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...

About 70% of the Pacific Northwest already is in moderate to extreme drought. Learn where and why at www.drought.gov/drought-stat...

The main driver of 2021’s Pacific NW heat wave was an extraordinarily strong, persistent high-pressure ridge, concludes a paper in #BulletinAMS by @occri.bsky.social and @larryoneill.bsky.social. Those most affected were older, low-income, living alone, and/or without a/c. bit.ly/3ZX3GHP

We're excited to have contributed to a new climate-focused episode of Oregon Public Broadcasting's Suberabundant. Thanks to Alejandro Figueroa and Emily Hamilton for accurate, hopeful, and engaging reporting. www.opb.org/show/superab...

Persistent snow drought and rapid spring snowmelt are expected to decrease water availability and increase wildfire risk across the western United States this summer. Read the details and see the data at www.drought.gov/drought-stat...

The global defense sector long has recognized the reality of climate change and its diverse effects on national security. The New York Times reports on another intriguing example. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/12/c... The publication cited in the article is linked here www.ndc.nato.int/news/news.ph...

Registration is open for the Pacific Northwest DEWS June drought and climate outlook webinar. Learn about the current water availability situation, and how it is forecast to evolve during summer. www.drought.gov/events/pacif...

This news is making the rounds. We draw on the resources available at climate.gov and often recommend it to those we serve. Lack of maintenance of the current site would be a tremendous loss.

NIDIS released a special edition drought status update for Pacific Northwest tribal nations. Warm and dry conditions are likely to enable wildfires and reduce water availability this summer. www.drought.gov/drought-stat...

Some of us are fascinated by hail size descriptions. NWS Boise descriptions: www.weather.gov/boi/hailsize. But The Washington Post also reports that NWS says 2.75" = baseball, 3" = teacup, 3.5" = large apple, 4.75" = DVD, and 6" = cantaloupe.

Update on the speed of snowmelt throughout the western United States, and potential consequences for water availability and wildfire risk. www.drought.gov/drought-stat...

New in BAMS: we synthesize 70+ articles on the June 2021 heat wave across the Pacific Northwest. We cover records broken, physical mechanisms, contribution of climate change, public health and ecological effects, and policy responses. Read the early online release at doi.org/10.1175/BAMS...

We are grateful to work with NWS. And hope we're able to work with more people at NWS soon. wapo.st/3S2tGNB

Winter was fairly wet across most of Oregon, but the snow is melting quickly. Conditions are drier to our north. Review snow drought trends and causes across Oregon and the western United States in the latest snow drought update from NIDIS, a program within NOAA: www.drought.gov/drought-stat...

Data on snowpack collected by the US Department of Agriculture and NOAA inform decisions throughout the Northwest. Learn how these data are used to mitigate flood risk, provide water for agriculture and fisheries, and more. www.drought.gov/news/snowpac...

Did you miss the latest updates on current and forecasted climate conditions across the Pacific NW? Interested in livestock and rangeland drought research and resources, or dry farming? A recording of the 28 April PNW DEWS webinar is available at youtu.be/-KPwIMLd86Y?...

Some members of our team are laughing.

Comprehensive social and ecological consequences of the loss of Arctic sea ice. wapo.st/4lQ6CPI

Researchers who receive competitive grants from the federal government are required to make all data from those awards publicly available. This is an extreme example of the fact that federal agencies are not always required to ensure public access to data collected with support from US taxpayers.

KTVZ talks with OCCRI's director about the diverse causes of wildfires and changes in wildfire behavior in Oregon, from climate change to population growth. ktvz.com/news/2025/04...

Statement of the American Meteorological Society in Partnership with the National Weather Association. Warns that "the scientific backbone and workforce needed to keep weather forecasts, alerts, and warnings accurate and effective will be drastically undercut." www.ametsoc.org/ams/about-am...

Climate is the statistics of weather. And weather doesn't discriminate on the basis of politics.

These losses will affect consistent access to information vital to public safety. wapo.st/44sg8lC

Welcome back to the Evening Grosbeaks that have returned for their spring visit to the Oregon State University campus. Public domain photograph from US Fish and Wildlife Service National Digital Library.

If you have thoughts on this news, please consider contacting your elected federal representatives to share your thoughts. www.cnn.com/2025/04/11/c...

Thanks to @opb.org for their clear reporting on this topic.

Requests to review proposals submitted to federal sponsors of science have never brought such joy.

BREAKING: In a reversal, all NOAA Research sites will now remain online with "no interruption in service," according to the agency. NOAA had previously moved to cancel the research division's cloud services contract. Story for @bloomberg.com (free link): www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Our partners at NOAA provide reliable, credible information to everyone from subject-matter experts to those with little technical background. Loss of this information likely will reduce public safety and access to knowledge that has been acquired with public funds.

Scoop from me and Jake: FEMA is ending BRIC. grist.org/politics/fem...

How is the snowpack in Oregon? How is it in our neighboring states and regions? Find out in the latest NIDIS snow drought update. nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

The 2024 Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Assessment is now available. Learn about variation in temperature, precipitation, and snowpack; and their effects on agriculture and other sectors; across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho during the past water year. www.drought.gov/documents/20...