Climate Impacts Group

Register Today for the OR/WA Water Year 2026 Recap & 2027 Outlook Meeting

The 20th annual Oregon-Washington Water Year Meeting: 2026 Recap and 2027 Outlook will be held as two virtual morning meetings. There is no cost to attend but you are required to register. 

The goal of this meeting is to share and gather information regarding climate impacts of the 2026 water year. December flooding, lack of winter snowpack, drought development, and the above average wildfire season will be topics of discussion. This meeting will also offer the opportunity to learn from others about mitigation actions that were taken through group discussion. Forecast experts will provide expectations for 2027, including discussion of what the very strong El Niño in the tropical Pacific means for the region.  

Climate Matters: A Wildfire Note From Dave Upthegrove, Washington DNR (Washington Climate Office)

Dave Upthegrove, Commissioner of Public Lands, reminds us that we are not powerless in the face of wildfire. This month’s Washington State Climate Office Climate Matters takes a look at what the Department of Natural Resources is doing to manage wildfire risk statewide. 

What to expect from a ‘very strong’ El Niño in the Pacific Northwest

To help understand what we should expect, the UW College of Environment sat down with Deputy Washington State Climatologist and UW Climate Impacts Group research scientist Karin Bumbaco, who discussed how El Niño works, what it has to do with climate change and how it might impact the Pacific Northwest this winter. 

July Climate Matters: What to expect from this year’s wildfire season in the Northwest

This month’s Climate Matters takes a look at what the Department of Natural Resources is doing to manage wildfire risk statewide. By Brian J. Harvey, Associate Professor in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at UW 

Pacific Northwest Water Year 2025 Impacts Assessment Released

The sixth annual Pacific Northwest (PNW) Water Year Impacts Assessment provides a detailed evaluation of climate conditions and related impacts across Idaho, Oregon, and Washington during the 2025 water year (October 1, 2024–September 30, 2025). 

Counting Every Drop: CoCoRaHS Observer Stories

Planning for Extreme Heat in Western Washington: Ongoing workshops highlight opportunities for regional collaboration and coordination

Summers in western Washington have historically been quite mild, but extreme heat has become much more common in the past couple of decades. This summer, the Washington State Climate Office (WASCO) participated in three separate extreme heat planning efforts, led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES).

Announcing the PNW Climate Ambassadors: Building Capacity for Public Climate Conversations

In Fall 2024, the Program on Climate Change (PCC), and the Washington State Climate Office (WASCO), set out to create a training program that would help develop the capacity for graduate students to do just that, and to serve as a community resource on climate science and solutions.

Announcing the PNW Climate Ambassadors: Building capacity for public climate conversations

How do scientists develop confidence and experience having conversations with the general public around climate science, global and local impact, and solutions when their areas of expertise are in a disciplinary science such as oceanography or urban planning? In Fall 2024, the Program on Climate Change (PCC), and the Washington State Climate Office (WASCO), set out to create a training program that would help develop the capacity for graduate students to do just that, and to serve as a community resource on climate science and solutions.

WA faces drought emergency for a third year after middling snowpack

By Conrad Swanson – Seattle Times

Washington is once more under a drought emergency, state officials announced Tuesday, marking the third such declaration in as many years and underscoring the damage wrought by year-after-year droughts.