A parade of atmospheric rivers dumped historic rain and snow on California and beyond. What happens next?
Weather
Posted inArticles
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.
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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.
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Alaska’s fire season is off to a blazing start
Drought, heat and thunderstorms have started fires across the state.
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In the wake of fires and floods
Climate disasters across the West wreak havoc on economies and livelihoods.
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Yellowstone area flooding upends lives and portends a new climate reality
Unprecedented rain and snowmelt destroyed roads and washed away bridges outside the national park.
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A heat wave is about to hit the Southwest
Consider sharing your experience with us.
Posted inJune 1, 2022: A Legacy of Weapons and War
When the heat is unbearable but there’s nowhere to go
How last year’s record-breaking heat wave caused misery and chaos for Washington’s incarcerated population — and why it’s set to happen all over again.
Posted inJune 1, 2022: A Legacy of Weapons and War
poem after a poem by césar vallejo w/ a nod to donald justice
A poem by Jay Hopler.
Posted inApril 1, 2022: The Archives Issue
How the Earth stores records of the past
When human data doesn’t go back far enough, researchers turn to natural archives.
Posted inMarch 1, 2022: The Cloning Conundrum
The place that coal built and fire burned
Extractive industry laid the infrastructure for the suburban sprawl that fueled Colorado’s destructive Marshall Fire.