NOAA networks get creative to gather data.
Weather
Posted inMay 1, 2020: Lives on Lockdown
Safe at home in Los Angeles
Even under restrictions, the city shines for all to see.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
Searching for winter in Palm Springs
As the West warms, hunting for snow becomes part of the adventure.
Posted inSeptember 2, 2019: In Bad Faith
Falling bears; border wall delights; lightning strikes
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inMarch 18, 2019: Arizona's Wild Horse Paradox
Tenacious & twelve; junior ranger at 103; imperiled snowplow drivers
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
The science behind Colorado’s historic avalanches
Are such unprecedented slides due to climate change, abnormal weather, or both?
Posted inOctober 15, 2018: Nature Retreat
Can a California town move back from the sea?
Imperial Beach considers the unthinkable: a retreat from nature.
Posted inOctober 15, 2018: Nature Retreat
¿Puede una ciudad de California replegarse para cederle paso al mar?
Imperial Beach considera lo impensable: emprender retirada a causa de la naturaleza.
Posted inArticles
To protect a forest, a town agreed to leave it alone
With wildfires looming, Flagstaff came together to support national forest closures.
Posted inArticles
Extreme heat is killing people who lack shelter
Climate change is worsening the threats that homeless populations face.
Posted inJune 11, 2018: Reclaiming the Klamath
Climate extremes are putting species in sync – and in danger
Shifts in coastal weather systems could make the West’s species less resilient.
Posted inMarch 5, 2018: Drilling Chaco
The class disparity in Montecito’s disaster recovery
Southern California sits at the intersection of wealth, poverty and climate change.
Posted inFebruary 5, 2018: Caught Between Crises
‘Atmospheric rivers’ aid the West — and imperil it
Improved storm forecasts could help reservoir managers store more water while avoiding floods.
Posted inArticles
16 major environmental protections cut in 2017
Climate change initiatives were the most targeted by the Trump administration.
Posted inArticles
2017 in natural disasters
From massive wildfires to melting ice, the calamities that affected the West this year.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
Nothing about future fires is guaranteed
Except that they will come.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
It’s not only trees — wildfires imperil water too
Sediment-choked watersheds and erosion could become more frequent as wildfire activity grows.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
What fire researchers learned from California’s blazes
In California, land managers use fire as a tool.
Posted inDecember 25, 2017: Bear Essentials
By shifting nesting times, early birds adjust to climate change
As the West warms, some songbirds in California are raising their young earlier.
Posted inArticles
After Oroville, officials across the West review dam safety
The California dam’s spillways are ready for rain as safety officials prepare for future catastrophes.