It’s been more than 40 years since Americans were first introduced to probabilities of precipitation. Instead of simply conveying a threat of rain or snow without using numbers, forecasters began to include percentages, as in “a 60% chance of showers.”

Decades later, most U.S. residents still aren’t precisely sure what these probability-of-precipitation forecasts mean. However, they do get the general idea—and many of them want more such uncertainty information. More >

Internship programs gear up for summer
Although summer may seem a long way off, the organization’s internship programs are already preparing for fresh young faces to arrive on campus—and recruiting mentors among somewhat older faces. More >

The heart of winter
Earlier this month, Colorado’s snowpack measured 134% of average, making it the deepest early-February snowpack to blanket the state in 11 years. Here, UCAR photographer Carlye Calvin captures a windy morning commute in Boulder Canyon. More >

NCAR/UCAR media office readies staff for interviews
When Beth Holland was interviewed by a film crew last September about climate change, she was already prepared with her answers. She had gone through a training exercise with the NCAR/UCAR media office in which she put together a series of talking points and sound bites on the subject and fielded potential questions. More >

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SOARS protégés Armand Silva (left) and McArthur Jones, Jr. got out in the field during the American Meteorological Society’s recent meeting in New Orleans—but not to do research. Rather, they volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, helping build homes. A total of eight SOARS protégés and staff, along with UCAR president Rick Anthes, joined about 40 participants in the first of three AMS-sponsored volunteer opportunities during the meeting. Later sessions included staff from COMET and ESSL/MMM. (Photo by Rebecca Haacker-Santos.)