New from the Virginia Climate Voices Blog 🦟 Could the winter's biting cold lead to more biting insects? Experts Dr. Amira Roess, Dr. Benjamin Cash, and Dr. Holly Gaff discuss how the past winter's cold spell could mean more tick and mosquito activity this summer.

#HeatSafetyWeek Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Know the early warning signs to keep yourself and those around you safe this summer. ⬇️

#HeatSafetyWeek Do you know where to go if you need to cool down on hot days? 🌬️ Air-conditioning availability is vital to staying safe from heat-related illnesses. Many localities across Virginia open cooling centers during heatwaves to provide a cool resting place for all who need it.

It's #HeatSafetyWeek, Virginia! The current heatwave is a sneak peek into what summer has in store, so now is the time for a heat safety refresher. During a heatwave: 👇

Did you know? 🥵 Heat risk is on the rise in Virginia, leading to significant health impacts & healthcare costs. Extreme heat is often accompanied by high humidity, making it hard for humans to expel heat through sweating & increasing the chances of hospitalization & mortality. ⬇️

When it rains, it pours ⛈️ The Virginia Climate Assessment found that heavy precipitation events are becoming more frequent and intense, especially in VA's urban & coastal areas. Norfolk among them, as visualized by @climatecentral.org, experienced a 27% rise in rainfall intensity since 1970.

New from the Virginia Climate Voices Blog: Are Virginia's winters getting warmer, colder, or weirder? ❄️ The fierce 2025-2026 winter may have many thinking colder, but the data paints a more complex picture. Read the latest blog post by VCC expert @lortizuriarte.bsky.social:

Did you know?🤔⚡ Extreme weather is leading to more frequent power outages in Virginia. As severe weather intensifies, VA’s aging electric grid is increasingly vulnerable to failures that have cascading effects on our most vital infrastructure. Learn more: www.vaclimate.gmu.edu/virginia-cli...

The Virginia Climate Center is building the infrastructure to provide climate services to the entire Commonwealth. From flood mapping along the bay and measuring urban heat to creating the Virginia Climate Assessment, our mission is to assist communities with the best data and science available.

Since its creation in 2022, the VCC has been helping communities across Virginia meet their climate challenges. 🌱 Our students, faculty, & staff deliver climate data & resilience insights: from the First Virginia Climate Assessment to codeveloping solutions for dangerous flooding & extreme heat.

Virginia’s Highland County saw one of the worst syrup seasons in recent memory. A January ice storm and unseasonable March warmth disrupted conditions needed for sap collection. The consequences could be existential for producers. https://wapo.st/3NgNZrS

Did you know? 🤔✒️ Authors of the Virginia Climate Assessment used weather and climate data recorded by Thomas Jefferson to complete their assessment. His records, including measurements of things like temperature and wind, helped researchers to compare current & past climate conditions.

New from the Virginia Climate Voices Blog: Drought is becoming an increasing concern in Virginia - but it doesn't just impact agriculture. Water resources expert Dr. Corinne Bowers explores how drought can have underlying consequences for Virginia's economy🚱🪙 www.vaclimate.gmu.edu/blog/drought...

Hazzah, Virginia. @cleanvirginia.org @vacleancities.bsky.social @virginiaclinicians.bsky.social @virginiaclimate.bsky.social @mason4c.bsky.social @chesapeakeclimate.bsky.social @chesapeakebayfdn.bsky.social

Join VCC Director Jim Kinter & College of Science Dean Cody Edwards for a discussion on Virginia's Inaugural Climate Assessment as part of the Mason Science Series. When: Tues, March 24th 3:30-6pm Where: Country Club of Fairfax Register to attend: science.gmu.edu/UpcomingMSS See you there! 👀

Did you know? 🤔🚱 Drought is the second most expensive disaster in Virginia, and it is becoming an increasing concern for much of the Commonwealth. Warming temperatures & inconsistent rainfall are leading to more frequent, short-term droughts, particularly in Western & Northern VA.

Extreme heat can mean extreme problems for agriculture in Virginia. 🐮 Check out this interview with Dr. MB Mitcham on how heat impacts our crops, livestock, and farmers: www.wvtf.org/2026-02-27/e...

New from the Virginia Climate Voices Blog: Public health expert Dr. MB Mitcham discusses climate impacts on agriculture, crop yields, supply chains, food access, & human labor 🧺 🌾 Read about the climate signal found in our food systems: www.vaclimate.gmu.edu/blog/climate-signal-food-systems

Did you know?🤔 Coastal Virginia is experiencing sea level rise at a faster rate than average 🌊 Some parts of the coast even experience rates 2x that of the global average due to land sinkage Learn more about sea level rise from the VA Climate Assessment: www.vaclimate.gmu.edu/virginia-cli...

Calling all climate & earth systems grad students at George Mason University and beyond! Submit your abstract to the 2026 Earth System Observations & Modeling Graduate Symposium to share your research with the community, network with professionals, and explore career pathways.

Join VCC Director Dr. Jim Kinter and Act for Climate Today! to discuss key findings of the First Virginia Climate Assessment and implications for the Northern Virginia region. us02web.zoom.us/j/8379221329...

New research out of the VCC 💡 What are the health implications of Virginia's growing data center industry? Our experts examined Virginia's Data Center Alley, the world's largest concentrated data center hub, and its associated health risks. Read more: www.frontiersin.org/journals/cli...

