From Steamboat Today (Matt Stensland):

With 70 to 80 percent certainty, La Niña is expected to return, according to Joe Ramey, a meteorologist and climate expert at the National Weather Service in Grand Junction. “It’s not a given that it will be La Niña, but it’s about as strong as we can get,” he said. “We had La Niña last year, and it turned out to be a great year for Steamboat.”[…]

Ramey said that he is studying back-to-back La Niña events and the effect on snowfall. He said consecutive events have happened seven times since 1950 and that it appears the consecutive event has not typically been as strong. This could result in a near or slightly-above normal snowfall.

Click on the thumbnail graphic above and to the right for Klaus Wolter’s chart of first year and second year La Niña events. His data shows that there is often a drop off in flows at Lees Ferry in the second year.

Here are the presentations from Tuesday’s webinar from the Colorado Climate Center. Click on the thumbnail graphic to the right for the precipitation summary.

Here’s the release from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory:

NASA’s Aquarius instrument has successfully completed its commissioning phase and is now “tasting” the saltiness of Earth’s ocean surface, making measurements from its perch in near-polar orbit.

“This marks the end of the long odyssey to design, build and launch this mission, and the start of a new journey of scientific exploration,” said Aquarius Principal Investigator Gary Lagerloef of Earth & Space Research, Seattle. “Scientists from around the world are ready and waiting to study this important new satellite measurement for ocean and climate research.”

The Aquarius/SAC-D (Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas) observatory, a collaboration between NASA and Argentina’s space agency, Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales (CONAE), launched from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base on June 10 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket and was placed in its proper initial orbit. Ground controllers at the SAC-D Mission Operations Center in Teófilo Tabanera Space Center in Cordoba, Argentina, then began a complete in-orbit checkout of all SAC-D spacecraft systems.

With all observatory systems confirmed to be healthy, SAC-D spacecraft commissioning activities were completed on July 24. The spacecraft’s propulsion system then underwent a series of tests, and preliminary orbit adjustments were performed in preparation for turning on the observatory’s eight science instruments.

Aquarius will make NASA’s first space observations of the salinity, or concentration of salt, at the ocean surface, a key variable in satellite studies of Earth. Variations in salinity influence the ocean’s deep circulation, outline the path freshwater takes around our planet and help drive Earth’s climate.

On Aug. 14, the Aquarius Instrument Flight Operations Team, together with the SAC-D Mission Flight Operations Team, began powering up the Aquarius instrument, and successfully completed deployment of the Aquarius antenna on Aug. 17. The team then began sequentially powering on the instrument’s subsystems. On Aug. 20, the Aquarius radiometer, which collects the brightness temperature data from which salinity measurements are derived, was powered on for the first time in space and transmitted its first science data back to Earth, which were analyzed and found to be as expected. On Aug. 21, the team began powering on Aquarius’ radar scatterometer, which corrects for the effects of ocean roughness on the radiometer readings. Commissioning of Aquarius was completed and regular data collection began on Aug. 24.

The Aquarius science team will spend the coming months analyzing and calibrating the measurements and releasing preliminary data.

With the Aquarius instrument commissioning now complete, the SAC-D Instruments Flight Operations Teams, together with the SAC-D Mission Flight Operations Team in Argentina, are now engaged in commissioning the other seven SAC-D instruments. Once all the observatory instruments are commissioned, a maneuver will be conducted to place Aquarius/SAC-D in its final orbit, 408 miles (657 kilometers) above Earth.

Aquarius was built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. NASA’s Launch Services Program, at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, managed the launch. JPL is managing Aquarius through its commissioning phase and will archive mission data. Goddard will manage Aquarius mission operations and process science data. CONAE is providing the SAC-D spacecraft, an optical camera, a thermal camera with Canada, a microwave radiometer, other sensors and the mission operations center. France and Italy also are contributing instruments.

For more information about Aquarius/SAC-D, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/aquarius and http://www.conae.gov.ar/eng/principal.html.

