Disaster recovery is a long game and the boats and driftwood that pepper Western Alaska’s tundra are the perfect reminder.
Weather
Posted inArticles
Hiking in the heat
A conversation with the head of the preventive search and rescue program in Joshua Tree National Park.
Posted inArticles
When a landslide blocks your commute
The Teton Pass collapse highlights the importance — and growing vulnerability — of mountain roads.
Posted inJune 2024: The Idea of Wilderness
California’s homelessness and climate crises leave unhoused communities vulnerable to floods
Seeking shelter, people are living in flood control channels and other flood-prone places.
Posted inArticles
Can ice climbing bring life to an isolated Colorado town in the dead of winter?
Lake City’s ice-climbing park is transforming the local economy.
Posted inArticles
More than a year later, a record storm still thwarts subsistence food harvests in Alaska
Destroyed boats, gear, berries and more left some Alaskans reliant on expensive store-bought food and neighbors.
Posted inArticles
A hot spot for avalanche deaths in Idaho reveals forecasting gaps
Without reliable information, snowmobilers are riding eastern Idaho’s enticing terrain — and dying.
Posted inArticles
Disaster disparities in the West
The risk of climate catastrophe is complex, but people of color often face ‘unnatural hazards.’
Posted inArticles
What this winter’s snowfall says about the future of skiing
A snow-obsessed meteorologist dishes on this year’s precipitation — and what it means for winters to come.
Posted inArticles
The West sizzles — even at midnight
Climate change and the urban heat islands take their toll from Phoenix to Portland.
Posted inOctober 2, 2023: The Dark Side of the Sheepherding Industry
The case of the Colorado River’s missing water
Researchers are trying to unravel the mystery of snow that falls but never shows up in the river.
Posted inArticles
It’s summer. But in the Northwest, spring never showed
As spring gets weirder, warmer and less stable, water supplies, ecosystems and agriculture are getting out of whack.
Posted inArticles
Yes, 90 degrees can be dangerous
From a jump in ER visits and gun violence to fears for maternal health, the Northwest’s May heat wave shows the dangers of more moderate, early heat waves.
Posted inArticles
This year’s record-breaking snowpack is pouring into the dried-out Salt Lake
Snowmelt is replenishing depleted ecosystems and flooding communities.
Posted inArticles
How social work can help fight the impacts of climate change
Denver’s Lisa Reyes Mason leads a new generation of social workers in helping communities adapt to the climate crisis.
Posted inArticles
As the West’s epic snow melts, flood danger rises
How do 2023’s atmospheric rivers compare to past extremes and what can be expected in the future?
Posted inApril 1, 2023: The Path Forward
Lezley Saar’s ‘Diorama Drama’ and me
Sculpture that captures the colors of grief.
Posted inArticles
Atmospheric rivers ease Western drought
Record-breaking rain and snow bring salvation — and destruction — to a drought-parched West.
Posted inArticles
As extreme weather outpaces response, could crowdsourced data help?
Tijuana’s Citizens’ Flood Monitor offers a model for data collection in the flood-affected West.
Posted inArticles, En español
Cómo usar datos de colaboración colectiva para repensar los desastres naturales
El Monitor Ciudadano de Inundaciones de Tijuana puede servir como modelo para la colección de datos en el oeste estadounidense impactado por las inundaciones.