Fifth National Climate Assessment shows what the Northwest can expect without climate action

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On November 14, the Biden Administration released the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA) detailing how climate change is affecting the United States and how institutions and communities are responding. Crystal Raymond is quoted in this UW Daily article. 

‘Labor of love’ motivates scrappy nordic ski club in North Cascades 

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Salmon Ridge Sno-Park is the main trailhead to access some 14 miles of forest roads maintained by the Nooksack Nordic Ski Club for groomed skiing, plus many more miles of ungroomed backcountry trails. Founded in 1992 by a group of Whatcom County cross-country enthusiasts, the volunteer club has cultivated a small but mighty nordic community in an unforgiving setting that receives snow and rain in seemingly equal measure. A UW Climate Impacts Group report is mentioned. 

In tiny Silvana, flooding is a way of life. This time the river reached a record high

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The Stillaguamish River on Norman Road in Snohomish County set a record and crested at 21.34 feet on Wednesday. Homes and businesses were inundated, water spilled into farm fields, and for several hours Silvana was reachable only by boat. A UW Climate Impacts Group report is mentioned in this Seattle Times article.

WA snowpack starts off strong, but El Niño warming looms

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Much of Washington is accumulating snowpack faster than normal so far this fall, a small victory for a state plagued by drought all summer. The trend isn’t expected to continue, climatologists say. Early snowpack data is limited and winter doesn’t officially begin for yet another month. Karin Bumbaco, Washington deputy state climatologist, and Guillaume Mauger, a research scientist at the UW Climate Impacts Group, are quoted in this article from the Seattle Times.

The climate crisis is pushing Washington’s prisons to the brink

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Many of Washington’s 12 prisons have been pushed to the brink by public health crises and years of neglected maintenance. Climate change could send them over the edge. Meade Krosby, research scientist in the UW Climate Impacts Group, is quoted, and a UW Climate Impacts Group report is mentioned in this article by High County News. 

Report: Climate Change could polarize streamflow patterns

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For Olympic Peninsula rivers, climate change could exacerbate seasonal lows and highs in streamflow. Dr. Crystal Raymond is quoted. 

“It doesn’t take much warming to raise winter temperatures enough for winter precipitation to fall as rain, rather than snow, and runoff in the winter.” – Crystal Raymond