Events

Summer 2021 was a year of extreme weather events in the Intermountain West. Drought conditions that were building since 2019 covered vast areas of the region with extreme and exceptional drought. A very strong North American Monsoon, especially in Utah and western Colorado broke rainfall records and caused flash flooding. Heavy monsoonal rainfall on the burn scars from the 2020 Cameron Peak and Grizzly Gulch Fires in Colorado caused the tragic loss of life and destruction of parts of Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon.

The NOAA Climate Program Office's Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) program invests in research and engagement that expands regional capacity to adapt to climate change in the U.S. RISA's regional teams build sustained relationships between decision makers and researchers that support collaborative and equitable adaptation to climate risks. In Fiscal Year 2021, the RISA program launched 9 new 5-year RISA teams.

Learn about the impacts of climate change on snowpack and streamflow in the western U.S. with WWA researchers Dr. Noah Molotch and Dr. Ben Livneh. Dr. Molotch presents his research mapping snow water equivalent in real time using satellite data, models, and ground stations. His presentation drew on collaborations with water resource stakeholders from across the western U.S. Dr. Livneh examined “snow drought” in the Colorado River Basin over the past century. He evaluated the importance of how snow drought is defined, its historical variability, as well as its role in modulating streamflow.

Part 2 of our two-part webinar in which we share Snowpack Monitoring in the Rocky Mountain West: A User Guide. Guest speakers Gus Goodbody (NRCS) and Patrick Kormos (CBRFC) covered applications of snowpack information, particularly runoff forecasting.

Part 1 of a two-part webinar in which we shared Snowpack Monitoring in the Rocky Mountain West: A User Guide. Guest speakers Karl Wetlaufer (NRCS) and Jeff Deems (CIRES) discussed the details of snowpack observations, both in situ and remotely sensed: Where, how, and what data are collected, how are they organized, and how are they accessed?

Colorado River Hydrology Research Symposium Webinar Series. This three-part series expands on the opportunities identified in the 2020 Colorado River Basin Climate and Hydrology: State of the Science report. The series, hosted by the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) and partners from the Colorado River Climate and Hydrology Work Group,  highlights the latest weather and streamflow data, tools, and research that could potentially be used to improve Colorado River water resources management.

Colorado River Hydrology Research Symposium Webinar Series. This three-part series expands on the opportunities identified in the 2020 Colorado River Basin Climate and Hydrology: State of the Science report. The series, hosted by the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) and partners from the Colorado River Climate and Hydrology Work Group,  highlights the latest weather and streamflow data, tools, and research that could potentially be used to improve Colorado River water resources management.

Colorado River Hydrology Research Symposium Webinar Series. This three-part series expands on the opportunities identified in the 2020 Colorado River Basin Climate and Hydrology: State of the Science report. The series, hosted by the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) and partners from the Colorado River Climate and Hydrology Work Group,  highlights the latest weather and streamflow data, tools, and research that could potentially be used to improve Colorado River water resources management.

This third installment in the Colorado River Basin Climate and Hydrology: State of the Science report webinar series focused on Chapter 2, which covers moisture sources, storm tracks, seasonality of precipitation, the influence of topography and elevation, snowmelt, groundwater, mechanisms of variability, and recent trends. After summarizing the current understanding in these areas, Jeff Lukas and Liz Payton concluded with research challenges and opportunities, followed by Q&A.

Western Water Assessment's Jeff Lukas and Liz Payton, along with Steph McAfee (University of Nevada, Reno), took a closer look at the observations of weather, climate, and hydrology that are fundamental to Colorado River water supply, water demand, and system condition forecasts and projections.