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...

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...