Extreme Climate Update
- Climate
Losing a key U.S. climate report would hurt future disaster prep
A scientist who worked on the National Climate Assessment explains how stopping work on it may make us more vulnerable to extreme weather disasters.
- Climate
Yes, you can blame climate change for the LA wildfires
Weather data show how humankind’s burning of fossil fuels made the hot, dry, windy weather more likely, setting the stage for the Los Angeles wildfires.
- Climate
2024 was Earth’s hottest year on record, passing a dangerous warming threshold
Global temperatures were the hottest on record in 2024; it was the first year where the average temperature topped 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial times.
- Climate
California wildfire season should be over. So why is L.A. burning?
In some parts of California, fire season is now year-round due to rising heat and little rain. High winds and dry conditions are fueling L.A.’s infernos.
- Climate
Climate change has amped up hurricane wind speeds by 29 kph on average
Every single Atlantic hurricane in 2024 had wind speeds supercharged by warming seas. One even jumped two categories of intensity.
- Climate
Climate change fueled the fury of hurricanes Helene and Milton
Two new studies find climate change amped up sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, fueling the hurricanes' intensity.
- Climate
Why Hurricane Helene was so devastating
The tempest caused record-breaking storm surge on the coast and widespread and deadly flooding and debris flows in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Climate
How rapid intensification spawned two monster hurricanes in one week
New maps of wind impacts beyond Helene’s ‘cone of uncertainty’ track highlight how a hurricane’s power extends far inland.
- Climate
Summer-like heat is scorching the Southern Hemisphere — in winter
Warmer winters are fast becoming a global phenomenon and can affect everything from the food we grow to the spread of diseases.
- Health & Medicine
Extreme heat and rain are fueling rising cases of mosquito-borne diseases
Extreme Climate Update looks at the perfect storm climate change is creating for mosquitoes and the diseases they carry, like dengue and West Nile.
- Climate
The world’s record-breaking hot streak has lasted 14 months. When will it end?
Science News spoke with NOAA climatologist Karin Gleason about the ongoing record-breaking streak of record-high global temperatures.
- Climate
Extraordinary heat waves have readers asking how A/C affects greenhouse gas emissions
Air conditioning is responsible for nearly 4 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions but that will climb along with rising temperatures.