Many of the costs of climate change are hard to notice. New research revealed one of those costs that many people will care deeply about: Climate change has already made the United States poorer. @mason4c.bsky.social @docsforclimate.bsky.social @virginiaclimate.bsky.social

Do data centers harm people's health? Given the proliferation of data centers across VA, the US & world, it's an important yet unanswered question. In this paper, @ngour.bsky.social, @lortizuriarte.bsky.social & I examine the possibilities. @docsforclimate.bsky.social @georgemasonu.bsky.social

It's going to be a frigid (and potentially snowy) weekend, Virginia! 🥶 Here's some tips on how to prepare for the winter weather:

2025 was Earth's 3rd warmest year on record, and the US's 4th warmest year 🥵 How does Virginia compare? 2025 was not as warm as 2024 (Virginia's warmest year to date) but it was still warmer than average, 1.7°F warmer to be exact. This makes 2025 Virginia's 20th warmest year on record.

Unlock insights on Virginia's climate challenges 💡 Have you read the Virginia Climate Assessment yet? Now's the time! Start 2026 ready to take on climate resilience in your community with insights into Virginia's top climate challenges. Read the VCA: www.vaclimate.gmu.edu/virginia-cli...

Worth repeating: “More disasters are coming, and states will bear more of the burden. But by preparing and adapting our homes and communities year-round for the storms to come, every state can build a more resilient future.” @virginiaclimate.bsky.social @docsforclimate.bsky.social

Which communities of practice engage most with climate change in Virginia? Which are best suited to be effective climate communicators? 💭 Read the new study by @mason4c.bsky.social: rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Our most recently published study strongly suggests that fire chiefs and emergency managers are trusted community members who, with a bit of support, can be activated as locally-relevant climate communicators. @mason4c.bsky.social @virginiaclimate.bsky.social @virginiaclinicians.bsky.social

If you're at AGU this week, stop by and say hi to the VCC team! 👋 Poster Session - Heat exposure of transit users in the three largest metro systems in the US Tuesday 12/16, 8:30am-12:00pm More info: agu.confex.com/agu/agu25/me... More 👇

The data center capital of the world is literally George Mason's backyard! We have an opportunity to not only take stock of the benefits this critical infrastructure provide us but how its negative impacts overlap with a changing climate.

Virginia is a major internet hub, supported by data centers across the state. 🖥️️ However, shifting drought conditions could threaten water availability and reduce economic output. VCA author @lortizuriarte.bsky.social and meteorologist Nick Gilmore discuss the impacts: www.wvtf.org/2025-12-02/t...

Authors of the Virginia Climate Assessment (VCA) used a 50-year record of weather data collected by Thomas Jefferson to compare modern climate conditions with those of the past. 📜 Learn more from this 29News interview with VCA author @lortizuriarte.bsky.social. www.29news.com/2025/11/26/j...

How will rising sea levels impact coastal Virginia? 🌊 @drjesswhitehead.bsky.social of the Institute for Coastal Adaptation & Resilience elaborates on findings from the First Virginia Climate Assessment in this interview with WAVY News in Norfolk. www.wavy.com/news/local-n...

Thank you @maibached.bsky.social! This is the result of a massive effort by @virginiaclimate.bsky.social and an extended network of experts from around the Commonwealth and beyond. We are incredibly excited to share the first of many such assessments for Virginia.

Hazzah! Today, my colleagues at @virginiaclimate.bsky.social released the first-ever Virginia Climate Assessment, a "comprehensive, science-based evaluation of how past, current, and anticipated climate conditions have and will impact Virginia and its people." Please join me in thanking them. 1/2

The First Virginia Climate Assessment (VCA) is here! 🌱 After months of hard work, collaboration, and anticipation, the Virginia Climate Center is thrilled to announce the release of the first ever Virginia Climate Assessment (VCA). Read the VCA here: www.vaclimate.gmu.edu/virginia-cli...

Another sneak peek into the Virginia Climate Assessment 👀 Coming soon!

Sneak peek into the Virginia Climate Assessment 👀 The VCA will be covering a range of relevant, Virginia-specific topics: Changing climate conditions 🌦️ Virginia's temperature and precipitation patterns as well as sea levels have shifted, and changes are expected to continue into the future. ⬇️

As one of the lead authors of this assessment, I am so excited to share with others in just a few weeks!

Coming soon: The First Virginia Climate Assessment (VCA) 🌱 We’ve collaborated with experts across the Commonwealth to put together the first ever comprehensive review of Virginia’s changing climate and its impacts on our communities, economy, and infrastructure. FAQs 👇

Big announcement coming this week...🤫 Stay tuned!

Last day to register is tomorrow!

Don't miss out on your opportunity to broaden your understanding of policies & public affairs with our new Resilience, Public Engagement, and Community Problem Solving short course! Learn more and enroll below 👇

If tornadoes and increasingly dangerous winds are a threat to your community in Virginia, I encourage you to attend this upcoming summit. @olddominionu.bsky.social @virginiaclimate.bsky.social @the-vcca.bsky.social @cleanvirginia.org @mason4c.bsky.social

Calling Virginia/DC STEM students: Check out this amazing opportunity with The Alliance for a Sustainable Future at George Washington University to spend a summer in Sweden studying the challenges and opportunities of the green energy transition 🌱 Learn more or apply: rb.gy/tr7dei

New from the Virginia Climate Voices Blog: Could cities be linked to pesky summer afternoon downpours? 🏙️🌧️ Grad student Aasma Acharya discusses her thesis findings that uncovered a potential link between urban heat & heavy rain in a Richmond case study. www.vaclimate.gmu.edu/blog/cities-...

Ready to tackle today’s challenges head-on? This new interactive short course is designed to equip changemakers w/ tools to build community strength through resilience, collaboration, & real solutions. 🎯Perfect for community leaders, educators, & public service professionals.

At least 70% of US households are uninsured or underinsured against floods, yet climate change is rapidly increasing the number and severity of flooding in the US. This doesn’t end well for most people—unless we do something about it now. @lortizuriarte.bsky.social @virginiaclimate.bsky.social