February 2021 was the United States' coldest February in 30 years, but the winter overall was warmer than average. Much of the West remained in some level of drought.
August 2020 was the second-hottest August on record, and it ended the hottest summer on record for the Northern Hemisphere.
A Colorado summer: Drought, wildfires and smoke in 2020
August 20, 2020
The August 2020 outlook favors hotter-than-average temperatures along both coasts, while tropical moisture is likely to lead to a wetter-than-average August along the East Coast.
While the precipitation outlook for June is varied, the temperature outlook is one-sided, with most of the country having a higher chance for a warm June than a cool one.
Catastrophic wildfires in southeastern Australia in 2019-20
January 3, 2020
This Q&A features tree expert Leander Anderegg and what he is learning about how some of the West's iconic trees—including Colorado's quaking aspen and California's blue oak—survive or succumb to drought.
Impacts of global warming on Great Plains summer rainfall and vegetation are biggest unknowns.