Aprils. Hundreds of temperature records were set across the state, including a new March record of 99°F. The heat was prolonged, and it was also very dry. Read more in our monthly state climate summary.👇

March was...not helpful. NOAA CBRFC's April 1st (50% exceedance) forecast now has Lake Powell April-July inflows at 1400 KAF, 22% of average. Only 2002 (963 KAF) and 1977 (1208 KAF) ended up with lower inflows than that. If dry conditions continue through spring, 2026 could drop below 2002.

#Artemis II lunar flyby images are showing up! 😍 A crescent Earth setting behind the Moon.

glides as softly as a cloud, you say? does the businessman look something like this, perchance?

"Orion, the Moon, and the Earth. EVERYONE, in that picture" - #Artemis II Mission Control.

Time series of elevation and storage for Lake Powell (1963 to March 2026)

I don’t know what it means that even though it is being re-posted by a verified reporter at a genuine news outlet, I still can’t believe it’s real.

BREAKING: In response to huge cuts in Trump's budget request, NSF is shuttering its SBE directorate. Staff will be transferred to other parts of the agency and "grants that align with Administration priorities" will be maintained. That & more w/ @maxkozlov.bsky.social & @edwrdchen.bsky.social

“go back to the moon but this time we have really good cameras” was a fantastic idea

This image of home just came down from the Artemis II crew. Taken after their translunar injection burn, there are aurorae at top right and lower left, and zodiacal light at lower right. Credit: NASA/Reid Wiseman

“Funding officially ran out for CIRES Global Monitoring Lab employees on March 24. The university informed 42 employees this week that they would be furloughed without pay on May 15 unless federal funding comes through” boulderreportinglab.org/2026/04/02/h...

It’s been the worst year for Colorado’s snowpack in recorded history. A striking new map shows why.

some pretty startling numbers in this post… #cowx

The March summary for the Fort Collins weather station that our office maintains is chock-full of eye-popping stats. Highest single-month temperature anomaly in the 130+ year period of record, 8 days warmer than the previous March record, earliest 90° day on record by over a month, and more. #cowx