As wildfires threaten much of the West during another hot and dry year, NCAR scientists are researching key aspects of these destructive events.

Scientists have developed a method to estimate summer rainfall in the Southwest months in advance.

Conditions that, by today’s standards, are considered to be mega-droughts — or conversely, abnormally wet “mega-pluvial” events — may become the average in the future, according to new research led by the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) and co-authored by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

The western US is facing a greatly heightened risk of extreme rain-after-fire events, which can cause mudslides, flash floods, and significant destruction.

A major new international study shows that the impact of climate change is apparent in nearly all aspects of the climate system with the potential for major impacts on society and vulnerable ecosystems.