Desert Floods

In the red rock deserts of the southwest, there is little soil to absorb rainfall. It usually runs off the rock to the lowest point which is commonly a narrow incised canyon. These canyons can fill with flood waters very quickly. We talk with hydrologist Brian McInerney about the conditions that come together to form these flash floods and how dangerous they can be.

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Science Moab · Desert Floods

Weather in the Arid Southwest

When puffy white clouds appear in the sky above a hot arid landscape, one may wonder “where is that moisture coming from?”.  The desert southwest is unique in many ways and the weather patterns are no exception. We talk about weather with Tony Merriman, meteorologist and outreach coordinator from the National Weather Service office in Flagstaff, AZ.  We discuss the large and small scale factors that contribute to the aridity and the (hopefully) moisture we have here on the Colorado Plateau.

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Science Moab · Weather in the Arid Southwest