Wasatch Weather Weenies

Source: Francisco Kjolseth, Salt Lake Tribune Two remarkable and juxtaposing stories about Utah air quality appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune this week.  In the first ( Utah Governor Declares Clean Air Month ), Judy Fays reports that Governor Gary Herbert has declared May as Clean Air Month.  His ideas for improving air quality?  Updating gas cans made before 2009 that are prone to leaking volatile organic compounds (VOCs), using low-VOC or no-VOC paints, and replacing old yard equipment. The governor noted that "simple steps can add up." Yeah, they add up, but not to much.  These steps will a put minimal dent into Salt Lake's air quality problems. An article appearing the next day ( More Pollution Cuts Needed for Utah to Meet Clean-Air Standards ) illustrates just how big of a gorilla that we are dealing with.  Quoting the article (also by Judy Fays), "Updated number-crunching shows that the clean-air fixes regulators already have proposed won’t do as...

The complete Southwest Climate Change Assessment Report was released earlier this week.  At  http://swcarr.arizona.edu/key-findings you'll find a full color PDF of the entire report and links to specific chapters and fact sheets.  With 20 chapters, it is the most comprehensive assessment of climate change for our region to date.  Here are what I see as some of the key findings, with emphasis on climate, weather, and water changes of interest to readers of the Wasatch Weather Weenies. Present Weather and Climate: Evolving Conditions (Chapter 5, Hoerling et al. 2013) The decade 2001–2010 was the warmest and fourth driest in the Southwest of all decades from 1901 to 2010 (high confidence) Average annual temperature increased 1.6ºF (+/- 0.5ºF) over the Southwest during 1901–2010, while annual precipitation experienced little change (high confidence) Fewer cold waves and more heat waves occurred over the Southwest during 2001–2010 compared to their average occu...

Our May Day tulips are already starting to drop their petals Whoever said April showers bring May flowers didn't live in Salt Lake.  The tulips and daffodils come in April, and the showers (sometimes snow) linger into May. On this May Day we had an interesting snowband develop over the southern Great Salt Lake and then push southward through the Salt Lake Valley.  In contrast to lake-effect bands, which typically maintain some "connection" to the lake, this one appears to be migrating through the area.   Given the migration, it appears that this band may have been associated with a transient disturbance in the flow.  Perhaps local heat and moisture fluxes over the lake gave it a bit more juice to play with.  In any event, the snowband provided a thin coat of snow in some areas, such as the mouths of the Cottonwoods. Speaking of snow, the snowdepth at Alta-Collins just dropped below 100 inches.  It was a gallant effort to hang on for s...

I have finally returned from beyond the Internet and my "adventures" on the Tug Hill Plateau and along Lake Ontario.  I had a great trip, with the highlight having the opportunity to meet and speak with so many great people.  We're going to have a lot of fun during the field program next winter. If you haven't visited the Great Lakes, do it.  Where else can you find a gorgeous beach like the one below (Southwick State Park) with freshwater?  Yeah, the water this time of year is cold, but absolutely beautiful. Here's a shot from Sandy Island Beach, with an especially humorous mix of summer and lingering winter sign postings.  Those of you venturing out on the pack ice should be well aware that swimming is not allowed and that there is no lifeguard on duty! OK, back to business.  As discussed in the previous post, the Tug Hill Plateau is one of the snowiest areas in the eastern United States.  It lies directly east of Lake Ontario.  Topo...

"Most climbers aren't in fact deranged, they're just infected with a particularly virulent strain of the Human Condition" –John Krakauer, Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains "Ditto for meteorologists" –Wasatch Weather Weenies I embark tomorrow for a mythical place in the eyes of meteorologists, the Tug Hill Plateau of upstate New York.  Unlike the Eiger, subject of John Krakauer's book ,  there is really nothing topographically imposing about the Tug Hill Plateau.  It rises very gradually to a maximum elevation of about 2000 feet, roughly 1750 feet above the level of Lake Ontario.  It is also covered by dense eastern forests, offering few views.  There are no steep slopes, except for a an escarpment on the east side that rises a few hundred vertical feet and is home to the Tug Hill Plateau's only Alpine ski area, Snow Ridge .   What makes the Tug Hill Plateau so special to meteorologists is snow.  Despite it's mode...

After a very long road, Assessment of Climate Change in the Southwest United States , developed as part of the 2013 National Climate Assessment, will finally be released on May 2nd.  The book contains 20 chapters authored by more than 50 scientists from wide-ranging disciplines.  Along with several other atmospheric and cryospheric scientists, including some from the University of Utah and Utah State University, I helped prepare Chapter 4, which serves as a foundational chapter and describes the current weather and climate of the Southwest. Copies of the book may be ordered from Island Press at http://www.islandpress.org/nca .  Full color PDF and an archive of all the figures used in the book will be available at http://www.swcarr.arizona.edu on May 2nd.  You can get a sneak peak of the Summary for Decision Makers at  http://www.swcsc.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/SWCA_Decision_Makers.pdf .

Amongst the remarkable scientific breakthroughs of the 21st century is the detection of planets beyond our solar system.  Pluto may have been relegated to dwarf-planet status, but the list of exoplanets (i.e., planets outside our solar system) discovered by clever astronomers using the capabilities of the Kepler spacecraft is growing rapidly.   Earth-like planets that could support life as we know it are harder to find, but NASA recently announced the discovery of two so-called habitable zone planets in the Kepler-62 system, Kepler-62-e and Kepler-62-f, as well as a third orbiting Kepler-69.   Source: NASA AMES/JPL-Cal Tech Perhaps could start getting ready now for a Battlestar Gallactica like exodus to one of these planets (preferably without the cylons).  They are only a short 1,200 light year journey.  It's tough to say at that sort of distance whether or not one of these planets is teeming with life and a breathable atmosphere.  It took a w...