Climate: U.S. was record warm in June 2016

Deadly heatwaves and flooding part of emerging pattern of extremes Staff Report Blistering, record heat in the Southwest helped propel the lower 48 states to a new high-temperature record in June, with an average reading of 71.8 degrees Fahrenheit for the month. That included a new monthly temperature record set in Death Valley National Park,

Emerging La Niña likely to end streak of record-warm years

Pacific Ocean ENSO cycle a key player in global climate By Bob Berwyn The shift from a powerful El Niño to the cooler La Niña phase of Pacific Ocean temperatures will temporarily end the planet’s recent record streak of record-warm years, according to climate scientists who see the cyclical ocean changes as a key factor

Climate: U.S. cools off a bit in May

Year-to-date the fourth-warmest on record Staff Report After a string of record and near-record warm months, the contiguous U.S. cooled off a bit in May. More than 10 states, mostly in the midsection of the country, reported a monthly temperature lower than the 20th century average, according to the latest state of the climate report

NASA looks at ‘snow-killing’ atmospheric river storms

Study findings aid forecasters, water managers Staff Report The famed Pineapple Express touted by skiers in the Western U.S. may not be all it’s cracked up to be. Instead of bringing fresh powder, the the atmospheric river storms, as they’re technically known, more often bring snow-destroying rain to many areas. A new study by NASA

April storms boost Colorado snowpack

Much of West reports record-fast meltdown under El Niño heat Staff Report April storms helped boost Colorado’s statewide snowpack to above average, but two river basins in the southern part of the state continue to report below normal readings. The state’s mountain areas benefited the most from a series of wet, El Niño-fueled storms, bringing

Climate: No let up in global warming heat wave across U.S.

Temperature records shattered in Alaska for April and year-to-date Staff Report After a few blistering months, the average temperature across the U.S. cooled down slightly in April in many parts of the country, with the month ending up as the 18th-warmest April on record. But the slight downward tick wasn’t enough to make a big

Climate: All U.S. states saw above average temps in March

Alaska is record-warm for year-to-date Staff Report The average March temperatures across the lower 48 states was 6 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century norm — which is a huge anomaly — but in the modern global warming era, only enough to make it the fourth-warmest March on record. According to NOAA’s monthly climate update,

Will the Zika virus spread into the United States?

South Texas, Florida seen as vulnerable Staff Report Combing climate data with travel patterns, researchers with the Center for Disease Control and the National Center for Atmospheric Research say Zika virus outbreaks could occur as soon as this summer in parts of south Texas and Florida. The study shows that the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which

Climate: Warmest winter on record for U.S.

February snow cover below average across North America Staff Report Federal climate trackers say the past meteorological winter (Dec.-Feb) was the warmest on record for the contiguous 48 states, with Alaska recording its second-warmest winter, according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. For the season, the average temperature across the lower 48 states was

Climate: U.S. West very dry in February

Where’s El Niño? Staff Report El Niño didn’t exactly go gangbusters in southwest Colorado last month, where the key river basins received only about 35 percent of average February precipitation. Statewide mountain precipitation was only slightly better, at 56 percent of normal. “February in the mountains of Colorado is typically a slightly drier month than