Understanding water availability across the US is more important than ever. In partnership with USGS, our WRF-Hydro® team has developed 40+ years of high-res hydrologic simulations across CONUS, unlocking new understanding of droughts, trends, & future water scenarios. ral.ucar.edu/news/wrf-hyd...

We're excited to announce the release of our Adapted GLOBE Weather Pathways lessons!

In Wednesday's Explorer Series lecture, NSF NCAR’s Mariana Cains explores how convergence research and AI can help researchers address societal needs and hazardous weather for myriad situations. Join us on Wednesday, April 8, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Mesa Lab and online. https://bit.ly/4trxVCV

Turn your schoolyard into a science lab 🌞🌳 In our classroom activity, Cool Playgrounds, students investigate how temperature varies across different surfaces like grass, asphalt, and shaded areas, then use their findings to design a cooler playground.

UCAR has named Eric Barron as interim president, succeeding Antonio Busalacchi, who will become president emeritus before retiring in June. Barron previously served UCAR for 12 years on the UCAR Board of Trustees. He has also spent time at NSF NCAR as a postdoc, scientist & director from 2008-10.

🌎 Explore, Learn, Connect - RAL/MMM Joint Seminar 🌎 ☁️ A Survey of North American Polar–Subtropical Jet Superposition Events: Development, Impacts, & Future Changes ☁️ Andrew Winters, Asst Professor, ATOC CU Boulder ☁️ WED, April 15, 2026 | 1-2 PM (MT) | Free Hybrid Event ral.ucar.edu/events/2026/...

What is an atmospheric science field project? Scientists from many disciplines—such as atmospheric science, oceanography, geology, and even social science—often work together to study specific weather and environmental phenomena.

☀️🌆 How hot is your neighborhood? The new HUMID Dashboard makes decades of high-resolution urban temperature data easy to explore, helping cities pinpoint "hot spots" & plan cooling strategies to protect communities. 💡Research improving urban resilience: gis.ucar.edu/news/humid-a...

We’re not foolin’ you! The Mauna Loa Solar Observatory (MLSO) has officially reopened in time to assist NASA’s Artemis II mission with space weather warnings! It has been closed since Mauna Loa’s 2022 eruption blocked the road, making the site accessible only by helicopter for special operations.

In the upcoming Explorer Series lecture, NSF NCAR’s Mariana Cains explores how convergence research and AI can help researchers address societal needs and hazardous weather for myriad situations. Join us on Wednesday, April 8, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Mesa Lab and online. https://bit.ly/4cgnQTm

Looking forward to this! 🌟 Thanks to our own Ligia Bernardet for being part of this important conversation.

Looking for new ways to engage your students in Earth system science? Join us for one of our upcoming virtual professional development workshops—designed to bring together real-world science and classroom-ready resources!

Calling rural Colorado STEM teachers: join us for the STEM Career Connections Summer Institute at the NSF NCAR Mesa Lab this June! Apply by April 17, 2026, for an opportunity to build STEM career pathways for middle and high school students in your rural district: www.eventbrite.com/e/stem-caree...

For National AI Literacy Day, NCAR CISL scientists will discuss AI machine learning models & visualizations along w/ emerging opportunities & challenges of AI application in Earth system science. Join us virtually on Friday, March 27, at 11 AM MDT. https://bit.ly/4bPLAMR

Recently, the SciEd team had the opportunity to partner with faculty at @lsu.bsky.social to host a one-day teacher workshop focused on hurricane science and resilience along the Gulf Coast.

To close out Smithsonian Afilliations #MuseumLibraryWeek, we’re reflecting on why this work matters! Behind every breakthrough, there’s a record, thoughtfully organized and made accessible for the future.

