Colorado getting their biggest snowstorm of the season when I’m out of state☹️

Happy Earth Day! 🌎 To celebrate, consider streaming PBS NOVA's new "Rain Bombs" episode! You might recognize some familiar atmospheric scientists ;) I feel very fortunate to have played a small part in this episode. One of my most memorable career experiences so far!

DYK that @noaa.gov estimates how much rainfall you would probably need in order to end drought? www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monit...

a clash of seasons 🌸🌨️ #cowx

Woman Walking in an Exotic Forest, by Henri Rousseau, 1905, via @garrett_TFE

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.👇

My son got a 3D Printer 15 months ago and I thought "worthless toy". Then my son makes a lithopane of the H-Triple-R for May 20th and now tears are in my eyes.

Today was a hard day. I’m finding peace by looking back at sunnier days — hope these find your timeline well ❤️

News: WH released proposed FY27 budget, continuing to push plan to eliminate NOAA Research and massively cut Earth sciences - while NOAA grant data for FY2026 shows only 7 new grants so far compared to 379 in FY2025, further evidence of curtailed science budget execution. tinyurl.com/5e3ptub2

Mountain snowpack in Colorado should be peaking around now. This year, it's almost gone. New blog post that shows how it is now clear that this is the worst snowpack year on record for Colorado, following the record-shattering March warmth. 1/

Some more from Donner Pass today:

Update: the one record we had not yet broken this month was the all-time March record for Colorado (96°F at Holly in 1907), but that record will also fall. Stations at Springfield and Walsh in SE CO reached 97°F today. It's possible other stations that report daily will show even higher values #cowx

54° for an overnight low in Denver is stupid absurd. Not only is that our warmest March low by 6°, it’s almost our warmest April low as well. #COwx

Last week's record-setting heat took a major toll on Colorado's snowpack (which was already in bad shape). We're currently sitting at 44% of average with ~2 weeks to go until our average peak. Little to no precipitation is expected over the next 7 days. #cowx

crispy

“March”

Well, if yesterday's map was ridiculous, I'm running out of superlatives to characterize today's. Countless locations from Pacific Coast to Great Plains are currently experiencing all-time record March warmth, w/ some locations approaching/exceeding April (or even May) records.

Fair to say that the Western U.S. heatwave has reached record-shattering status, with dozens of locations breaking all-time March monthly heat records & some now approaching *April* records. Swath of record heat extends clear from Pacific to Great Plains, & from Canada to Mexico.

An extreme early-season heat wave could see temperatures 20-30 degrees above average and record temperatures broken by 10 or more degrees today and tomorrow across the Desert Southwest. Jumping right into summer-like heat puts vulnerable populations at risk. Stay cool at www.weather.gov/safety/heat

🧵Happy St. Patrick's day! What better way to celebrate than talking about ENSO? Specifically, let's talk about El Nino because that hype-train is leaving the station, and the ENSO Blog at Climate[.gov] is no longer around to provide expert context. 😡 www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwyU...

The Morrill Fire in Nebraska has killed 1 and consumed 549,000 acres with 0% containment. This is more than 10% of the entire area burned by U.S. wildfires in 2025, and makes it one of the 20 largest fires in U.S. history. Sunday forecast is grim: High Wind Warning, 25-35 mph winds, gusting to 50.

a lot has already been written about the heat wave next week, including @weatherwest.bsky.social’s posts here. But it is hard to describe how truly outlandish the forecast is for next week. This is looking to be so far outside of anything that’s been observed before in March in the western US.

NWS forecast for Fort Collins currently calling for a Thursday high temp near 90F next week. #cowx

Air quality in northeast and southeast CO and the NE panhandle is ridiculously poor due to the wildfire near Lake McConaughy in NE. Widespread PM2.5 values in excess of 300, which is considered a "health warning of emergency conditions" for all populations.

