There’s a Star Wars themed one in St. George too

Map of the contiguous United States showing the spring bloom index anomaly as of April 19, 2026 from the USA National Phenology Network. Many areas are earlier than normal.

Aside from Florida, nearly the entire contiguous U.S. has experienced earlier than average first plant blooms in 2026. Earlier springs can cause longer allergy seasons, accelerate wildfire risk, increase pests/mosquitoes, and lead to less reliable snow-fed water.

Map: www.usanpn.org/data/maps/sp...

Dang… sorry to hear that, Joel.

picture of Hanksville, Utah

picture of Hanksville, Utah

picture of Hanksville, Utah

picture of Hanksville, Utah

Hanksville, Utah
Pop: 220

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanksville,_Utah

Images: commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php
commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php
commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php

Orthographic map showing 2-m air temperature anomalies in March 2026 relative to a 1981-2010 baseline. This visualization shows North and South America. The only colder than average area is over Canada.

Orthographic map showing 2-m air temperature anomalies in March 2026 relative to a 1981-2010 baseline using ERA5 data. This visualization shows Africa, Europe, and western Asia. Most areas are warmer than average.

Orthographic map showing 2-m air temperature anomalies in March 2026 relative to a 1981-2010 baseline using ERA5 data. This visualization shows Australia, Antarctica, and Asia. Most areas are warmer than average.

March 2026 was the 4th warmest March on record globally. Note the high-amplitude wavy pattern of anomalies across the N. Hemisphere.

This month was about 1.48°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average. Last 12-months have been about 1.43°C above it.

Info: climate.copernicus.eu/surface-air-...

ICE arrests have skyrocketed in this part of Utah. These Utahns are lending ‘helping hands’ to affected families. Manos Amigas Utah provides immigrant families with groceries, family preparedness plans and communication with those who are detained.

Claudia, a Utah woman whose family fled organized crime in Mexico, said her husband and oldest son have been taken by ICE.
Two days after her next-oldest son turned 18, she signed custody of her other children over to him in case she, too, is detained.

AP says it will offer buyouts as part of pivot away from newspaper-focused history The Associated Press says it will offer buyouts to an unspecified number of its U.S.-based journalists as part of an acceleration away from the focus on newspapers and their print journalism that sust...

People should actually be very alarmed that while AP's business model is shot to bits, Americans are still very much reliant on the news it delivers. The alternatives in some cases are inferior or non-existent.
apnews.com/article/news...

That's home. That's us.

This image of home just came down from the Artemis II crew.

Taken after their translunar injection burn, there are aurorae at top right and lower left, and zodiacal light at lower right.

Credit: NASA/Reid Wiseman

NPR wants your big question about reducing your climate impact and saving money As energy prices rise and climate change intensifies, NPR wants to hear your questions about spending decisions you'll make that could reduce climate pollution and save you money.

Ask me a question about reducing climate pollution and saving money. If @npr.org chooses your submission, you'll be part of the reporting process. More information and a short form are in the link below.

www.npr.org/2026/04/03/n...

Utah’s snowpack usually peaks right about now. Instead, it’s mostly gone The March heat wave decimated Utah’s already-poor snowpack. That’s bad news for a region that depends on snow for its water supply.

“It's not just one weird, wonky day… It's the fact that this has been lingering for as long as it has that really is showing the impacts of climate change.”- @shelwinkleywx.bsky.social of @climatecentral.org

How the March heat wave finished off Utah’s meager snowpack ⤵️

www.kuer.org/science-envi...

Utah’s snow was already in bad shape. The recent heat wave zapped what was left.

In just nine days in March, Utah lost half of its snowpack.

You can see the nosedive (black line) on this graph. The green line is the median, and the pink line is the previous low.

More: www.kuer.org/science-envi...

Utah’s snowpack usually peaks right about now. Instead, it’s mostly gone The March heat wave decimated Utah’s already-poor snowpack. That’s bad news for a region that depends on snow for its water supply.

"This is the worst scenario we could have."

Utah's snowpack typically peaks this week. Instead, it's around 20% of normal.

My latest for @kuer.org on how a poor winter and a March heat wave combined to create unprecedented conditions ⤵️

www.kuer.org/science-envi...

Ogden is feeding on the curling boom, even if the rink is too small for 2034 Having the World Men’s Curling Championships in town builds on Ogden’s Olympic legacy. But when the games come back to Utah, curling may have outgrown Ogden.

