NOAA Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Federal government allocates over $6 billion to wildfire technology and management

By Lauren Gallup January 24, 2023

Firefighters stand in the distance with drip torches along a road surrounded by trees. A fire burns in the foreground of the picture. It's climbing up some smaller trees.

Lawmakers are allocating over $6 billion this fiscal year to support the Department of the Interior and the United States Forest Service in wildfire response. It’s an increase of 14% from the last year’s funding, and will support wildfire suppression, operations and a new research hub to aid fire management. This fiscal year, the forest service will see an increase of Read More

Federal report recommends removing four lower snake river dams to protect salmon

By Courtney Flatt October 1, 2022

Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River. Breaching the Snake River dams is one major way to protect salmon, according to a final federal report announced Friday on salmon and steelhead recovery in the Columbia River Basin. (Courtesy: Bonneville Power Administration)

Breaching the Snake River dams is one major way to protect salmon, according to a final federal report announced Friday on salmon and steelhead recovery in the Columbia River Basin.Read More

Unlocking the Ocean’s Black Box With Science

By Courtney Flatt July 11, 2022

Part 1: To Unravel Some Of The Ocean’s Mysteries, Scientists Head To Sea At least twice a year, scientists board the Bell M. Shimada, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration […]Read More

More Than Work: Living On A Ship, Crew, Officers Become Friends, Family

By Courtney Flatt June 24, 2022

The deck crew on NOAA's Bell M. Shimada hauls the CTD machine back on deck after it collected water samples from the ocean.

The Bell M. Shimada is designed to gather scientific information. But the collaborative effort of the crew and officers makes scientific endeavors at sea possible.Read More

To Unravel Some Of The Ocean’s Mysteries, Scientists Head To Sea

By Courtney Flatt June 20, 2022

At least twice a year, scientists board the Bell M. Shimada, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel, to study the Northern California Current ecosystem.

At least twice a year, a team of scientists on NOAA's research vessel Bell M. Shimada survey waters along the Washington and Oregon coast.Read More

Scientists Head To Sea To Learn More About Ocean Conditions

By Courtney Flatt May 10, 2022

Scientists Jennifer Fisher and Clara Bird map out sampling stations along the Oregon and Washington coasts.

The place where salmon spend most of their lives also is the place scientists know the least about: the ocean.Read More

Babies On Board! Three Endangered Northwest Killer Whales Look Very Pregnant In Aerial Photos

By Tom Banse September 15, 2021

Comparison photos captured by the research nonprofit SR3 showed endangered Pacific Northwest orca J36 is pregnant.

Research photos taken with a drone show multiple killer whales are close to giving birth in one of the Pacific Northwest's critically endangered pods. The late-stage pregnancies stirred excitement among whale watchers -- and also renewed worries about the availability of adequate food supply for the mothers and babies.Read More

It’s Not Just Texas. The Energy Grid Needs An Upgrade – Including In The Northwest

By NPR News February 28, 2021

Electrical grid transmission towers in Pasadena, Calif. Major power outages from extreme weather have risen dramatically in the past two decades. CREDIT: John Antczak/AP

The Texas blackout is another reminder that more frequent, climate-driven extreme weather puts stress on the country's electricity grid. It came just months after outages in California aimed at preventing wildfires. Compounding this, electricity likely will be even more important in coming years amid a push to electrify cars and homes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Read More

Looking Forward And Backward: A La Niña Winter And Dry Conditions That Fueled Northwest Fires

By Courtney Flatt November 2, 2020

Drought conditions in the U.S. West, particularly parts of the Northwest, could be eased by an expected 2020-21 La La Niña winter. CREDIT: U.S. Drought Monitor

The Northwest could see a cooler and wetter winter this season, according to climate outlook models. Forecasters say it’s likely that a recently developed La Niña weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean will continue. That should lead to above average precipitation in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.Read More

Iowa Derecho This August Was Most Costly Thunderstorm Event In Modern U.S. History

By NPR News October 18, 2020

A tree fell across vehicles at a home in West Des Moines after a severe thunderstorm moved across Iowa on Aug. 10. It was the costliest storm system in modern U.S. history. CREDIT: David Pitt/AP

The derecho, which raced through the Midwest and focused its attention on Iowa, led to $7.5 billion in damage. That's more expensive than some hurricanes.Read More

So 2020: New Storm Forms, Named Alpha Because We’ve Run Out Of Letters

By NPR News September 18, 2020

Satellite images of storms forming in the Atlantic Ocean. Tropical Storm Wilfred is the last named storm of the 2020 season using the English alphabet. Courtesy of NOAA

