Water Year Update: March 2021

Hydrologist Bart Nijssen and climatologist John Abatzoglou report on the 2021 water year, and use the Climate Toolbox to tell the story Bart Nijssen and John Abatzoglou Daylight hours are increasing rapidly and the end of winter is in sight. So it is an ideal time to do a quick recap of the water year…

Climate Enabling Conditions and Drivers of the Western Oregon Wildfires of 2020

Climatologists John Abatzoglou, David Rupp, and Larry O’Neill break down the forces that enabled Oregon’s historic fires in September 2020 John Abatzoglou, David Rupp, and Larry O’Neill Over half an inch of rain fell over Salem, Oregon, and much of western Oregon, on September 18. In most years this ordinary rainfall event would not have…

This Summer—A Welcome Reprieve

This summer the Northwest got a break from the hot and smoky conditions of recent summers past. Learn more in this installment of Northwest Climate Currents.