Chasing Cirrus
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drymeadow.bsky.social
Chasing Cirrus
@drymeadow.bsky.social
CA water/wastewater policy professional. Housing/finance/rural affairs. The ocean and sky call me (i.e. salt-water and weather nerd). Aspiring sci-fi writer. Sober. Personal Principles: Life, liberty, equity, dignity, good-faith, win-win, transparent.
Pinned
So since I have lots of new followers all of a sudden, a little about me: I run policy & advocacy for a non-profit that covers 13 western states and the pacific islands. I focus on water and wastewater, but I also work in housing, community finance, and a few other niche issue-areas.
Reposted by Chasing Cirrus
Before 2013 when Sea Star Wasting appeared these giant Pisaster sea stars were common. This one is pulling a clam out of it's burrow at Coal Oil Pt.

Canadian researchers found that Vibrio, closely related the agent causing Cholera, killed off millions of sea stars.
January 25, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Big ol explosion and follow on conflagration in South Sac just a few minutes ago. Kinda in the direction of Florin?
January 25, 2026 at 7:33 AM
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New Weather West post out now: “Warm West/Cool East” dipole to develop over North America in late January; mostly dry/warm conditions lead to record-low Western U.S. snowpack. I'll be discussing the content therein during Wednesday's livestream. #CAwx
“Warm West/Cool East” dipole to develop over North America in late January; mostly dry/warm conditions lead to record-low Western U.S. snowpack - Weather West
Yes, it's still record warm out West and the snowpack really is that bad (outside of central/southern Sierra) I'll keep this part pretty short: it has been an absurdly warm winter thus far across nearly the entire American West, including most of California. One of the only exceptions has been CA's Central Valley, where episodes
weatherwest.com
January 20, 2026 at 12:13 AM
@karlthefog.bsky.social looks like you'll be lobbying in sac a bit longer
A highly amplified atmospheric pattern over Northern Hemisphere, characterized by persistent high-latitude blocking & equatorward displacement of cold Arctic air (-AO & +TNH), will continue for the next 10+ days. Net result: warm & dry in U.S. West and cold (& maybe stormy) East.
January 19, 2026 at 11:24 PM
Reposted by Chasing Cirrus
A highly amplified atmospheric pattern over Northern Hemisphere, characterized by persistent high-latitude blocking & equatorward displacement of cold Arctic air (-AO & +TNH), will continue for the next 10+ days. Net result: warm & dry in U.S. West and cold (& maybe stormy) East.
January 19, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Fascinating to think about how decomputing and resisting tech acceleration could benefit state and educational administration in CA.
January 19, 2026 at 10:15 PM
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Why is losing ice from land a major problem for people living near the ocean? Using a miniature beach to demonstrate one of the many impacts of going past #planetaryboundaries, the Planetary Boundaries Science lab asks "Is sea level rise worse than you think?"👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4ao...
Is sea level rise worse than you think? Planetary Boundaries Science
YouTube video by Planetary Boundaries Science
www.youtube.com
January 19, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Liquid glass? More like liquid ass.
January 19, 2026 at 5:18 AM
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Half the battle with this guy is just reiterating government can and already does good things that are so ubiquitous they’ve become invisible. He’s able to remind you in a way that you understand that good government can exist outside of a 24/7 vengeance operation, and in NYC already does.
Stay warm, stay safe New York.
January 18, 2026 at 10:47 PM
Reposted by Chasing Cirrus
Córy Doctorow with another verbal bullseye: pluralistic.net/2026/01/13/n...
January 18, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Fantastic Op-Ed from Cory Doctorow in the Guardian today about the role of AI in society and our economy. I appreciate the delineation between centaurs and reverse centaurs.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
AI companies will fail. We can salvage something from the wreckage | Cory Doctorow
AI is asbestos in the walls of our tech society, stuffed there by monopolists run amok. A serious fight against it must strike at its roots
www.theguardian.com
January 18, 2026 at 7:13 PM
Reposted by Chasing Cirrus
The effort to explicitly protect NCAR during the appropriations process has, unfortunately, been unsuccessful. For now, NCAR is still operating as usual. While the future remains uncertain, and disappointingly entwined with partisan political retribution, the broader fight continues.
January 16, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by Chasing Cirrus
Well, it's now official (per NOAA): Dec (and Nov-Dec) 2025 were the warmest such periods on record for Western U.S. (and also for most individual Western states). It has been an extraordinarily sustained period of winter warmth, and this eerily balmy winter continues into Jan.
January 14, 2026 at 3:57 AM
Reposted by Chasing Cirrus
New #CAwater paper modeling future hydrologic extremes in the Russian River watershed: ⚒️

Reservoirs buffer streamflow impacts of climate change & water use.

Aquifers annually replenished by streams, but wells captured streamflows.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

doi.org/10.1016/j.ej...
January 12, 2026 at 8:48 PM
Reposted by Chasing Cirrus
Following a very wet (but also record-warm) December, anomalously warm but (this time) quite dry weather will intensify over the coming days across most of the American West. A strong ridge will shift toward PacNW and strengthen/persist for at least next ~10 days. [Thread] #CAwx
January 11, 2026 at 11:12 PM
Lmao, it would be so jarring to see a text-mobile and pull up to find I agree with the text.
Anyways, my ride is here
January 10, 2026 at 5:28 PM
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We Know what WE saw
January 10, 2026 at 5:21 PM
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The U.S. government released its draft environmental review of options for new Colorado River rules to replace current operating guidelines that expire this year. Sounds dry but very important for a watershed that supports 40 million people in the Southwest. coloradosun.com/2026/01/09/c...
Feds release draft report outlining management plans for Colorado River’s future
The Bureau of Reclamation on Friday released a draft of options for how to manage the Colorado River water supply for years to come.
coloradosun.com
January 9, 2026 at 10:43 PM
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On the anniversary of the devastating Palisades & Eaton fires in Los Angeles, I wanted to share this @ichotiner.bsky.social Q&A published in the immediate aftermath. The lightly edited transcript reflects my initial reactions, but remains relevant even a year later.
How Did the Los Angeles Fires Get So Out of Control?
A climate scientist discusses how to think about and weigh the variables that led to the current disaster.
www.newyorker.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:42 AM
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I learn something new every time I read the NWS forecast discussion.
January 5, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Reposted by Chasing Cirrus
The California Legislature is back in session! What does that mean? Check out my free zine below to find out just how laws are made in California and how you can get involved!
I finally scanned this and uploaded it. You can find my lil zine about the California Legislative Process on Itchi.io - flawgic.itch.io/how-to-make-.... It's free so feel free to share!

Are there CA politics folks here on Bluesky?
January 5, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Great, so the nazi fuckhead regime has created Iraq 2 right in our backyard.
January 3, 2026 at 7:16 PM
Amazing footage.
Never before seen footage‼️

Tornado genesis of the Clear Lake, South Dakota tornado earlier this year.
@myradar.bsky.social
#tornado #weather
January 2, 2026 at 11:50 PM
Reposted by Chasing Cirrus
Another winter storm will bring widespread rain and gusty winds to much of California this weekend. This one will be focused more on NorCal vs SoCal. Only minor rain/wind impacts are expected--but a notable coastal flood event may occur in SF Bay Area (see my other thread). #CAwx
January 2, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Reposted by Chasing Cirrus
Highest astronomical high tides of year (aka the "King Tides") will occur this weekend in NorCal. But this year, they will coincide w/additional storm surge from nearby low pressure--causing potential for SF Bay Area coastal flooding beyond what we've seen in recent years. #CAwx
January 2, 2026 at 5:31 PM