News & Features

A pool of warm water lurking beneath the surface of the western Pacific has been slowly sloshing eastward in the past few months. This traveling wave of warm water is one of the signs that climate conditions are favorable for the emergence of El Niño later this year.

The Arkansas Valley is enduring the driest continuous period in Colorado's history of recorded data, recalling conditions the state's southeastern plains experienced during the Dust Bowl.

Atmospheric rivers are the source of 30-50 percent of precipitation along the U.S. West Coast, and they are a major driver of the region's most serious floods. But the events are also called “drought busters” because, as these maps from 2010 show, just one or two storms can help replenish the water system during dry spells.

A lack of snow covering the harsh terrain of the Iditarod this March made the 2014 race especially challenging, and many mushers pulled out of the race due to injuries and broken sleds.

In partnership with the Hopi Department of Natural Resources, Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS) - a RISA program - has helped generate the first ever Hopi Quarterly Drought Status ... ...

(VIDEO) Visualizing data makes it easier to understand exactly how an extreme weather event affected people’s lives, livelihoods, and property and how those things could be affected in the future. Knowing how to access and analyze the wide variety of datasets needed to study those events can be a challenge, however. NOAA's Weather and Climate Toolkit makes the job easier.   

The International Academy of the Digital Arts & Sciences has chosen us as one of five nominees for the annual Webby Awards for online excellence. Please consider voting us for the People's Voice Award! Vote for us in the Government category, and vote for the "Teaching Climate" section in the Green category.

A few storms found their way to the drought-stricken California coast late this winter, but they barely made a dent in the state's huge water deficits. As the North Pacific winter storm season recedes, there is little likelihood for substantial drought recovery.

It’s finally here! Yesterday, scientists from the National Snow and Ice Data Center announced the ultimate sign of spring: Arctic sea ice reached its winter peak on March 21, 2014, and the annual melt season is underway.

Federal law may protect the river habitat in the name of endangered fish, but on land, grapevines are king. This article is the first in a two-part series about how scientists are helping find compromise amid local tensions over water supplies.