Continuing our National Climate Assessment tour of the United States, we arrive in the Northwest – defined in the NCA as Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The NCA is easily one of the most scientifically problematic documents I've ever read.  Take this quote from the "Observed Climate Change" subsection on the Northwest: Temperatures increased across the region from 1895 to 2011, with a regionally averaged warming of about 1.3°F. While precipitation has generally increased, trends are small as compared to natural variability. Actually, as I calculate the average temperature change throughout the Northwest between 1895 and 2011 using NOAA's data itself, the warming has been 1.75°F, not 1.3°F.  It is worthy to note that average temperatures in the Northwest have not exhibited any significant trend whatsoever over the past two decades. But here is the problem in the statement: "While precipitation has generally...(Read Full Post)