CLIMATE CHALLENGESHas Winter Blown Off Course?
What in the world is going on in the West? Some say that climate change has affected this year’s winter in the Western region of the country, while others are wondering what the lack of snowpack might mean for regional water supply, which is already in a precarious state.
Blizzards in Hawaii.
No snow in the Colorado Rockies.
Crickets in Ketchum, Idaho.
What in the world is going on in the West?
Some say that climate change has affected this year’s winter in the Western region of the country, while others are wondering what the lack of snowpack might mean for regional water supply, which is already in a precarious state.
ASU News enlisted the state’s climatologist and a tourism expert to discuss this year’s cause and effects of snow, or lack thereof, and the impacts to our water supply and economy.
Arizona State Climatologist Erinanne Saffell is a lecturer in the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at Arizona State University. Her main research interests are extreme weather and climate events, including flood and drought, as well as impacts of the urban heat island.
Nicholas Wise is an assistant professor in the School of Community Resources and Development, and his work focuses on focuses on placemaking, competitiveness, social regeneration and community impacts, conducting work across the areas of sport, events and tourism.
Here are their thoughts on what happens when weather does not follow the expected forecast.
ASU News: All across the West and Southwest, we’re seeing some interesting weather patterns: blizzards and flooding in Hawaii and no snow in the Rockies and several ski resort towns. Is this just a weather fluke, or is something else going on?
Erinanne Saffell: As a climatologist, I consider the context of weather patterns. For example, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii are each well over 13,000 feet in elevation and receive snow every year. A blizzard is not an unusual weather situation for the peaks, but it would be unusual if a blizzard happened on Waikiki Beach. Blizzards and flooding in Hawaii are often experienced during a low-pressure system called the Kona Low that usually sets up between October and April. A similar setup happened Dec. 1–7, 2007, with flooding, power outages and blizzard warnings on the Big Island of Hawaii.
