UW-Madison is leading a multidisciplinary research center focused on advancing and predicting the impacts of severe storms. The initiative brings together experts to study storm risks, resilience, and climate-driven weather changes.
Year: 2025
NASA Extends PREFIRE CubeSat Climate Mission through 2026
NASA’s PREFIRE CubeSat Mission, the twin cube satellites will operate through at least September 2026, expanding focus from the poles to the whole planet to improve modelling and weather forecasts.
Chris Kucharik Featured in Story About Wisconet
UW‘s statewide network of hyper-local weather stations gives Wisconsin growers a powerful tool to reduce costs and improve yields.
November 2025 CCR Highlights
Center for Climatic Research scientists, students, and partners demonstrated numerous examples of the Wisconsin Idea in November 2025.
Professors Zoet and Haseloff Awarded Grant to Study Glaciers and Sea Level Rise
CCR affiliates and geoscience professors Luke Zoet and Marianne Haseloff are using a grant from the Arête Glacier Initiative to understand the movement and melting of giant glaciers, potentially reducing their impact on sea level rise.
State Climatology Office Featured in Stories About Fall Colors and Unseasonable Warmth
Check out these news articles from September and October 2025 featuring the Wisconsin State Climatology Office.
Dr. Michael Notaro visited Nekoosa High School to work with the students in learning about meteorological instrumentation
Through funding from the USDA NIFA-supported Wisconsin Rural Partnerships Institute, Dr. Michael Notaro visited Nekoosa High School to work with the students in learning about meteorological instrumentation, the urban heat island effect and benefits of …
The AASC has designated the Wisconsin State Climatology Office as the AASC Recognized State Climate Office, ARSCO, for the state of Wisconsin.
The American Association of State Climatologists (AASC) has designated the Wisconsin State Climatology Office as the AASC Recognized State Climate Office, ARSCO, for the state of Wisconsin. The ARSCO title acknowledges that the office meets …
Professors Adames Corraliza and Oyola-Merced Named Distinguished Chairs
The UW–Madison Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS) is pleased to announce Professors Ángel Adames Corraliza and Mayra Oyola-Merced as the newest Ned P. Smith Distinguished Chairs of Climatology and Meteorology, respectively. In 2015, …
Andrea Dutton was selected to receive the Geological Society of America Public Service Award.
The GSA Public Service Award in honor of Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker was established by Council in 1998 to be awarded for contributions that have materially enhanced the public’s understanding of the earth sciences, or …
Symposium focuses on resilient climate solutions
The Center for Climate Research hosted the University of Wisconsin Climate Change Symposium Oct. 7. The 11th annual symposium was held with a focus on climate solutions for resilient communities at the intersection of science …
The UW Climate Change Symposium was held on October 7, 2025 and featured a keynote presentation by Anna Michalak
The UW Climate Change Symposium was held on October 7, 2025 and featured a keynote presentation by Anna Michalak from the Carnegie Institute for Science and a panel discussion by Emmy Swift from American Family Insurance, Vijay Limnaye …
Ángel Adames-Corraliza in being named a Macarthur Fellow, otherwise known as the “genius” award.
Ángel Adames-Corraliza in being named a Macarthur Fellow, otherwise known as the “genius” award, along with two dozen other brilliant individuals from around the country!!! Ángel’s work and lab is a testament to the high-quality …
Professor Ankur Desai has been named the recipient of the 2025 AGU Sulzman Award for Scientific Excellence through Education and Mentoring
Professor Ankur Desai has been named the recipient of the 2025 AGU Sulzman Award for Scientific Excellence through Education and Mentoring. This award is presented in recognition of significant contributions as a role model and …
Graduate student Clark Zimmerman and Professor Till Wagner took part in the Greenland Ice Sheet Ocean Interactions Workshop in Nuuk, Greenland
Graduate student Clark Zimmerman and Professor Till Wagner took part in the Greenland Ice Sheet Ocean Interactions Workshop in Nuuk, Greenland. They met with Greenlandic stakeholders, visited research sites, and sailed far into the ice of …
Wave goodbye: Research yields new knowledge about how ocean action carves icebergs from ice sheets
An interdisciplinary team’s research may deepen our understanding of how ocean waves wear away massive ice sheets—and how that activity can influence climate around the world.
Federal funding cuts threaten future of Wisconsin STEM camp for autistic students
STEM camps run by University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Climatic Research have served autistic middle and high school students across Wisconsin and Illinois since 2022, but organizers say federal funding cuts threaten their future.
Federal funding cut jeopardizes STEM camp for autistic kids at Vilas Zoo
STEM camp for autistic kids, started four years ago by a UW-Madison professor, has been so popular its initial Beloit location spawned programs at Vilas Zoo in Madison and in the Wisconsin Dells. This past …
More heat, more humidity, more rain, more floods, more tornadoes — and more bad air
Meteorologists and climate scientists tracking Wisconsin’s weather point to the trends of hotter nights, higher humidity, extreme rainstorms, more tornadoes and smoky air as standing out over the course of the 2025 summer season.
A 1,000-year flood, historically bad air quality, extreme heat: Summer 2025 is far from normal in Wisconsin
“We haven’t had a lot of days with really nice, enjoyable weather, because either we had to worry about the air quality, or it’s been really, really humid, or it’s been decently hot,” said Amanda …
Wisconsin STEM summer camps for neurodivergent kids may end after federal government cancels funding
The future of a local summer camp designed for neurodivergent kids is now up in the air after the federal government canceled its funding. Michael Notaro is the director of the Center for Climatic Research …
Wisconsin air quality among nation’s worst as Canadian wildfire smoke spreads
Air quality conditions in Wisconsin are on track to be the state’s worst so far in 2025, said State Climatologist Steve Vavrus. He said the state hasn’t seen air this bad since two summers ago, …
Henry Vilas Zoo host STEM camp for neurodivergent kids
CCR-supported Zoo Explorer’s Sensory-Friendly Camp at the Henry Vilas Zoo, in support of neurodiverse youth, received news coverage from three stations: https://www.channel3000.com/news/wisconsin-science-camps-for-kids-with-autism-face-uncertain-future-after-federal-funding-cuts/article_f848be02-9cba-4fb5-a21f-a888fcefcd14.html https://www.wmtv15news.com/2025/07/27/madison-stem-camp-neurodivergent-kids-could-see-final-year-after-funding-loss/ https://www.wkow.com/news/henry-vilas-zoo-host-stem-camp-for-neurodivergent-kids/article_a192af69-c350-4cbe-9baa-297408f3d06b.html
Even with the best tools and knowledge, forecasting can miss key pieces of the puzzle. The research happening in Mayra Oyola-Merced’s lab can help explain why and lead to a future with more accurate forecasting.
If you’ve ever seen Star Wars, they’re like the midi-chlorians of our atmosphere,” says Mayra Oyola-Merced, an assistant professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. “They can switch between the dark side and …
Hannah Zanowski’s research on polar oceanography could help answer key questions about different types of oceans that exist on distant planets.
What do Earth’s oceans share with an icy moon orbiting Saturn? For Hannah Zanowski, both might be crucial in addressing a key question: What makes a planet habitable? Zanowski combines her passion for oceanography and …