🗓️ Save the date for the 107th Annual Meeting! Join us 10–14 January, 2027, in Denver, CO, & online. This year’s theme is “PEOPLE: People Educated On Planet Live Empowered.” 🌎👥 Learn more and check out important dates: https://bit.ly/40FTbZl #AMS2027

🌟"I hope the students who receive the scholarship are genuinely excited about working with observational data, particularly Doppler radar. I hope they want to make a difference in improving weather forecasting & in advancing the science behind it." 👏 James W. Wilson, NSF NCAR RAL Sr Sci Emeritus

For Solar Appreciation Day we're highlighting the Sun's energy as an essential part of the Earth system! ☀️

What’s beneath your feet? 🌍 The geosphere includes the solid part of our planet—rocks, minerals, soils, mountains, beaches, and even the molten rock deep inside Earth. But it’s not just about what the Earth is made of, it’s also about the powerful processes that constantly reshape the planet!

Join Us Today! 1-2 PM (MT) 🍃 McKenzie Larson, Ph.D. Candidate, Dept of Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences (ATOC) - CU Boulder presents: 🍃 Future Changes to Extreme Downslope Windstorms Across the Northern Colorado Front Range 🌎 RAL Seminar Series - Explore, Learn, Connect 🌎 Watch Live: ral.ucar.edu/live

Destructive storms tore through the Central US yesterday evening and last night, including damaging tornadoes in the Midwest. Severe thunderstorms continue to fire up across the country, as there is another severe weather risk in place for the Eastern US today.

Earth is a system made up of many connected parts, often described as “spheres”: the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, and geosphere. Studying these spheres helps scientists better understand how our planet works.

From chasing eclipses to improving space weather forecasts and everything in between, NSF NCAR is committed to producing valuable solar and space weather research to benefit both the scientific community and society at large. 🧵

When wildfires start & spread, first responders need accurate+detailed predictions to make critical safety decisions. Our scientists built state-of-the-art, hi-res behavior models that connect the wildfire conditions & current weather to help responders keep communities safe. https://bit.ly/4rhQqbn

Better land models mean better forecasts. Noah-MP® LSM captures how soil, water, plants, and snow interact over time, improving the accuracy of weather and hydrological predictions we depend on every day. Explore more! ral.ucar.edu/solutions/be...

Buds begin to bloom, snow slowly melts; it’s the beginning of meteorological spring! March marks the shift from meteorological winter into spring, covering March, April & May. Meteorological seasons follow temperature trends & weather patterns instead of astronomical movements. 📊: @noaa.gov !

What a wonderful Homeschool Day last week at the @ncar-ucar.bsky.social Mesa Lab! Thank you to all the homeschool families and groups who spent the day with us exploring wind, weather, and Earth science.

🌎 Explore, Learn, Connect - RAL Seminar Series 🌎 🍃 Future Changes to Extreme Downslope Windstorms Across the Northern Colorado Front Range 🍃 McKenzie Larson, Ph.D. Candidate, ATOC, CU Boulder 🍃 WED, March 11, 2026 | 1-2 PM (MT) | Free Hybrid Event Details: ral.ucar.edu/events/2026/...

Space may seem far away, but space weather can have big impacts on our technology-dependent lives here on Earth. 🛰️ Check out this sneak peek of next week’s NSF NCAR Explorer Series that will discuss this fascinating and important topic. Learn more: https://edec.ucar.edu/events/space-debris

A team of scientists from @tamu.bsky.social and NCAR (@ncar-ucar.bsky.social) has created an unprecedented set of high-resolution Earth system simulations that is freely available to the scientific community. Learn more about the MESACLIP project: https://bit.ly/4rBK9bg

Why are auroras different colors? 🌌 Auroras—called the aurora borealis in the Northern Hemisphere and the aurora australis in the Southern Hemisphere—occur in part of Earth's upper atmosphere, in a layer called the thermosphere.

Do you want to learn more about how tsunamis work? Take our “The Science of Tsunamis” course to discover what makes tsunamis and how the waves can travel around the world. 🔎 Preview the course: www.comet.ucar.edu/course-info-... ✅Take the course: learn.meted.ucar.edu#/online-cour...

