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Title

Intermountain West Climate Summary May 2010

Summary

Temperature — In April 2010, temperatures were generally near average across the region, with only scattered areas experiencing anomalies greater than 2°F above or below average.
Precipitation — Storm tracks finally shifted to the north in April, bringing above-average precipitation across much of northern Colorado and Utah, along with parts of southern
Wyoming, but leaving southeastern Utah unusually dry for the month.
Hydrological Conditions — The April moisture in the northern part of the region was "too little, too late", and forecasted streamflows for the spring–summer runoff season are still below average in nearly every basin across the region.
ENSO — The current El Niño event is transitioning to ENSO-neutral conditions, with the tropical Pacific shifting from warmer-than-average to average sea surface temperatures. The wet influence of El Niño on the region's weather this spring is tapering off as well.
Climate Forecasts — For June and subsequent seasons, the CPC seasonal outlooks call for an enhanced risk of warmer-than-average temperatures for the southern and western parts of the Intermountain region, and an enhanced risk of above-average precipitation for eastern Colorado and eastern Wyoming.

News

WWA Advisory Board Meeting
April 28-29, 2010, Boulder, CO
The Advisory Board and other meeting participants provided a strong affirmation of WWA's current direction: to provide a broad range of decision-support climate products, tools, and assessments to diverse stakeholders in all three states in the region.

Drought Preparedness for Tribes in the Four Corners Region Workshop
April 8-9, 2010, Flagstaff, AZ
This workshop was aimed at identifying and prioritizing critical drought early warning and information needs, and forming long-term partnerships between regional Tribes and federal and state partners.

WWA-CBRFC Streamflow Forecast Workshop
April 23, 2010, Grand Junction, CO
WWA, with CLIMAS and the NOAA NWS Colorado Basin River Forecast Center (CBRFC) in Salt Lake City, presented a one-day workshop for potential users of the online Water Resources Outlook tool developed by CBRFC to provide user-friendly access to streamflow forecast data for individual forecast points across the western US.

Upcoming: WWA-CBRFC Streamflow Forecast Workshop
August 2010, Salt Lake City, UT
A workshop on the new CBRFC Water Supply Outlook tool, similar to the one held in Grand Junction, will be held in August 2010 in Salt Lake City; please contact us at wwa@noaa.gov to be added to the mailing list when the workshop date is announced.

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