Winter of Weather (2014-2015)
Monday, February 23, 2015
Monthly Archive
El Niño Tracker - Southwest Climate Outlook February 2015
Friday, February 20, 2015
Originally published in the Feb 2015 CLIMAS Southwest Climate Outlook
A definitive 2014–2015 El Niño forecast remains elusive. Weak El Niño conditions have continued in 2015, but recent backsliding in SST anomalies (Fig. 1), especially in the Niño 1-2 regions (Fig. 2), along with the ongoing lack of coordination between atmospheric and oceanic conditions, give little confidence that the 2014–2015 event will be characterized as anything more than a weak El Niño. (read more)
Image Source - NOAA-National Climatic Data Center
Notes from an Applied Climatologist: East/West Cold/Hot Dichotomy Q&A
Friday, February 20, 2015
Originally published in Feb 2015 CLIMAS Southwest Climate Outlook:
Why has it been so cold on the East Coast, and so warm in the Southwest? Where does this fit into climatic patterns? And is this extraordinary or just variability? (read more)
Image Source - NOAA-Earth Systems Resarch Laboratory (ESRL)
Climate Summary - Southwest Climate Outlook February 2015
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Originally published in the Feb 2015 Southwest Climate Outlook
Precipitation: The borderlands region of southern Arizona and portions of southern, central, and northeastern New Mexico all recorded above-average precipitation, but most of Arizona and New Mexico received average or below-average precipitation in the past 30 days despite a number of January storms (Fig. 1).
Temperature: After a record year for Arizona (and a top five year for New Mexico), temperatures remained well above average in the Southwest over the past 30 days (Fig. 2). This means pleasant weather compared to the frigid and snowy conditions in the eastern and central U.S. but has implications for drought, water storage, phenology, and human health.
2015 CLIMAS Climate & Society Graduate Fellows
Thursday, February 12, 2015
The Climate & Society Graduate Fellows Program supports University of Arizona graduate students whose work connects climate research and decision making. Fellows receive $5,000 and guidance from members of the CLIMAS research team (Climate Assessment for the Southwest) for one year. The program’s main objective is to train a group of students to cross the traditional boundaries of academic research into use-inspired science and applied research. While CLIMAS research generally occurs in the Southwest U.S., the Fellows program allows students to work anywhere in the world. (read more)