CLIMAS - Southwest Climate Podcast

Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS)
  • 4.9 (24)
  • Science
  • Updated Monthly

El Niño and La Niña, the southwestern monsoon, tropical storm activity, increasing temperatures, fire risk and weather, drought and snowpack, and dwindling reservoir storage all pose challenges to the Southwest. In the ‘Southwest Climate Podcast’, we focus on details and nuance, but (generally) avoid excessive technical jargon. Our goal is to synthesize information and data from experts, forecasts, and models to provide listeners with a better understanding of climate and weather in the Southwest, as well as the lessons we can learn from recent events and long term experiences.

  1. 5d ago

    Special Edition SW Climate Podcast - Guest Chuck Maxwell & Fire Weather

    Recorded 05/13/2026, Aired 06/09/2026   In this special edition of the Southwest Climate Podcast, hosts Zack Guido and Mike Crimmins have guest Chuck Maxwell join to talk about fire weather.  Chuck brings his multi-decadal subject matter expertise from the world of fire management and answers all the burning questions from our hosts.  Hear how fire management operations work in the Southwest and how climate conditions play into decision making.  You’ll also get to hear what this summer might look like for fire and if the monsoon will bring any relief.     Mentions: CLIMAS - Chuck Maxwell Profile NIFC - Southwest Coordination Center (SWCC) Website NIFC - National Interagency Coordination Center: Outlooks CLIMAS - Weather and Climate Information for Southwest Wildfire Management Southwest U.S. Burn Period Tracker

    48 min

  2. Jun 1

    Special Edition SW Climate Podcast - 2025 E&S Fellows

    Welcome to this special episode of the Southwest Climate Podcast with guest hosts: Gigi Owen & Christina Greene.  In this special episode, we bring you 3 guests that were all part of the CLIMAS Environment & Society Fellowship program over the past year.  A lot of the science that CLIMAS researchers do is done collaboratively with and for our community partners so that the science that we do ends up being useful to decision-making and policy development and planning.  Our Fellowship program offers University of Arizona graduate students the opportunity to take this kind of collaborative approach to address environmental and societal problems.  Our fellows are here today to share more about their work and what they've been up to over the past year. 2025 CLIMAS Environment & Society Fellows Lois Ann Polashenski We Are All Impacted by Pollution Overlooked Impacts of Circular Economies: Copper Slag Repurposing in Cottonwood, Arizona Alyssa Rosenbaum From Lasagna to Lettuce: A Journey into Fresh Produce Safety Where Science and Community Meet A.G. Steig In Fire’s Footprint Ecological Fire with Prescribed Burn Associations Talitha Neesham-McTiernan (*Unable to attend podcast recording) Mapping the Missing Half? Mapping in the meantime: on community-engaged research when the ground shifts

    58 min

  3. May 19

    May 2026 SW Climate Podcast - Super? Mega? Weird: El Niño & Monsoon

    Recorded 05/15/2026, Aired 05/19/2026 In this month’s Southwest Climate Podcast, hosts Zack Guido and Mike Crimmins answer what a strong El Niño could mean for the monsoon.  They do a quick recap of the first half of May.  And then it’s off to the races with a look at: sea surface temperatures in the Pacific, ONI vs. RONI, ENSO’s scientific history, monsoon and its interaction with East Pacific tropical activity, then finally a winter preview.  Should be a fun and interesting few seasons to watch unfold! Also, Zack gives a plug for the Monsoon Fantasy Forecast Game which will include a new weekly tournament feature this year. Mentions NOAA CPC - ENSO Strength Probabilities   Tropical Tidbits   WebberWeather   NOAA CPC - Outlooks   Google - Weather Lab: Cyclones    Paper “North American Monsoon Response to Antecedent Soil Moisture and Snow in the Colorado Plateau”   Paper “Tropical Ocean Contributions to California’s Surprisingly Dry El Niño of 2015/16”

    1h 24m

  4. Apr 8

    April 2026 SW Climate Podcast - Mind-blowing March Meltdown

    Recorded 04/03/2026, Aired 04/07/2026 Hosts Zack Guido and Mike Crimmins go full coroner in this month’s episode of the Southwest Climate Podcast and do an autopsy of the record-setting March heat wave.  Expect fluid dynamics, conservation of angular momentum, and level of divergence type of nerding for this deep dive. They go over the heat impacts to snowpack and forecasted streamflow, and the end of month precipitation event which looked monsoonal.  Lastly there is some excitement for the upcoming super El Niño that’s brewing.  Stick around on this long-ish one for a full explainer on the Pacific Decadal Oscillation - at the 1:02:43 mark.    Mentions: Climate Perspectives - Western Region Paper: “Synthesis of Publications on the Anomalous June 2021 Heat Wave in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada” USDA - NRCS: Snowpack & Streamflow RainLog NOAA - CPC: El Niño Southern Oscillation NOAA - NCEI: Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)

    1h 26m

  5. Mar 4

    March 2026 SW Climate Podcast - What’s Your Favorite Month?

