This year's snow drought unfortunately will strain many sectors and people across the western United States. www.drought.gov/drought-stat...

Great insights by @climatechirper.bsky.social on how social and governance systems interact with atmospheric systems to influence El Niño's effects on people wapo.st/4d43jSC

In addition to Oregon having a historically low snowpack, it has also had one of the driest 12 month periods on its record. Since last April, Oregon has recorded its 5th lowest amount of precipitation received since 1895.

I am hiring a new postdoc to work on an ecosystem modeling project with colleagues in hydrology, computer science, and the social sciences, including @mojisadegh.bsky.social If you want to do impactful work to understand the forest-water relationship, apply: www.hurteaulab.org/blog/ecosyst...

The Pacific Northwest is receiving precipitation, but little of it as snow. www.drought.gov/drought-stat...

PRISM solar irradiance time series data are now available. Great news for many fields of inquiry. www.prism.oregonstate.edu/notices/noti...

The National Weather Service will begin providing information about both likelihood and, for the first time, intensity of severe storms. wapo.st/4l3txqR

A recording of February's Pacific Northwest Drought and Climate Outlook Webinar, including an overview of conditions from @larryoneill.bsky.social, is now available courtesy of our excellent colleagues at the National Integrated Drought Information System. www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6Md...

Next Monday at 11:00 a.m. Pacific: Pacific Northwest Drought and Climate Outlook Webinar, featuring Oregon State Climatologist @larryoneill.bsky.social and colleagues at NOAA and NRCS. Register at conta.cc/4tvUwPu

Snow drought creates stress for sectors, organisms, and needs including but not limited to the ski industry, fishes, and electricity supply. bendbulletin.com/2026/02/11/o...

Despite likely storms in the coming weeks, @larryoneill.bsky.social and climatologists across the Pacific Northwest detail potential water scarcity during this year's growing season www.opb.org/article/2026...

Snow conditions currently are lousy across most of the western United States, but may improve later in February. www.drought.gov/drought-stat...

Is "regular winter weather" and a reprieve from snow drought in Oregon's future? State climatologist @larryoneill.bsky.social says there's a distinct possibility. www.opb.org/article/2026...

What makes the Fire Program Analysis Fire-Occurrence Database (Short 2022) even better? An additional 270 attributes associated with each of the >2M wildfires it documents. Learn more about the augmented data, led by Yavar Pourmohamad and @mojisadegh.bsky.social, here: mailchi.mp/blm/friday-f...

Snow drought in the western United States is the present. Is it also the future? www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/s...

Thanks to the Joint Fire Science Program for highlighting this work led by our colleagues Yavar Pourmohamad and @mojisadegh.bsky.social on predicting where and when human-caused wildfire ignitions are most likely across the western United States. mailchi.mp/blm/friday-f...

Oregon Climate Service director and state climatologist @larryoneill.bsky.social featured in this new podcast on Oregon's snow conditions and 2025 climate. soundcloud.com/oregonoutdoo...

A major step in marine conservation www.nytimes.com/2026/01/17/c...

What's "snow water equivalent," and how does it affect Oregon's water supply? The USDA Northwest Climate Hub explains. www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/northwe...

"The E.P.A. plans to stop tallying gains from the health benefits caused by curbing two of the most widespread deadly air pollutants, fine particulate matter and ozone, when regulating industry" www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...

Record Warmth, Rain Instead of Snow Intensifies Snow Drought Across the West. myemail.constantcontact.com/January-2026...

Oregon is in snow drought. Oregon State Climatologist @larryoneill.bsky.social discusses how much snow the state needs to avoid potential water shortages. capitalpress.com/2026/01/05/o...

New open-access publication on prediction of wildfire occurrence across the western United States. Led by Yavar Pourmohamad with authors including @occri.bsky.social director Erica Fleishman and OCCRI research partners John Abatzoglou and Moji Sadegh. doi.org/10.1029/2025...

Throughout this year, OCCRI will be developing the eighth Oregon climate assessment for release in early 2027. Would you like us to address particular topics that we haven't explored in the past? Post your comments below.

Doing right by wildland firefighters. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...

State climatologist @larryoneill.bsky.social explains why atmospheric rivers may become more common in a warming climate. www.opb.org/article/2025...

Did you miss December Pacific Northwest Drought & Climate Outlook webinar? A recording is now available: conta.cc/4iWwFDD

The West is fairly wet. Just not snowy. Learn more here: myemail.constantcontact.com/December-202...

OCCRI is playing a primary role in development of the Plan for a Resilient Oregon, led by Governor Kotek's office. Learn more about the Plan, including opportunities for participation, here: oregoncapitalchronicle.com/briefs/want-...

Register for the Pacific Northwest Water Summit on 4 November in Boise, Idaho, and online. The event focuses on increasing drought and climate resilience across economic sectors that depend on the region's water supply. www.drought.gov/events/pacif...

What impacts did you observe and what actions did you take during the 2025 water year (October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2025) due to abnormally dry or abnormally wet conditions? Please participate in the annual Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Survey: uwashington.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Register for the 2025 Pacific Northwest water summit. Nov 4 in Boise or limited virtual participation. Agenda and more details at myemail.constantcontact.com/Register-for...

A wonderful story of hope, good people, and sense of place. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/c...

State climatologist @larryoneill.bsky.social explains why almost 80% of the Northwest is in drought. www.opb.org/article/2025...

Preventing wildfires in Oregon is a tall order, but preventing loss of life and structures may be far more feasible. www.axios.com/local/portla...

Oregon state climatologist @laoneil.bsky.social explains why pyrocumulus clouds associated with wildfires, such as those on the Emigrant Fire, are becoming more common lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/latest...

Water availability worldwide is decreasing as climate changes. To enhance water governance, management, and negotiation, Oregon State University offers a graduate certificate in Water Conflict Management and Transformation. Learn more at transboundarywaters.ceoas.oregonstate.edu/educational-...

The Emigrant Fire in the central Oregon Cascades has burned over 6000 acres at this point in an area that has received record or near-record low precipitation since April 1st this year (based on 45 years of data), as shown by nearby SNOTEL stations.

Did you miss yesterday's Pacific Northwest Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar? A recording is available at conta.cc/41RNkkw

New work by Levine et al.: In the northern Sierra Nevada, private industrial forests tend to be denser and more homogenous, and to have more high ladder fuels, than public forests. This leads to a substantially higher probability of high severity wildfire. doi.org/10.1111/gcb....

Learn about current water supply in the Pacific Northwest, what the coming months may bring, and how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approaches some of its operations in the Columbia Basin. Featuring Oregon's state climatologist, @larryoneill.bsky.social myemail.constantcontact.com/Join-us-Augu...

Read about snow monitoring options with greatest potential return on investment in this new publication from our colleague Mark Raleigh.

Great article by Bob Henson on changing use of the term "heat dome," and the dynamics of heat waves. Includes a nice reference to the mechanisms of the June 2021 heat wave across the Pacific Northwest and our review on that event (doi.org/10.1175/BAMS...). yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/08/is-h...

"The images released last week included one of a small June 23 fire outside of Medford, Oregon, that no other space-based systems picked up . . . was spotted by people on the ground, but had the potential to expand if undetected." wapo.st/46BYAol

Oregon Governor Kotek releases statement in response to climate danger rollback apps.oregon.gov/oregon-newsr...