In the January Southwest Climate Podcast, CLIMAS climate scientists Zack Guido and Mike Crimmins discuss the scant precipitation in recent months across the West and the role of the "ridiculously resilient ridge" – a persistent area of high pressure parked off the West Coast – in steering storms away from the region. (more)

CLIMAS Colloquium Series - Speaker: Jonathan Overpeck: Increased drought risk is (and will be) arguably one of the most certain and troubling aspects of anthropogenic climate change for many parts of the world. At the same time, it is emerging in the scientific literature that state-of-the-art climate and Earth system models are not able to simulate the full range of drought, whether decade-scale droughts like seen recently in both the SW US, and Australia, or multidecadal “megadroughts” that eclipse droughts of the instrumental era in both duration and severity. Evidence for this assertion will be examined, particularly as it comes from the paleoclimatic record of several continents, in both semi-arid and wetter regions. The implications for decision-making will also be discussed, including the on-going operational use, in the United States, of no-regrets drought planning strategies that incorporate paleoclimatic data. Fortunately, because droughts will still occur for natural reasons as well as anthropogenic, increased drought preparedness is a clear “no-regrets” climate change adaptation strategy. (read more)

There is no La Niña, but last month felt like one in the SW where precip was mostly nil. Jan summary of SW Climate (more)

November CLIMAS Colloquium: A Southwest perspective on climate change and health

Presenter: Heidi Brown, Ph.D., M.P.H,

Title: “A Southwest Perspective on Climate Change and Health” (read more)

Decision makers in southern Arizona face new challenges as climate variability and weather extremes increasingly affect the region. Our municipalities undertake planning activities and public investments that shape our economic prosperity, public health, and environment. Extreme events, warmer temperatures, and changes in precipitation will dramatically impact these efforts.   This half-day summit will explore the risks, potential costs, and proactive solutions necessary to combat and cope with climate change challenges affecting southern Arizona. Participants will learn from other municipal leaders and technical experts. The summit begins a dynamic regional dialogue to leverage ongoing and future efforts in cross-jurisdictional climate-related challenges. (read more)

The Flagstaff City Manager’s office in collaboration with CLIMAS at the University of Arizona and the Decision Center for a Desert City at Arizona State University will lead a workshop with the Police Department and the Streets section of the Public Works Department to develop performance measure for climate adaptation that these departments can use in future budget preparations and strategic planning.  The workshop will build on Flagstaff’s Resiliency and Preparedness Study (RPS) and the policies adopted by the Flagstaff City Council. (read more)

In this podcast episode, CLIMAS climate scientists discuss September's extreme soggy weather and its role in busting drought (or not) in the Southwest and whether climate change's finger print can be seen in the recent storms.

In the August Podcast, J.J. Brost, Science and Operations Officer for the National Weather Service in Tucson and Mike Crimmins join Zack Guido for a retrospective of the monsoon season for the Tucson area.