Nevada State Climate Office
Recent News About Nevada State Climate Office
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Nevada appoints new state climatologist focused on high mountain climate research
In July, the Nevada State Climate Office at the University of Nevada, Reno, appointed Baker Perry as the new state climatologist.
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Reno-Sparks joins national effort to map urban heat islands
Several local governments and community groups in the Reno-Sparks area are collaborating to map urban heat islands, with leadership from University professor Tom Albright. This initiative is part of a broader effort by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development. CAPA Strategies provides technical support.
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Nevada climate report highlights warm December; future outlook remains uncertain
Klaire Rhodes, a graduate student at the Nevada State Climate Office, and Thomas Albright, an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Interim Nevada State Climatologist, have released their quarterly climate report for Nevada. Their analysis indicates that December 2023 was notably warm, ranking as the sixth warmest December on record.
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Nevada sees improvement in drought conditions but challenges persist
Nevada's current drought conditions have shown improvement following a wet winter, but challenges persist in some areas. According to Nevada State Climatologist Steph McAfee and undergraduate student Benjamin Khoh, who prepared an update through the Living with Drought program, much of the state is now drought-free. However, abnormally dry conditions remain from northwestern Nevada through Nye, Lincoln, and Clark counties.
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Nevada's ongoing drought prompts calls for improved conservation strategies
Nevada, recognized as the driest state in the United States, is once again facing drought conditions. "We're pretty good at handling drought in Nevada. We have a lot of practice," said Steph McAfee, an associate professor in the Department of Geography and the Nevada State Climatologist. "But we're probably going to be moving into a future where we need to get even better at dealing with it, where droughts are going to be more common and more severe."
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Nevada awarded $20M NSF grant for collaborative wildfire research
The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) has secured a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support a fire-science project over five years. The research will involve the Desert Research Institute, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the University of Nevada, Reno. The initiative, titled "Harnessing the Data Revolution for Fire Science," is funded through the NSF's Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). This program aims to boost research competitiveness in targeted states by enhancing STEM capabilities.
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Global Climate Change Summit discusses impact on Nevada
The 2019 Global Climate Change Summit is set to take place on Monday, September 23, at the Joe Crowley Student Union, University of Nevada, Reno. The event will run from 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., featuring discussions on climate change impacts in Nevada and responses from businesses and organizations regarding mitigation and adaptation strategies.
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University collaborates with Sugar Bowl Resort on high-altitude climate monitoring
Winds that tear weather gauges from their mountings and blizzards that bury chairlifts characterize the extreme weather at Donner Summit. This area attracts the attention of climatologists, meteorologists, hydrologists, and water supply managers while also being a prime skiing destination.
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University experts explain El Niño and La Niña impacts on Nevada
As winter nears, questions arise about Nevada's potential for another wet season, with terms like "El Niño" and "La Niña" coming into focus. To clarify these phenomena and their effects on Nevada's weather, Kerri Jean Ormerod and Stephanie McAfee from the University of Nevada, Reno have released a fact sheet titled "Nevada's Weather and Climate."