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Gayle Perez):

For the months of June, July and August, Pueblo’s highest average temperature of 77.2 degrees was just six-tenth of a degree shy of breaking the 41-year-old record. Neighboring Southeastern Colorado communities of Alamosa and Colorado Springs had their warmest summers on record, according to statistics from the National Weather Service. Alamosa’s average temperature was 65.3 degrees, nearly a degree hotter than the record set last year at 64.4 degrees. Colorado Springs’ average temperature was 73.2 degrees, which broke a 31-year record. In Pueblo, the three-month highest average was 77.2 degrees. The statistics are for June 1 through Wednesday…

The average high temperature in Pueblo was 93.8 degrees, the third-hottest on record. The record high average is 94.1 degrees, set in 2002…

“It was a general heat wave. It was hot and dry in Texas and the ridge of high pressure extended into Southeastern Colorado,” [Paul Wolyn of the National Weather Service] said. “Besides the warm, we had the monsoon plume push away from us and we didn’t have those afternoon thunderstorms like we’ve had in the past. Without the afternoon storms, it just got a little warmer around here.”

Meanwhile, Denver recorded the hottest on record August, as well. Here’s a report from Bob Berwyn writing for the Summit County Citizens Voice. From the article:

…according to the National Weather Service, where Denver recorded its all-time hottest August on record, with an average temperature of 77 degrees for the month. That may not sound so hot but remember, that reading is the average of all highs and lows for the entire month. The previous record, 76.8 degrees, was set in the Dust Bowl era, back in 1937.

It was also the sixth-hottest month in the Mile High City, with the hottest August on record way back in July 1934, with an average temperature of 77.8 degrees.

The near-record readings came courtesy of a sustained string of warm days, and not just from a few extreme spikes. Through Aug. 31, Denver recorded 71 consecutive days with temperatures climbing above 80 degrees. The previous record streak for 80-degree-plus days was 59 days, set during the epic 2002 drought year.

Here’s the August 2011 Climate Summary from the High Plains Regional Climate Center.

Here’s the release from GOCO:

The Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Board is requesting concept papers for large-scale projects centered around river-based recreation and open space. The Board has allocated $14 to $18 million for this initiative, which also includes projects surrounding creeks, streams, canals and other water sources suitable for outdoor recreation.

GOCO’s intent with this Rivers Initiative is to provide more places and facilities for Colorado’s citizens and visitors to enjoy the state’s vast river resources while maintaining the important river ecosystems and natural values they provide.

Given the high level of demand and the Board’s desire to see an immediate impact from these funds, GOCO is seeking projects that:

• are of regional or statewide significance; and
• can be completed within three years of award; and
• entail one or more of the following project types:

o will give people direct access to a river-based open space or recreational experience in appropriate locations
o will provide buffers to river-based open space or recreational facilities
o will provide critical planning for future river-based open space and recreation. (If you anticipate seeking planning funds, please contact GOCO staff prior to submitting a concept paper.)

The Board will evaluate concept papers based on eligibility and criteria available at http://www.goco.org. At its December 6, 2011, meeting, the Board will invite selected concept papers to submit full applications. Concept papers are due at the GOCO office no later than 5:00 p.m., October 14, 2011.

Click on the thumbnail graphic to the right for the August 30, 2011 U.S. Drought Monitor map.

From The Pueblo Chieftain (Matt Hildner):

The average daily high temperature for June, July and August was 85.5 degrees, while the average daily temperature during those three months was 65.3 degrees. Technically, summer runs from June 21 to Sept. 23 this year, but the three months yearly hold the hottest days as September starts the gradual cool-down to fall…

This summer topped previous records for average daily high temperature set in 2002 and average daily temperature in 1980…

Normally one of the coldest spots in the state, Alamosa’s average daily high was still more than 8 degrees below Pueblo’s figure, which ranked as the Steel City’s third highest on record.

Meanwhile, Denver County also set a record for August. Here’s a report from Jordan Steffen writing for The Denver Post. From the article:

The average temperature in the metro area last month was 77 degrees, climbing above the previous record average of 76.8 degrees, set in 1937, according to the National Weather Service…Wednesday marked a record hot streak for the metro area, with 71 consecutive days above 80 degrees, shattering the previous record of 59 days set in 2002. Last month tied for the most days in the month of August with temperatures at or above 90 degrees with 22 days. The previous record was set in 1960 and 1995. Five record highs were matched or set in the month of August, including Wednesday’s record [ed. 98].