    Recorded 03/03/2026, Aired 03/04/2026   In this month’s episode of the Southwest Climate Podcast, Hosts Zack Guido and Mike Crimmins rank their favorite months of the year - and June gets no love.  They recap February’s weather which was high and dry but not much else.  There’s a discussion on ENSO with a deep dive into a couple related papers of note.  And with the end of meteorological winter they cover the bleak snowpack conditions in the west. Towards the end there is a look into the models to see what is on the horizon - including for the monsoon.  Stick around for an announcement on the 2026 Southwest Monsoon Fantasy Forecasts game with a lot of new exciting features - you won’t want to miss!     Mentions:  NOAA - Climate Prediction Center: ENSO Discussion Paper: “Southern Hemisphere Surface Warming Drives Southwestern U.S. Precipitation according to AI-Informed Climate Model Simulations” Paper: “Anthropogenic Intensification of Cool-Season Precipitation Is Not Yet Detectable Across the Western United States” USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service: NWCC Interactive Map NOAA - Climate Prediction Center: Season Forecasts National Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME) International Multi-Model Ensemble

    1h 10m

  6. Feb 3

    January 2026 SW Climate Podcast - Weather’s Been Weird

    Recorded 01/30/2026, Aired 02/02/2026   Hosts Zack Guido and Mike Crimmins are kicking off 2026 with a look at this winter’s weird weather in this month’s Southwest Climate Podcast.  They do a recap of the last couple of months of precip and temps.  They do a review of large scale climate patterns - Madden–Julian Oscillation, Greenland Block - and get into a deep discussion about the Polar Vortex.  They cover the not-so-great coverage of snowpack and look at the forecasts through peak season going forward.  Rounding out the episode is the NOAA announcement on RONI (a topic of past episodes) and a preview of the AI focused episode that is in the works.    Mentions: Paper: Arctic sea ice decline and continental cold anomalies: Upstream and downstream effects of Greenland blocking Paper: What Is the Polar Vortex and How Does It Influence Weather? Figure 2 Figure 1 Article: Stratospheric Warming Confirmed: Polar Vortex Collapse to Bring Major Weather Disruption in the Coming Weeks Article: February forecast calls for more polar vortex mayhem Article: Snow Drought in the West Reaches Record Levels NOAA NWS - Climate Prediction Center: Forecasts NOAA NWS - Public Information Statement: Implementing a Relative Oceanic Niño Index effective February 1, 2026 NOAA NWS - Information Circular: Relative Oceanic Niño Index (RONI) Paper: Northern Hemisphere Wintertime Teleconnections from the 2023–24 El Niño Offset by Background SST Trends

    1h 21m

  7. 12/22/2025

    December 2025 SW Climate Podcast - We’ve Been Ridged

    Recorded 12/19/2025, Aired 12/22/2025 In this month’s Southwest Climate Podcast episode, hosts Zack Guido and Mike Crimmins are feeling good about the warmer than normal December temps.  They start out with a look at recent conditions, including the persistent ridge keeping us dry this month.  This leads to a review of a paper on the Heat Dome of 2023 - and what all this warmth means for snowpack in the west.  They give their End of Year review of heat, fire and precipitation in 2025.  Rounding out the episode is a telling of each of their picks for the Climate Story of the Year for the Southwest.   Mentions: Climate Anomaly Maps and Tables Paper: “The longest-lasting 2023 western North American heat wave was fueled by the record-warm Atlantic Ocean” USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service - Snowpack Map Southwest U.S. Station Climate Summaries SWCC: Southwest Year-To-Date Wildland Fire Activity Webinar: Globe/Miami Flooding Event of September 2025: Weather and Climate Overview NOAA NWS: Climate Prediction Center - Outlooks NOAA NWS: North American Multi-Model Ensemble International Multi-Model Ensemble

    1h 19m

  8. 11/10/2025

    November 2025 SW Climate Podcast - Pumpkin Spice Weather

    Recorded 11/07/2025, Aired 11/10/2025 Hosts Zack Guido and Mike Crimmins are enjoying the recent fall weather in this month’s Southwest Climate Podcast episode.  The hosts recap October which had some pretty interesting storm activity.  There is a summary of the hurricane season - including the category 5 Melissa that had devastating impacts in the Caribbean.  They cover the fall to winter transition patterns.  Then the podcast ends with a discussion on the weak developing La Niña which may or may not relieve the drought pressure with some winter precipitation.     Mentions: NOAA - Climate Prediction Center: Forecasts Southwest U.S. Station Climate Summaries Video - Hurricane Hunters pass through the eye of Melissa NOAA - National Hurricane Center NOAA - Climate Prediction Center: ENSO National Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME): JFM Precipitation ***If you receive an error message on any of the NOAA websites, try using an incognito browser window

    1 hr
See All (100)

4.9
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

El Niño and La Niña, the southwestern monsoon, tropical storm activity, increasing temperatures, fire risk and weather, drought and snowpack, and dwindling reservoir storage all pose challenges to the Southwest. In the ‘Southwest Climate Podcast’, we focus on details and nuance, but (generally) avoid excessive technical jargon. Our goal is to synthesize information and data from experts, forecasts, and models to provide listeners with a better understanding of climate and weather in the Southwest, as well as the lessons we can learn from recent events and long term experiences.

Information

  • Creator
    Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS)
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © CLIMAS copyright 2017
  • Show Website
    CLIMAS - Southwest Climate Podcast

You Might Also Like