Given the current level of understanding of phenomena like hurricanes, extratropical cyclones, and severe thunderstorms-which result from complex interactions between many scales of motion in the atmosphere-it is difficult to skillfully predict if these weather phenomena will become something extraordinary ; a similar statement may be made for events such as an extended heat wave or seasonal flooding. Adding a sense of urgency to this already complicated problem are projections of more frequent, and perhaps more intense extreme events in future climates. The Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences is responding to this problem through its focus on Climate and Extreme Weather (CLEW), which seeks to: Understand and predict the physical and statistical behavior of extreme weather and climate events.