Large trees down on CSU’s campus from today’s high winds #cowx

Five blown over trucks and one too scared to move

wow, I don’t recall CSU ever having a wind damage closure before

In case you missed it, the viral hail report in Kankakee, Illinois that was challenging the record for largest recorded hailstone ever (8 inches - Vivian, SD) is gone However, Illinois does have a new state-record hailstone (also from Kankakee) with a preliminary maximum size of 6.14 inches

90 mph wind gust at the Cheyenne Wyoming ASOS (78kts) just set the all-time wind speed record at KCYS! #wywx #wind

Weather West update on a prolonged and very likely record-breaking March heatwave in the western U.S. that will begin Thursday in some areas & actually not reach its peak for another 7-10 days in some spots. This forecast is truly extraordinary for March.

WBAL in Baltimore helping viewers understand the difference between watches and warnings

Thank you for the pleasant scene, little snow squall #cowx

Just your typical elevated hailstorm moving into Chicago where it’s 39F at the surface but with >1000 J/kg MUCAPE

Unfortunately, not much good news to share in our February state climate summary. According to NOAA data, it was the warmest February in 132 years of records. Mountain snowpack remains at the lowest level in over 40 years. Several locations set new monthly high temperature records for February. 1/4

It's been so warm for cities like Denver, Colorado that even phenological spring has arrived there according to the first leaf out! Wow! Graphic from @usa-npn.bsky.social: www.usanpn.org/data/maps/sp...

👀 new storm events database site at @noaa.gov , and it's not terrible! Go check out the beta site and break it! www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/storm...

A couple of the wildest graphs I recall making. It's been #warm... at Fort Collins the warmest climatological winter by nearly 4°F! #cowx 🌡️

@rschumacher.cloud on a state call this morning, talking about the crazy warmth we've been experiencing. The number of days Fort Collins has passed 60°F this winter, far surpasses any other winter!

AMS is deeply concerned by the repeal of EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding, which concluded greenhouse gas emissions harm health and well-being. The science remains clear: human-caused climate change is already causing harmful impacts. Read the full statement: https://bit.ly/4tBwz9w

The mountain snowpack so far this winter is in bad shape. Long-time Coloradans might remember two other terrible winters for snow: 1976-77 and 1980-81. Our latest blog post takes a look at how this year compares to those snow droughts of the past. #cowx

I had a fun opportunity to chat with some very bright 3rd graders through this collaboration with CPR! The kids managed to stump me on one question :) Share your science with your communities ❤️👩‍🔬

Taking off my weather hat for a moment for something more important than the forecast…today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. I’ve shared before that my grandparents (mom’s side) are both Holocaust survivors. Please do me a favor and read their story in this thread.

Exceptional. Record-smashing. Disturbingly warm. December 2025 was one for the record books in Colorado. 🌡️ Warmest December 🌡️ >1000 daily high temperature records 🌡️ Warmest October thru December by far 🌡️ 4th-warmest year Read more in our monthly summary: climate.colostate.edu/monthly_summ...

Since SPC isn’t on BlueSky yet, I’ll share these fun “Wrapped”-style graphics here. Here’s a look back at SPC product issuances in 2025. Stay tuned for a more thorough review of the severe storm season coming in the new year.

Tornado Warning inside a Severe Thunderstorm Warning inside a Flash Flood Warning in LA County at the moment, if you're wondering how things are going... #CAwx #LArain

This was very fun to work on, emerging from student class projects a few years ago. How sharp can a cold front get? We were able to point to some answers.

Very strong winds and extremely dry conditions are expected across the Front Range tomorrow (Dec. 19). Critical fire weather conditions will be in place, with the greatest risk over parts of Boulder and Jefferson counties. Key messages below from NWS Boulder. Stay safe and weather aware! #cowx

Extreme winds were observed across eastern Colorado yesterday, with numerous wildfires growing quickly in Yuma County last night. The strongest winds were in the foothills, with several reports of gusts over 100mph. But the >80mph gusts on the eastern plains are perhaps even more unusual. #cowx

Before the 1990s, plane crashes caused by microbursts used to kill planeloads of people fairly regularly. Dr. Ted Fujita and NCAR scientists figured out how to detect microbursts and warn pilots about them. Since then? Zero airliner crashes from microbursts.

Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.