[altasnob]

From NYTimes Change in annual average precipitation in the last 30 years compared to the 20th century. Green is getting wetter.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/08/24/climate/warmer-wetter-world.html

[Eric Hansen]

altasnob, Thanks for the NYT climate map. Interesting to see the patterns in the Southwest, lots of tan and brown but also seems to be a fair amount of pale green (presumably slightly wetter). Then I look at Southwest Colorado and the San Juan Mountains seem dark brown, drying out. Look at the headlines though and I'm beginning to wonder if deluges are the new random mortal threat. Did you see the rain totals from that flood in Tennessee? Three inches per hour for three straight hours. Seventeen inches in a weekend. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/08/25/us/tennessee-flooding-map.html

[philfort]

That's a weird map... one mountain range wetter, next one over drier. Then I looked at the scale, and it's only +/- 4 inches. Huge deal for already dry areas like the SW, but pretty meaningless for wetter mountainous ones.

[Eric Hansen]

Drought Monitor perceives improvement in the Northwest (WA, northern OR and ID, western MT) in its seasonal outlook posted September 16 https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ConditionsOutlooks/Outlooks.aspx Drought Monitor's September 14 weekly map is here https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu Wildland Fire Predictive Services forecasts fire danger lingering in Northern California into November https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/outlooks.htm

[gb]

[Eric Hansen]

Drought Monitor posted, and some record dryness reported in their text for the West: "West As the 2020-21 water year ended, several places set records for driest years ever recorded. In northern California, Redding ended up with 14.24 inches, breaking the previous record low of 19.38 inches in 1990-91 and a normal of 33.52 inches. Red Bluff recorded 9.48 inches compared to the previous record of 10.98 inches in 1975-76 and a normal of 23.12 inches. The Sacramento Executive Airport recorded only 6.61 inches of precipitation for the water year, breaking the record from 1976-77 of 6.62 inches, with normal being 18.14 inches. Rains in the Pacific Northwest and into the Four Corners regions were the only areas with above-normal precipitation for the week. The conditions brought with them cooler than normal temperatures with departures mainly 3-6 degrees below normal, with some even cooler readings in those areas that had the most rain. Warmer than normal conditions dominated the northern Rocky Mountains and into northern Wyoming where temperatures were 3-6 degrees above normal. Some improvements to the extreme drought were made over portions of northwest Colorado into eastern Utah. Extreme drought was also improved over western New Mexico while moderate drought was improved in central New Mexico. Exceptional drought was improved over northeast Washington into northern Idaho while extreme drought was expanded over southern Montana into northern Wyoming with severe and extreme drought expanding over western Montana. Areas of southwest and southern Colorado had moderate and severe drought conditions expand." Weekly map and text here https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap.aspx Outlooks here. https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ConditionsOutlooks/Outlooks.aspx

[Eric Hansen]

Fire danger for Northern California lingers into November. Oct. 5 posting: https://www.nifc.gov/nicc/predictive/outlooks/monthly_seasonal_outlook.pdf

[Pyrites]

In the last couple years the fire research community has been looking at decreased water vapor pressure in the West as a, major some say, contributing factor to fire behavior. Are there maps that show net effect of changes in evaporation combined with changes in precipitation?

[Eric Hansen]

That is way beyond my knowledge. I googled water vapor pressure and not sure even then I understand it. I just try to post things that might impact hiking trip planning.