Our graduate student James Larson just published in Environmental Research Letters as first author, titled "Climate variability introduces uncertainty into future emissions pathways." iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...
CSU Department of Atmospheric Science
@csuatmossci.bsky.social
Our top-rated department focuses on graduate education, cutting-edge research, and public service.
Professor and Colorado State Climatologist Russ Schumacher presented at the @climate.colostate.edu's symposium commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Big Thompson Flood held in Estes Park, Colorado.
Happy 150th birthday, Colorado! Here's one of our favorite maps: average annual precipitation with color shading inspired by the state flag. It nicely illustrates the many variations in weather and climate across our beautiful state. 🎂🥳
Graduate student Lexi Sherman presented at the @climate.colostate.edu's symposium commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Big Thompson Flood held in Estes Park, Colorado.
This year, CIRA Research Scientist and @csuatmossci.bsky.social alum Bonne Ford has already visited 18 different field sites as part of work to monitor air quality and protect some of the nation’s most scenic views. www.cira.colostate.edu/science-stor...
Join the @climate.colostate.edu on Friday, July 31 at the Estes Valley Community Center. A suite of invited experts will look back on the history, meteorology, hydrology, and warning systems the day of the 1976 Big Thompson Flood. climate.colostate.edu/blog/index.p...
You're Invited: Remembering the 50th Anniversary of the 1976 Big Thompson Flood - Colorado Climate Blog
Happy July! As we start the new month, our office is busy preparing to commemorate one of Colorado’s most impactful weather events: the 1976 Big Thompson Flood. Nearly 50 years ago, on July 31, 1976, ...
climate.colostate.edu
New blog post: have you ever looked at the US Drought Monitor and wondered how the map gets put together? This post describes the methods that underpin drought monitoring, along with some of the challenges of depicting all types of drought on a single map.
US Drought Monitor 101 - Colorado Climate Blog
Every Thursday morning, a colorful map of the United States updates online. Published by the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the U.S. Drought Monitor (...
climate.colostate.edu
Theresa Barosh is a professional science communicator for CIRA and @csuatmossci.bsky.social. CSU Assistant Professor Anna Hodshire recently interviewed Barosh for her STEMdentity podcast. Catch the rest of what Barosh shared at youtu.be/RjYdPuVLLas?...
Professor Hurrell led a national study on extreme event attribution science, connecting climate change to devastating weather. theconversation.com/how-do-scien...
How do scientists know if climate change made a heat wave, extreme storm or wildfire worse?
A National Academy of Sciences report examined the latest advances in extreme event attribution science. As four of the authors explain, the type of disaster makes a difference.
theconversation.com
A white weather balloon launched from CSU’s Foothills Campus Thursday and rose to heights of 42,000 feet in the troposphere, gathering data needed by the Colorado Department of Transportation to make a variety of decisions about state roadway management. engr.source.colostate.edu/up-up-and-aw...
Up, up and away: Weather balloon research boosts transportation planning - Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering
CSU atmospheric scientists are launching weather balloons that help CDOT better predict storms, flooding and dangerous road conditions, giving crews better information before severe weather strikes.
engr.source.colostate.edu
Research Scientist Muhammad Naufal Razin uses machine learning to identify precipitating cloud types from satellite observations of hurricanes. Working with Professor Michael Bell and NOAA NESDIS Physical Scientist Chris Slocum, Razin published the work. www.cira.colostate.edu/science-stor...
CIRA - Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere » Using weather satellite observations and AI to study hurricanes
cira.colostate.edu
Over the last ten days, monsoonal flow has brought much needed moisture to the Southwestern United States.
"It’s basically a river of smoke pouring into the Midwest right now,” said Emily Fischer, an atmospheric chemist and professor at Colorado State University. "This is a direct connection to climate change. This is the climate change that people breathe." Read more at www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Canada wildfire smoke blankets US Midwest, Northeast with hazardous air
The dangerous conditions in the New York area came just days before the FIFA World Cup final is set to be played in nearby New Jersey on Sunday in front of more than 80,000 fans.
reuters.com
Yesterday, smoke from Canadian wildfires became embedded within a large low system over Quebec, causing hazy skies over parts of eastern North America.
PBS NOVA interviewed our Professor Emily Fischer. youtu.be/A_tVEK8x2k4?...
