December 4, 2024
Video: Talking about climate and weather with the Office of the Washington State Climatologist
From its base at the southwest corner of the Seattle campus, the Office of the Washington State Climatologist provides expertise, tools and resources on “all things climate” to partners and communities across the state.
Guillaume Mauger was announced in the spring as the new Washington state climatologist. Mauger is a research scientist with the UW Climate Impacts Group, which now houses the state climatologist’s office. Mauger’s research focuses mainly on water and floods in the context of climate change.
Karin Bumbaco, a UW research scientist and the deputy state climatologist, studies such things as nighttime heat in Seattle and new ways to display weather data, as well as other trends involving heat and drought.
Together, they provide data and share news on whatever’s in the skies. From heat domes to hailstorms, from snowpack to summer drought, they provide perspective on the short-term and long-term weather woes and questions facing Washingtonians.
“Our goal is to help people understand the climate and how it affects their daily lives,” Mauger said.
Right now, many people in the region are curious about the upcoming winter season.
“This year we’re expecting to see a weak La Niña develop in the tropical Pacific Ocean,” Bumbaco said. For Washington that means “on average, we tend to have cooler-than-normal temperatures, a little bit more precipitation, and more snowpack by the end of our winter season during La Niña winters.”
Mauger and Bumbaco also conduct research on changes in rainfall patterns and flood risks, and on temperatures and wildfire risks for the coming season and over the longer term. Visit the Office of the Washington State Climatologist’s website to check out the seasonal climate outlook, a list of Washington state records or to subscribe to a monthly newsletter on the current state of Washington’s climate.
For more information, contact Mauger at mauger@uw.edu or Bumbaco at kbumbaco@uw.edu.
Tag(s): climate change • Climate Impacts Group • College of the Environment • EarthLab • Guillaume Mauger • Karin Bumbaco
