Education = pathways to success. Woman scientist focused on water issues. Passionate about improving our community far & wide.
Boulder, CO
Joined May 2009
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Oye NO on 133. Sounds good but those that are trafficked could be caught up in this and end up in prison. Let’s not punish them.
Too close for comfort. Glad the BFD jumped on it. Thankful 🙏🏽🙏🏽
Update People’s Crossing Fire: The fire is out. There is an All Clear from the Evacuation Warning and folks can go back to their routine.
Crews remain in the area moping up and making sure all hot spots are eliminated.
For media inquiries, please contact the BFR PIO. There will be no media staging as the incident is coming to a close.
I’m glad to be counted as one of them!
🔭 WATCH: Today, there are more scientists serving in elected office than at any point in America’s history. Founded in 2016, 314 Action has elected 700+ Democratic scientists across the country.
Ten years. One movement. Join us: 314action.org
Meanwhile the West is ablaze with 3 Fed wildland firefighters dead & Europe is experiencing record high temps. Such stupidity Mr Secretary. I’m proud that CO is moving toward a clean energy economy. All states need to get on board
Idiotic what our federal government is doing. Less data only means you won’t know how our weather is/will behave. What does that achieve? Hiding your head in the sand only endangers lives
Have weather forecasts seemed less accurate lately? There's a major contributing factor: nearly half the morning weather balloons in the Lower 48 are "missing."
This is an ongoing crisis that is degrading critical severe weather forecasts that we all rely on. It's having real, tangible impacts on degrading forecast quality.
If you work in transportation, agriculture or commerce, this should matter to you.
Regardless of the causes, this negatively affects people of ALL political backgrounds. Weather affects everyone. And it's impacting ALL of us negatively.
We can't look at weather balloon data that doesn't exist. We can't pump nonexistent data into models. We can't rely as heavily on models that don't "know" what's happening above our heads.
This is especially concerning for severe weather forecasts. We can't go 18 hours without ascertaining how the atmosphere is layered, how much storm fuel has built up and if severe thunderstorms are going to erupt. The Storm Prediction Center has even acknowledged forecasting frustrations in at least one public bulletin.
As an atmospheric scientist myself, I can say firsthand – the forecasts I'm able to offer you are less accurate than they would otherwise be. I'm not able to predict severe weather with the confidence I normally would. That is extremely concerning.
The United States is "supposed" to launch balloons at 0Z and 12Z ideally – a.k.a. around 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Eastern time. That's not happening. Many sites, due to staffing issues stemming from broader political and organizational issues, have pushed to 18Z, or early afternoon. That's not helpful for morning severe weather forecasts. In other words, you get less lead time. Less advanced notice. Quicker ramp-ups and ramp-downs to the forecast.
We're not able to get jet stream, temperature, moisture or wind profiles of the atmosphere each morning like we otherwise would.
Moreover, the World Meteorological Organization encourages 12Z soundings; that data is shared via the Global Observing System (GOS) under the World Weather Watch (WWW). That's not happening.
Lesley Smith retweeted
Scientists warn that the deadly global heatwave currently battering continents would have been “impossible” without human-caused global warming driven by fossil fuels.
The human cost is already devastating. In the United States, extreme heat kills more people on average each year than hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods combined, making it the leading cause of weather-related deaths.
A rapid analysis by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) consortium confirms that this extreme event could not have occurred without the climate crisis. Researchers say human-induced warming has supercharged temperatures, making such sweltering nights at least 100 times more likely than they were just 20 years ago.
A powerful high-pressure “heat dome” is currently trapping scorching air across Europe, with more than 100 million people enduring temperatures above 35°C (95°F). The combination of extreme heat and high humidity has pushed nearly half of Europe’s 850 largest cities into unprecedented heat-stress conditions, levels that make it extremely difficult for the human body to cool itself.
Experts note that the planet’s 1.1°C warming over the past 50 years has fundamentally changed weather patterns, turning once-rare extremes into dangerous new normals.
While improved early warning systems have helped save lives, emergency services are overwhelmed. Scientists stress that far greater investment in climate-resilient infrastructure and a rapid transition away from fossil fuels are essential to prevent future summers from becoming even deadlier.
Can’t stop scientists.
Climate.ca is officially live!
After NOAA ended Climate.gov’s day-to-day operations in 2025, former members of the team built Climate.us to carry that work forward. This new independent nonprofit has preserved climate stories, data tools, visual resources, and educational materials that help make climate science accessible to the public.
At a time when climate journalism and public-facing climate resources are being cut back rather than expanded, I’m especially grateful to see this work continue.
Their explanations and graphics have always stood out to me as clear, accessible, and transparent. I’m really looking forward to this reboot, and I encourage you to explore the site and share it with others.
Visit: climate.us/
Science prevails.
A covid vaccine study that the CDC halted over methodological concerns was published in a leading medical journal.
It found that the vaccine reduced the risk of emergency room visits and hospitalizations among healthy adults by about half last winter. wapo.st/4uTHf2C
Lesley Smith retweeted
The resurgence of measles, whooping cough, rotavirus, bacterial meningitis, and severe pneumonia is an abject failure of health policy.
We are relearning the lessons we have already paid the price for.
This is so exciting! Solar taking over coal. Let’s keep it up.
Last month, solar power generated 12.8% of electricity in the U.S. while coal was responsible for 12.2%.
It’s the first time in history that solar accounted for more energy than coal. 🔋 abcnews.com/US/solar-generat…
Lesley Smith retweeted
Last month, solar power generated 12.8% of electricity in the U.S. while coal was responsible for 12.2%.
It’s the first time in history that solar accounted for more energy than coal. 🔋 abcnews.com/US/solar-generat…
Lesley Smith retweeted
Let's be clear about what happened: DOGE cut the programs and staff that tracked dangerous outbreaks like screwworm.
So this has nothing to do with Joe Biden, but Trump and DOGE definitely screwed our cattle industry.
Wow!
Kīlauea continues to make history. 🌋
The ongoing summit eruption in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park has set a new record for lava fountaining episodes, and it's still going.
Video by @USGSVolcanoes
This is so short-sighted. We will never get that critical data back at a time when it’s most needed. Obviously the Trump administration doesn’t understand science or care about science. The long term consequences of their actions will be devastating for the US & our planet
I'm afraid that this is why the US administration wants to shut down ocean observations: they don't want the people to know what is happening in our oceans, as it does not fit their ideology and the interests of their fossil fuel industry funders.
edition.cnn.com/2026/06/03/c…