How Wildfires and Ozone led to Terrible Air Quality in US Cities
YouTube video by NOVA PBS Official
youtu.be
Incoming graduate student Daeseok Han is currently working as a meteorologist at the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA).
CSU alum Anna Hodshire interviewed her doctoral advisor Prof. Jeffrey Pierce for her STEMdentity podcast. Catch more advice around mental health and mentor-mentee relationships from Pierce and Hodshire on the full podcast episodes. open.spotify.com/episode/7mud...
Mental health is a foundation for STEM professionals, not just a good idea with Dr. Jeff Pierce
STEMdentity · Episode
open.spotify.com
Incoming student Nikhil Trivedi got to fly with the hurricane hunters into Hurricane Debby in 2024. Trivedi will be conducting research with Professors Michael Bell and Eric Maloney and has a B.S. in Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences and Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
bumping this in light of another 1000-yr rainstorm in Missouri overnight. A narrow band of extreme accumulations from a 'training line' mesoscale convective system.
Russ Schumacher @rschumacher.cloud · last mo.happy to have this paper published with @draaronhill.bsky.social We looked at extreme rainfall (up to 1000-yr storms) in gridded datasets and the CONUS404 simulation. Continuing the theme from other work, there are many nice things about CONUS404, but it is not a reanalysis of extreme precip. 🧵
Join the @climate.colostate.edu on Friday, July 31 at the Estes Valley Community Center. A suite of invited experts will look back on the history, meteorology, hydrology, and warning systems the day of the 1976 Big Thompson Flood. climate.colostate.edu/blog/index.p...
You're Invited: Remembering the 50th Anniversary of the 1976 Big Thompson Flood - Colorado Climate Blog
Happy July! As we start the new month, our office is busy preparing to commemorate one of Colorado’s most impactful weather events: the 1976 Big Thompson Flood. Nearly 50 years ago, on July 31, 1976, ...
climate.colostate.edu
Monsoon rains are on the horizon, experts say. Will they arrive soon enough to dampen fire risk?
Monsoon rains are on the horizon, experts say. Will they arrive soon enough to dampen fire risk?
Large fires have ignited in Colorado, and rain this week will offer some relief before a weekend heatwave. Monsoon rains are on the horizon.
coloradosun.com
Warm and dry conditions returned to Colorado in June, with several fast-growing fires starting late in the month. June is also the typical peak for severe thunderstorms in Colorado, and this year was no exception. Read more in our monthly climate summary: climate.colostate.edu/monthly_summ...
I'm excited to share that I'll be joining the @csuatmossci.bsky.social as an Assistant Professor in Jan. 2027. Interested in research on the physics and dynamics of Earth's climate? Please reach out! If you don't know Fort Collins, here's The Diamond on Longs Peak at sunrise, as seen from the city.
Read a commentary from our Professor Emily Fischer. She uses both field-based and applied modeling approaches to investigate the sources of atmospheric trace gases to remote environments. coloradonewsline.com/2026/07/09/w...
We need to treat wildfire smoke like the public health crisis it is | Colorado Newsline
A new reality that has emerged as wildfire seasons worsen, and it should demand more attention: wildfire smoke as the climate risk we breathe.
coloradonewsline.com
We are pleased to announce that climate science expert Dave Bonan will be joining our department as an Assistant Professor in January of 2027. www.atmos.colostate.edu/2026/07/welc...
Read about Stephanie Hoekstra's research at www.cira.colostate.edu/science-stor...
Read more about CSU student Jared Stickney's project at www.atmos.colostate.edu/2025/09/jare...
Morning sunlight evaporates low clouds in the valleys of the Appalachians.
Great to get to chat with @franklinjamesl.bsky.social, @noaa.gov's Hiro Murakami, FOX Weather's @bnorcross.com and @csuatmossci.bsky.social's Phil Klotzbach for my latest about AI use in hurricane forecasting: www.independent.co.uk/climate-chan... @the-independent.com
Scientists find success with AI weather forecasts but what about the ‘unprecedented’?
Hurricane forecasting by humans can take a few hours to reach a conclusion. Google’s DeepMind is eight times faster than that, the company claims
independent.co.uk
Finally, the CSU team also provides a Spanish version of our seasonal forecast press release, translated by Delián Colón-Burgos and myself, available at tropical.colostate.edu/Forecast/202....
tropical.colostate.edu