The men's world curling championships are in Ogden this week.

Could Weber County host again at the 2034 Olympics?

www.kuer.org/sports-recre...

More Utah temperature records set yesterday.

It looks like Kanab's high was 8 degrees warmer than its previous record, which had stood since 1956. #utwx

As called by Kent Pavelka & Jeff Smith on the Nebraska Cornhuskers Radio Network:

SWEET 16 NEBRASKETBALL BEVELED

SWEET 16 NEBRASKETBALL

Map of U.S., from coolwx.com, showing locations currently experiencing record-breaking temperatures. There are countless such locations in the Western U.S., with hundreds of red dots (locations breaking daily record highs) and countless pink dots (locations breaking March monthly record highs). The region of record heat extends from the Pacific Coast to east the Mississippi River, and from Canada to Mexico. The region of red and pink dots is vastly larger even than yesterday's (or the day before, or the day before, or the day before, same as it ever was, same...as it ever was...).

Incredibly, even *more* locations across U.S. are today experiencing their warmest March temperatures on record--many by a wide margin, with some even breaking April records. This includes most or all of: AZ, UT, CO, NM, WY, NE, KS, MO, IA, plus portions of many other states. 🫠

The now-450,000 acre Morrill Fire in western Nebraska spread 65 miles in six hours and is burning dry grasslands of the westernmost Sandhills including both higher compound parabolic dunes and lower-relief dunes with a lot of cropland on the Dogtown Flats closer to the North Platte valley.

Religion note: Come for the deep, exquisitely written reporting on modern sports gambling, stay for McKay's anecdote about getting special dispensation from his bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be able to write this.

Hot off the presses w/ the camera guy (me) just outside.

Meteorological winter leaves Utah the way it came in — hot and bothered From Salt Lake City to St. George, communities statewide experienced their warmest winter on record. Snowpack, air quality and ski shops all took a hit.

More on Utah’s record-breaking winter warmth ⤵️

www.kuer.org/science-envi...

After just wrapping up its warmest winter on record, Utah appears to be at the center of the bullseye for next week’s heat wave. Not ideal.

Absurd heat! Despite our best efforts, the monster heat dome is bound to be "undersold" by the meteorology community. Why? Because intensity like this is almost never seen. This thing has the potential to be Epic for Mid-March, and not in a good way… 1/

Persian Gulf desalination plants could become military targets in regional war Key sources of drinking water have been targets in past conflicts. And Iranian strikes have already hit close to some.

What could happen if Iran launches retaliatory strikes on Persian Gulf’s vital desalination plants? @utah.edu
historian @mchrislow.bsky.social offers this great analysis. theconversation.com/persian-gulf...

ICE detains reporter Estefany Rodríguez in Nashville - Nashville Banner Reporter Estefany Rodríguez, detained by ICE with no arrest warrant, may face deportation. Her attorneys seek immediate review of the legality of her case.

ICE has arrested and detained a Nashville journalist who reported stories critical of ICE. She’s married to a U.S. citizen and has been seeking asylum here after fleeing death threats in Colombia because of her journalism there.

They’ve already sent her to Louisiana.

Chart showing in many countries, people see their fellow citizens as morally good.

We asked people around the world to rate the morality and ethics of others in their country.

The U.S. is the only place we surveyed where more adults describe the morality and ethics of others living in the country as bad than good. See our full morality report here: www.pewresearch.org/...

Come hear me nerd out about climate data tools

In which my colleagues and I share thoughts on the future of Colorado River governance It is hard to know where to begin. The Department of the Interior’s Post-2026 Colorado River draft environmental impact statement, and the deep questions it raises, is an “everything in…

The Colorado River quagmire boils down to a simple question, @jfleck.bsky.social writes: "Secretary Burgum: Tell us what you’re going to do." www.inkstain.net/2026/02/in-w...

How a California desalination plant could ease water shortages on the Colorado River Relying on desalination, the San Diego County Water Authority will consider transferring water to cities in Arizona and Nevada that will soon face cuts in Colorado River water.

With cities like Phoenix and Tucson bracing for their allotments of Colorado River water to be slashed, San Diego County’s water agency could sell some of its water to other states by drawing on its ample supplies from the nation’s largest desalination plant. www.latimes.com/environment/...