The focus on 2015’s record heat conceals a larger truth: cool years are increasingly unlikely.
Weather
The Bay Area is famous for its microclimates. Learn about the patterns of rain, sun, and wind that make our home what it is.
It Hasn’t Been A Textbook El Niño Winter So Far — But That Could Change
January 19, 2016 •
The forecast for rain for 2015-2016 followed El Niño convention. But the pattern broke the rules.
Trees Capture Fog — So Why Can’t We?
December 30, 2015 •
Dozens of experimental fogcatchers stand poised like sentinels across coastal cliffs and fields along the Central Coast, awaiting the marine layer to enshroud them.
Warm El Niño Water Meets a North Pacific Already Disrupted By The Blob
December 16, 2015 •
Scientists still aren’t sure what to make of what’s happened in the Pacific Ocean this year.
‘Unprecedented’ Toxin Spread That Delayed Crab Season Shines Light on Mysterious Algae
November 11, 2015 •
Marine ecologists have long been alarmed at the potentially dangerous summertime growth of the single-celled algae Pseudo-nitzschia — but there are still significant blind spots in our knowledge and research funding has been scarce.
El Niño Update: It’s Going to Rain (Almost Certainly, Probably)
October 2, 2015 •
The forecaster mood and message is upbeat these days, with less hedging and more agreement that, yes, this El Niño winter could be a wet one.
Why’s It Called El Niño, and How Did Scientists Figure Out What It Is?
September 15, 2015 •
The explanation for El Niño has been revealed only slowly, piece by piece over a century, as dedicated researchers in far-flung locations searched for explanations for the droughts and deluges they witnessed.
Today in El Niño Advice: Don’t Worry About The Blob
September 1, 2015 •
The Pacific Ocean is the hottest we’ve ever seen it. What that means — or doesn’t — for the coming El Niño.
El Niño’s Here. What Does That Actually Mean?
August 25, 2015 •
Two strong historical El Nino wet winters nurture hope for relief from our current drought. But there are several good reasons to hedge about the coming winter.
What Is An Atmospheric River, and How Does One Affect California’s Rainfall?
July 27, 2015 •
Current climate change research suggests California’s weather could become even more variable than in the past, a “new normal” of drier dry periods punctuated by wetter winter storms.