There's only been one other year – 2005 – that Greek names have been needed. The National Hurricane Center on Friday announced storms called Alpha and Beta have formed in the Atlantic.Read More

Professor And Longtime Climate Science Denier Hired In High Position At NOAA

By NPR News September 13, 2020

The appointment of a climate change denier to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration comes as Americans face profound threats stoked by climate change, from the vast, deadly wildfires in the West to an unusually active hurricane season in the South and East. CREDIT: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images

David Legates, a professor whose research has been supported by fossil fuel companies, has been hired for a top position at the federal agency that oversees weather and climate forecasting.Read More

Windy, Dry Weekend Ups Wildfire Potential, As Crews Watch How Palmer Fire Lines Will Fare

By Courtney Flatt August 28, 2020

The Palmer Fire in Okanogan County, southwest of Oroville, seen from the Aeneas Mountain Lookout Tuesday evening, Aug. 18, 2020. Smoke from a fire in nearby British Columbia is also visible.

A dry cold front is expected to push into central and eastern Washington this weekend, bringing with it lots of wind from the north. That could fan the flames of fires, especially new starts that are just taking off. Winds could reach 15 to 25 miles per hour, with gusts around 40 miles per hour.Read More

Hurricanes Like Laura Are More Likely Because Of Climate Change

By NPR News August 27, 2020

Hurricane Laura approaches the Gulf Coast of the U.S. on Wednesday. The storm rapidly intensified before it made landfall. NOAA via AP

Hurricane Laura rapidly intensified before it made landfall. Abnormally hot water in the Gulf of Mexico helped it gain power.Read More

‘We Kind Of Dodged A Bullet’ So Far This Fire Season. But August Forecast Shows High Danger

By Courtney Flatt August 4, 2020

Information on public fire danger signs comes from the Nation Fire Danger Rating System, which is being updated for the first time in more than four decades. CREDIT: JACOB FRANK/NPS

July started off cool, which lowered wildfire risks in Washington and Oregon. But a new outlook shows excessive heat and a lack of precipitation have helped to dry out fuels in southern and central Oregon and central Washington. In those areas that have been dealing with drought, the land is ready to burn.Read More

Federal Study Recommends Keeping Snake River Dams In Place, With Congress Having Final Say

By Courtney Flatt August 1, 2020

The Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River. CREDIT: BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION

Debates have dragged on for decades about whether to remove or alter the four dams. The Army Corps, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration received almost 59,000 comments on the draft EIS this spring. The agencies are expected to finalize this plan by Sept. 30.Read More

West Coast Scores Rare Conservation ‘Home Run’ As Fishery Rebounds From The Brink

By NWPB News December 28, 2019

Kevin Dunn, who fishes off the coasts of Oregon and Washington, holds a rockfish at a processing facility in Warrenton, Oregon. A rare environmental success story is unfolding in waters off the U.S. West Coast as regulators in January 2020 are scheduled to reopen a large area off the coasts of Oregon and California to groundfish bottom trawling fishing less than two decades after authorities closed huge stretches of the Pacific Ocean due to the species' depletion. CREDIT: Gillian Flaccus/AP

After years of fear and uncertainty, bottom trawler fishermen — those who use nets to scoop up rockfish, bocaccio, sole, Pacific Ocean perch and other deep-dwelling fish — are making a comeback here, reinventing themselves as a sustainable industry less than two decades after authorities closed huge stretches of the Pacific Ocean because of the species’ depletion.Read More

Imelda Causing ‘Major, Catastrophic Flooding’ In Southeast Texas, Forecasters Warn

By NPR News September 19, 2019

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has declared a state of disaster in 13 counties. Some parts of southeast Texas could see rain totals of 30 to 40 inches through Friday, the National Weather Service says.Read More

NOAA Chief Scientist Says Move To Contradict Agency And Back President Trump Was ‘Political’

By NPR News September 9, 2019

Christina Crowe signs a poster in support of the National Weather Service office in Birmingham, Ala., during a convention of the National Weather Association in Huntsville, Ala., Monday. Jay Reeves/AP

It "was not based on science but on external factors including reputation and appearance, or simply put, political," the agency's acting chief scientist wrote. Read More

Return Of ‘The Blob’? Marine Heat Wave Similar To 2014 Disruption Shows Up On West Coast

By Cassandra Profita September 6, 2019

Sea surface temperature anomaly maps show temperatures above normal in orange and red. The warming could lead to dire conditions for sea life. CREDIT: NOAA

Scientists have detected a marine heat wave off the West Coast that they say is reminiscent of the massive stretch of warm water nicknamed “the Blob” in 2014-15.Read More

What Is An Endangered Species Worth? New Federal Rule Updates Calculation — And Sparks Debate

By PBS Newshour August 23, 2019

A grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park. (Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

What is the cost to the economy when an animal is listed as an endangered species? The Trump administration could soon start to publicize that calculation, along with the cost and benefits of categorizing an animal that way, under new rules it finalized earlier this month.Read More

Why Are So Many Gray Whales Washing Up Dead On Pacific Northwest Beaches?

