Each weekday on News Channel 8 at 5:45 pm WFLA’s Chief Meteorologist and Climate Specialist digs into the science behind a fascinating weather or climate topic.
June 28, 2024 – Record Shattering Mexico Heatwave Spiked by Climate Change
The heat dome which plaugued Mexico and the US South in May and Early June was made up to 200 times more likely and 3 degrees F more intense by climate pollution. That’s according to a study by World Weather Attribution. In today’s climate, which is much warmer than our cooler pre-industrial climate, all heatwaves are magnified by climate change. Here’s more…
June 27, 2024 – June Hurricanes are very rare in the deep Tropical Atlantic
By the first day of July we may have a hurricane in the eastern Caribbean. If that happens it would be very rare. Since 1851 there have only been 2 hurricanes which moved through the Leser Antilles on or before July 2nd, 1933 and Elsa in 2021. It remains to be seen if that will occur. But when systems develop this far east, this early in the season, it typically signals an active hurricane season ahead. Given the unprecedented factors lining up this hurricane season, we should expect the unexpected.
June 26, 2024 – Devastating Midwest Flooding
Floods are devastating areas in Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota due to overlfowing swollen rivers. That’s because upto 15″ of rain fell in just a few days this past weekend. The heavy rain was due to a stubborn weather pattern with the jetstream stuck on top of the area and disturbances riding by overhead. But climate change is likely having an impact too due to a warming climate. Over the longer term rainfall is increasing during the summer in the central and eastern US, in some spots 25 to 50%. And the heaviest downpours are more intense – upto 60% more intense in the Northeast and 45% more intense in the Midwest. Here’s more…
June 21, 2024 – International #ShowYourStripes Day
Each year on the first day of summer the climate concerned all over the World display a design called Warming Stripes, created by Professor Ed Hawkins in the UK. The design is a very simple visual showing blue for below normal temperatures and red for above normal temperatures from the 1800s to today. The visual allows even novices to clearly see the quick increase in temperatures both globally and locally.
Here’s more…
June 20, 2024 – Why did weak Alberto have so much storm surge?
Alberto was a 40 mph tropical storm for most of its life. So how could it have produced 4 feet of surge on the Texas Coast, and over 4 feet in Galveston, 500 miles from the storm center? The answer is that Alberto had a big wind field and was a slow moving system. So it affected a big chunk of the Gulf of Mexico with persistent winds for days, moving in the same general direction, piling the water up. Add to that sea level rise (SLR). Since 1905 Galveston has seen around 2.5 feet of SLR. This essential more doubled the amount of coastal flooding then would have otherwise happened without SLR.
June 19, 2024 – Earth’s Exceptional Heat Over the Past Year
Any climate scientist or meteorologist will tell you just how astonishing the spike in Earth’s heat over the past year has been. 36% of Earth’s surface the record hottest June 2023 to May 2024 on record. A recent study found that 8% of this spike is due to El Nino and 92% is human-caused. Visualizing carbon dioxide emissions allows us to see just how much of a force of nature we have become. You have to see these charts to believe them.
June 18, 2024 – Dangerous heat plagues the East
A major heatwave is on tap for the Eastern US this week. 300 record highs and lows expected through the weekend. Here’s more on the heat, how rare it is and how climate change factors in.
June 17, 2024 – Tropical Trouble Spawned by the Central American Gyre
The tropics are heating up and that’s mainly due to a very strong Central American Gyre. It’s a common phenomena which reoccurs each season, sometimes a few times. The current one is a powerhouse and it is dictating the weather all around it, including to some degree here in the state of Florida. This Gyre has a chance of helping produce 2-3 tropical systems in the next 10 days. Here’s more:
June 13, 2024 – Rain Bombs and Climate Change
Over the past week Florida contended with 2 major rain bombs in 2 days. Downtown Sarasota had a over 8 inches in 3 hours, which qualifies as a 1-in-1000 year event. And Hollywood Florida has picked up nearly 2 feet of rain since Tuesday, making for a disastrous flood situation there. So does a warmer climate contribute? Sure it does. Warmer air holds more moisture and dumps more rain, and a record warm Gulf and Atlantic contributes. Since ~1900 Earth has seen a 3 degree increase in temperature since – that equates to 12% more moisture available to fuel more extreme rain events. In Florida, since 1970, we have seen a increasing trend in total column water vapor which means heavier rain events can be more likely and more intense. Here’s more…
June 10, 2024 – Why does it rain more on Florida’s East Coast than Gulf Coast?