Even Steamboat, where the mountains set records for winter snowpack this season, experienced one of the driest Augusts on record, according to Tom Ross writing for Steamboat Today. From the article:

Local weather observer Art Judson recorded 0.68 inches of rain at his weather station between downtown and the ski mountain. That compares with the August average of 1.63 inches. August rainfall often is driven by a monsoonal pattern that pumps subtropical moisture into the Colorado Rockies through Arizona. While the monsoon hung on into August this year, it began earlier than usual in July and appeared to have spent itself before August arrived. July, typically the second driest month of the year in Steamboat, was quite the opposite this summer. Last month was the second wettest July on record for Steamboat, with 3.68 inches of rain…

Steamboat avoided an overnight frost in August, an event that is not uncommon. The average daily low was 46 degrees and the average daily high was 83.4 degrees. The coldest reading at Judson’s weather station was 41 degrees Aug. 8, and the warmest reading was 90 degrees Aug. 25.

Finally, the southern U.S. can’t catch a break. Record exceptional drought and the possibility of another La Niña season are worrying water suppliers across Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Arizona. I’ve lost count of how many counties in Colorado have received a disaster declaration from the USDA. Here’s a report from Carey Gilliam writing for Reuters. From the article:

The drought is edging its way to the east even as it intensifies in the southern states, according to a weekly report released Thursday by a consortium of state and federal climatologists dubbed the U.S. Drought Monitor. “We are seeing intensification in the southeast, in particular Georgia, eastern Alabama,” said Svoboda.

The drought increasingly looks likely to extend into next year, he said…

Texas has been the hardest hit, and 2011 was expected to be the driest calendar year since records were first kept in the late 19th century. In that key agricultural state, levels of extreme and exceptional drought totaled 95.04 percent of area this week, up from 94.42 percent a week ago, the Drought Monitor reported…

Oklahoma was also suffering, with extreme an exceptional levels of drought now across 85.37 percent of the state. And nearly a third of Kansas is in extreme or exceptional drought, according to the Drought Monitor. Wheat farmers are questioning whether or not to even try to plant their new crop this autumn with soils lacking moisture the plants need to grow.

The drought was starting to engulf Louisiana, where extreme and exceptional drought grew to 59.50 percent of the state, up from 55.97 percent a week earlier.

Here’s the release from Governor Hickenlooper’s office. Here’s an excerpt:

Gov. John Hickenlooper and Reeves Brown, executive director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), announced today $54,655,280 in annual state Severance Tax and Federal Mineral Lease Direct Distribution payments will be made to 506 Colorado counties, municipalities and school districts…

Ken Parsons, a Rio Blanco County Commissioner and member of the State’s Energy and Mineral Impact Advisory Committee said, “In these difficult economic times, this is a critical source of funding statewide for communities impacted by energy and mineral production. These funds help communities address the ongoing impacts of development, processing, or energy conversion on local infrastructure and provide assistance in sustaining the economies of their communities.”

From email from Club 20 (Bonnie Petersen):

Registration is now open for the 2011 CLUB 20 Fall Meeting on September 9 and 10 at the Colorado Mesa University Ballroom in Grand Junction. On Friday, September 9 during the day CLUB 20 will hold its organizational meetings followed by a Chuckwagon Steak Fry at Cross Orchards Historic Site. On Saturday, September 10 there will be a series of presenters including keynote speaker Senator Michael Bennet (CO), Representative Scott Tipton (CO 3rd District) and Governor John Hickenlooper, among others. Presentation topics will include regulatory challenges to business development, Colorado’s economic forecast and the merger between the Division of Wildlife and State Parks…

The two-day event is open to the public. For more information or to register, visit the CLUB 20 website at www.club20.org or call the office at (970) 242-3264. There are a limited number of tickets available for the Friday evening Steak Fry, so be sure to register early!