By Tom Banse April 25, 2019

Responders examine a malnourished adult gray whale on April 15, 2019 after it was towed to a remote beach after initially being found floating near downtown Seattle. CREDIT: CASCADIA RESEARCH COLLECTIVE

The peak stranding time for gray whales in the Pacific Northwest is normally April, May and June. But the federal agency NOAA Fisheries has already logged nine dead whales washed ashore in Washington and one in Oregon. That's on top of 21 strandings on California beaches since the beginning of the year.Read More

2018 Was A Milestone Year For Climate Science (If Not Politics)

By NPR News December 27, 2018

The burned remains of Paradise Elementary School is seen Friday, in Paradise, Calif. Authorities say a wildfire has all but destroyed the Northern California town. CREDIT: Rich Pedroncelli/AP

The earth's climate has been warming for decades now. But 2018 brought several major new and markedly more precise reports from scientists about what climate change is doing to the weather and how dire they expect the consequences to be.Read More

Arctic Report Card Documents ‘Cascading Effects’ Of Warming Ocean Temperatures

By NPR News December 12, 2018

Sea ice is seen from NASA's Operation IceBridge research aircraft off the northwest coast of Greenland in March 2017. A new report says rapid warming over the past three decades has led to a 95 percent decline of the Arctic's oldest and thickest ice. CREDIT: Mario Tama/Getty Images

The Arctic has experienced the "most unprecedented transition in history" in terms of warming temperatures and melting ice, and those changes may be the cause of extreme weather around the globe, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 2018 Arctic Report Card.Read More

Long-range Forecast Predicts Mild Northwest Winter

By Tom Banse October 23, 2018

With the Northwest on the verge of a weak El Nino, snow levels could run higher than average by midwinter. CREDIT: WENDY POLZIN, 2012

If the long-range forecast from the National Weather Service is right, we have a mild winter ahead of us.Read More

Efforts Continue To Save ‘Critically Endangered’ J-50 Orca, But It May Be Too Late

By John Ryan September 13, 2018

Southern Resident killer whale J50 and her mother, J16, off the west coast of Vancouver Island near Port Renfrew, B.C., on August 7. CREDIT: BRIAN GISBORNE, FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA

Officials in Canada and the U.S. are hatching a plan to temporarily capture and treat an emaciated orca. The young whale known as J-50 hasn't been spotted in nearly a week and could already be dead.Read More

Bubble Hunters: Ocean Scientists Count 1,000 Methane Seeps Off Pacific Northwest Coast

By Tom Banse August 31, 2018

Oregon-based researchers deployed an ROV to sample methane vents off the Pacific Northwest coast this summer. CREDIT: OCEAN EXPLORATION TRUST

Ocean researchers have found nearly 1,000 methane seep sites along the continental shelf of the Pacific Northwest. The bubble streams could be a sign of offshore energy potential, represent a greenhouse gas threat — or be neither of those things at all.Read More

Group Hatches Plan To Save Emaciated And Endangered Puget Sound Orca

By Tom Banse August 5, 2018

This picture from July 21 shows shrinkage around orca J50's head from weight loss, aka "peanut head syndrome." CREDIT: KATY FOSTER/NOAA

An emaciated, four-year-old Puget Sound orca is drawing alarm. Whale scientists and the federal agency NOAA are weighing what it means to provide food and medicine to this endangered orca. The declining health of the orca has become apparent as it swims and feeds in the border waters between Washington and British Columbia.Read More

Good News For Fishing Industry: Pacific Heat Wave ‘The Blob’ Appears To Be In Retreat

By Jes Burns March 19, 2018

Unusual ocean and climate conditions have significantly harmed several Washington fisheries. Six fisheries in the state could now seek federal assistance to help bring things back to normal. CREDIT: SEAN O'CONNOR

Ocean conditions off the Pacific Northwest seem to be returning to normal after a three-year spike in water temperature. It’s promising long-term news for fishermen who are looking ahead in the short term to yet another year of low salmon returns.Read More