From a jump in ER visits and gun violence to fears for maternal health, the Northwest’s May heat wave shows the dangers of more moderate, early heat waves.
Weather
Posted inArticles
This year’s record-breaking snowpack is pouring into the dried-out Salt Lake
Snowmelt is replenishing depleted ecosystems and flooding communities.
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How social work can help fight the impacts of climate change
Denver’s Lisa Reyes Mason leads a new generation of social workers in helping communities adapt to the climate crisis.
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As the West’s epic snow melts, flood danger rises
How do 2023’s atmospheric rivers compare to past extremes and what can be expected in the future?
Posted inApril 1, 2023: The Path Forward
Lezley Saar’s ‘Diorama Drama’ and me
Sculpture that captures the colors of grief.
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Atmospheric rivers ease Western drought
Record-breaking rain and snow bring salvation — and destruction — to a drought-parched West.
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As extreme weather outpaces response, could crowdsourced data help?
Tijuana’s Citizens’ Flood Monitor offers a model for data collection in the flood-affected West.
Posted inArticles, En español
Cómo usar datos de colaboración colectiva para repensar los desastres naturales
El Monitor Ciudadano de Inundaciones de Tijuana puede servir como modelo para la colección de datos en el oeste estadounidense impactado por las inundaciones.
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‘There is a whole hell of a lot of water up there right now’
A parade of atmospheric rivers dumped historic rain and snow on California and beyond. What happens next?
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How California’s emergency plans fail disabled communities
Kelley Coleman’s 9-year-old son had two days of his medication left. Then the evacuation order hit.
Posted inMarch 1, 2023: Moving Parts
Here’s what it takes to build Alaska’s highways of ice
Frozen rivers are vital transportation routes for communities outside the state’s traditional road system.
Posted inMarch 1, 2023: Moving Parts
California’s power outages are a life-and-death issue
A perspective on the impacts of storms for people with disabilities.
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Why are so few talking about the power grid amid extreme winter storms?
California’s current deluge highlights huge vulnerabilities.
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The power of atmospheric rivers, explained
Back-to-back storms in California threaten lives, homes, and infrastructure — but will also bolster the West’s water supply.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2023: Ripple Effects
La Niña expected to serve up a hat trick
The weather pattern hits the West for a third consecutive winter.
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The West’s hottest county is also its most Latino
Some places in Imperial County, California, experienced 117 days above 100 degrees this year.
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Hotter summer nights affect everything from death rates to crop yields to firefighting
What happens when the Earth can’t cool off overnight?
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The monsoon can’t save us
An unusually rainy Southwest summer is welcome — but much more is needed to end the water crisis.
Posted inArticles
Scientists unravel the origins of the Southwest’s monsoon
But just as their understanding of the phenomena becomes mores clear, it’s starting to disappear.
Posted inSeptember 1, 2022: Going Under
Flooding could breathe life into Yellowstone ecosystem
Although destructive for people, high-water events are a natural part of river systems.