When it comes to West Nile virus, temperature and moisture make a difference.

Senior scientist Michael Wimberly of the Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence at South Dakota State University has found that milder winters and hotter summers are associated with larger West Nile virus outbreaks. Colder temperatures affect the overwintering affect survival of the mosquitoes. Though mosquito populations bounce back quickly when temperatures rise, he pointed out, “the virus recovers more slowly.” Warmer temperatures during the West Nile virus season increase mosquito activity and allow more mosquitoes to become infected by the virus.

Wimberly built and continues to refine a West Nile prediction model that combines environmental data gathered through earth-imaging satellites with the mosquito surveillance data from the South Dakota Department of Health. He’s been working on this since 2009.

He is available to comment on how environmental factors affect the risk of West Nile virus. He can be reached for comment at (605)695-0869 or [email protected].