From its base at the southwest corner of the Seattle campus, the provides expertise, tools and resources on 鈥渁ll things climate鈥� to partners and communities across the state.
was announced in the spring as the . Mauger is a research scientist with the UW Climate Impacts Group, which now houses the state climatologist鈥檚 office. Mauger鈥檚 research focuses mainly on water and floods in the context of climate change.
, 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鈥檚 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.
鈥淥ur goal is to help people understand the climate and how it affects their daily lives,鈥� Mauger said.
Right now, many people in the region are curious about the upcoming winter season.
鈥淭his year we鈥檙e expecting to see a weak La Ni帽a develop in the tropical Pacific Ocean,鈥� Bumbaco said. For Washington that means 鈥渙n 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 Ni帽a winters.鈥�
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鈥檚 website to check out the seasonal , a list of or to subscribe to a on the current state of Washington鈥檚 climate.
For more information, contact Mauger at mauger@uw.edu or Bumbaco at kbumbaco@uw.edu.