Community Climate Profiles
Climate change adaptation planning requires that we make decisions about the long-term health and well-being of our communities using the best information we have available now. However, many communities lack the technical resources to compile and analyze climate data and research findings, making long-term planning efforts a challenge. To address the gap in accessibility of usable climate information, CLIMAS researchers worked closely with Indigenous communities, cities, towns, neighborhoods, and NGOs in Arizona and New Mexico to provide tailored technical information to help inform each community’s climate adaptation plans or other long-term planning efforts.
The 2018 City of Flagstaff Climate Adaptation and Action Plan, which drew from CLIMAS-provided data, won an Arizona Planning Association Award. Because CLIMAS is focused on building long-term partnerships, our team is currently working with the City of Flagstaff to update their adaptation plan.
"Our community was very under-informed about climate change. I called up Dan Ferguson and he introduced me to Alison Meadow and this project. It was a perfect fit. We went down to the University to discuss our situation. They came up to the Highlands to get familiarity with what was happening here. Alison would call from time to time, and we would chat about things that helped her to ensure that the report was focused on us. We’ve been very pleased with what came out of it. And it was a lot of fun, it was just an enjoyable time to put the profile together."
- Rich Markham, The Highlands at Dove Mountain
CLIMAS Lead: Alison Meadow
Research Team: Sarah Leroy, Jeremy Weiss, Ladd Keith
Partners: Adaptation International, City of Flagstaff Sustainability Office, City of Sedona Sustainability Program, The Highlands at Dove Mountain, Yavapai Climate Change Coalition
Publications
Meadow, A., Weiss, J., & Crimmins, M. (2023). Climate Profile for the Quad Cities Region of Arizona. Climate Assessment for the Southwest, University of Arizona.
Meadow, A., Weiss, J., & LeRoy, S. (2021). Climate Profile for the Upper Santa Cruz River Watershed. Climate Assessment for the Southwest, University of Arizona.
Meadow, A., LeRoy, S., Weiss, J., & Keith, L. (2020). Climate Profile for the Verde Valley. Climate Assessment for the Southwest, University of Arizona.
Meadow, A., LeRoy, S., Weiss, J., & Keith, L. (2019). Climate Profile for the Highlands at Dove Mountain. Climate Assessment for the Southwest, University of Arizona.
Meadow, A., Weiss, J., LeRoy, S., Keith, L., Hausam, S., Nasser, E., Petersen, S., Basaraba, A., & Russell, N. (2019). Climate Profile for the Pueblo of Laguna. Climate Assessment for the Southwest, University of Arizona.
Meadow, A., LeRoy, S., Weiss, J., & Keith, L. (2018). Climate Profile for the City of Flagstaff, Arizona. Climate Assessment for the Southwest, University of Arizona.
LeRoy, S., Meadow, A., and Weiss, J. (2018). Climate-Related Hazards in the Town of Oro Valley. Climate Assessment for the Southwest, University of Arizona.
LeRoy, S., Meadow, A., and Weiss, J. (2018). Climate Change Impacts on the North American Monsoon: Summary for the Tohono O’odham Nation. Climate Assessment for the Southwest, University of Arizona.
Media
Arizona Daily Sun, "The Science Behind the Flagstaff Draft Climate Action Plan," 10/18/2018.
Arizona Daily Sun, “Dozens of 90-degree days and less snow in store for Flagstaff by 2100,” 4/1/2017.