To prevent collisions of satellites and other "space junk," we need to predict the weather in space, just like we predict the weather on Earth. Join the NSF NCAR Explorer Series (virtually or in-person) to learn more about how researchers do that: https://edec.ucar.edu/events/space-debris

Join Us Today! 1-2 PM (MT) 💧David Yates, Scientist VI, NSF NCAR: 💧Integrated Water Systems 🌎 RAL Seminar Series - Explore, Learn, Connect 🌎 Watch Live: ral.ucar.edu/live

Ever wondered why the sky looks the way it does? From brilliant blue afternoons to colorful sunsets and even rainbows, the sky's changing appearance comes from how sunlight interacts with Earth's atmosphere!

NSF NCAR and @swri.org researchers have created an AI-enabled forecasting tool that is a first step toward forecasting space weather weeks in advance, instead of just hours. Learn more: https://news.ucar.edu/133059/new-research-takes-first-step-toward-advance-warnings-space-weather

Come join us at the CSU Little Shop of Physics Open House💫 This event is FREE and open to the public, welcoming curious minds of all ages! 🗓️ Sunday, March 1, 2026, from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm 📍CSU Lory Student Center, Fort Collins, CO

🌟 Registration is open for the 2026 Improving Scientific Software (ISS) Conference! Hosted by the UCAR Software Engineering Assembly, join us April 6–9, 2026 in Boulder, CO (or virtually) as we explore “Maintaining the Joy of Software Development.” More information: sea.ucar.edu/iss/2026/

A stunning satellite shot of a powerful nor'easter.

Scientists at @noaa.gov, CIRES, the University of Minnesota, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed an innovative model that uses weather and climate data to forecast West Nile Virus in the U.S. Read the research spotlight from @eos.org ⬇️ eos.org/research-spo...

Curious about clouds? 🔎☁️ With our free Field Guide to Clouds app, you can identify different types of clouds, learn what they can tell us about the weather, and test your cloud knowledge with quizzes! Search "Field Guide to Clouds" in the Apple or Google Play store or scied.ucar.edu/apps/cloud-g...

📆 SAVE the DATE! We are excited to announce that Dr. Baoqiang Xiang will be speaking on Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 11:00am MT regarding "How predictable are North American summer heat extremes on the subseasonal timescale?" cpaess.ucar.edu/news/cpaess-...

Into The Low.

🛎️ Call for Papers: 2026 #AMSMadisonSummit! Be part of one of the largest joint meteorology conferences—showcase your research and connect with colleagues across the weather, water, and climate sciences. Abstract submission closes on 19 March. Learn more and submit here: https://bit.ly/3JGP5LD

Today is National Science Day, a day to celebrate curiosity, discovery, and the science that helps us understand the world around us. From weather patterns and Earth's interconnected systems to the Sun and space weather, science helps explain how our planet works.

Our researchers have compiled the first nationwide inventory of emissions from structure fires in the wildland-urban interface. The inventory lays the groundwork for communities to be more prepared for and resilient to the impacts of smoke. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4rOBgeu

Fires that burn buildings in the wildland-urban interface create more air pollution, according to work led by @ncar-ucar.bsky.social and co-authored by CIRES scientists @earthlabcu.bsky.social, @cu-esiil.bsky.social & @cugeography.bsky.social. Read more from NSF NCAR

🌎 Explore, Learn, Connect - RAL Seminar Series 🌎 💧Integrated Water Systems: Translating Physical Climate Science into Practical Water Management Solutions at Global, Regional & Local Scales 💧David Yates, Scientist VI, NSF NCAR 💧WED, FEB 25, 1-2 PM (MT) Free Hybrid Event ral.ucar.edu/events/2026/...

✈️ 🚗 ❄️ Happening tonight! Weather on the Move: Understanding Weather Hazards for Cars, Trucks, & Drones, a free, in-person lecture & conversation at Bambei Brewing, 7-8 PM MST in Superior, CO. Featuring NSF NCAR RAL's Brittany Welch. Details edec.ucar.edu/events/winte...