Fire Weather Concerns; Record Warmth Spreads

The Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley continue with warm and dry conditions. Any fires that initiate could spread quickly. The warm temperatures will expand across the Southern Plains into the Southwest where numerous records are expected through the weekend. Meanwhile, a cold front will move southward across the northern Plains and Great Lakes region where some snow will develop this weekend. Read More >

PEAC Research

A major focus of ongoing applied research at PEAC is the investigation of statistical correlations between ENSO and sea level. Seasonal sea level forecasts, discussion and verification are issued every 3 months in the Pacific ENSO Update newsletter.

Statistical studies on regional climatology and the ENSO cycle are underway at the University of Guam (UOG) and the University of Hawaii (UH). This cooperative research activity is being led by the Water and Environmental Research Institute (WERI) of the UOG, through a sub-grant from PEAC. The studies aim to develop ENSO-related impact criteria for the Islands, through examination of:

Historical floods and droughts, their causes, impacts on agriculture, and other information concerning water resources in each regional area;
The pattern of severe weather phenomena such as hurricanes and typhoons in each regional area;
The distribution of commercially important fish species within each regional area, in cooperation with NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service; and
Relationships with the ENSO cycle, with an aim for developing predictive forecasts of 6 - 18 month lead times for the region.