Today’s Bonus was a viewer question wanting to know why FL’s East Coast gets more rain than our Gulf Coast. It’s a great question and that has been the case this past 1-2 years, giving us a recency bias. Meaning it feels that way because this is the way it has been most recently. But on average that is really not the case. When you compare Tampa to, let’s say, Melbourne, FL – which is directly east – the 30-year average rainfall is about the same. Here’s how it works…
June 7, 2024 – The climatology of tropical systems in June
Since 1970, there have been 51 named storms in June; only 9 have eventually formed into hurricanes. Most often they form “close to home” meaning near the Gulf and northern Caribbean. When they form early in the season the seeds are often old, stalled fronts which gather thunderstorms over the Gulf. Here’s more…
June 6, 2024 – Florida’s wild swings in sea level
25,000 years ago you would have had to walk 100 miles west from Tampa to reach the Gulf of Mexico. Sea levels were 427 feet lower! That’s because during the last ice age all that water was trapped in the huge ice sheets and thus sea level was very low. But as the Earth warmed due to natural orbital changes the ice melted over the course of 10,000 years. During that time sea level rose more than 420 feet to what we know today. The issue is that we are adding additional sea level rise due to human-caused climate heating. Last time it was this warm on Earth 125K years ago, sea level was ~25 feet higher and most of Florida was under water. Here’s more…
June 5, 2024 – Record hot ocean. What’s the deal?
The Atlantic Ocean is record hot right now, and not just by a little. Since the 1980s the North Atlantic has been warming gradually due to human-caused climate change. 90% of the excess heat trapped on Earth from the Greenhouse Effect is eventually stored in the oceans. Also in the year 2020 new ship pollution regulations went into effect, substantially reducing pollution and increasing sunlight reaching our oceans. This explains some of the warming, but still the increase in ocean heat is stunning. Here’s more…
June 4, 2024 – Hottest May on Record
May was the hottest on record in most of the Tampa Bay Area and globally as well. Locally temps averaged 3.5 to 5 degrees above normal. Globally the month was nearly 3 degrees Fahrenheit above the preindustrial normal climate. This is the 12th straight month of record breaking global temps. The global warming is due mainly to the burning of fossil fuels and release of heat trapping climate pollution (greenhouse effect). In Tampa the area has warmed 4 degrees F since 1970, due both to greenhouse warming and urban heat island effect. Here’s more…
May 31, 2024 – The future of fire seasons in the Bay Area
Fire danger remains high across the Bay Area due to very hot and dry conditions. For the past 60 days Tampa has picked up only 50% of its normal rain and areas near Sarasota have seen less than 25%, so the ground is very dry. With that said, the trend over the past 50 years is flat – meaning there is not trend for more or less fire weather days. But looking into the future using computer models, it does look like we will see drier air due to the increased evaporation from warmer temperatures. Here’s more:
May 29, 2024 – Extremely dry in Bay Area! When’s rainy season?
For the past year, rainfall especially near the coast has been way below normal. Sarasota has been the driest – 25″ below normal for 2023 & 2024. Over the past 60 days areas near and south of Tampa Bay has only seen 10-25% of normal rainfall. The Keetch Byram drought index is running in the high category south of Tampa Bay, and in the moderate category from Tampa Bay north. Because of a big relentless heat dome rainy season is already delayed and at least for the next week+ it looks unlikely to begin. The ingredients are just not there yet. Here’s more..
May 28, 2024 – Record hot Loop Current as hurricane season begins
The Gulf of Mexico, and also the Loop Current within it, is record hot as we move into hurricane season. The Loop Current and other warm core eddies can increase the intensity of hurricanes by 20 to 40% which is a substantial and dangerous increase. That is why warmer water can mean stronger hurricanes and worse damage. Here’s more…
May 27, 2024 – Deadly heat dome in Mexico
Mexico and Central America has been suffering from an extreme and relentless heat dome for several weeks. The heat dome is amplified by climate change. It’s having an impact with dozens of people dead and around 150 Howler Monkeys dying of heat stroke. Also, the drought – made worse by the heat – is so bad in Mexico City they may run out of water in June. Here’s more:
May 24, 2024 – Big US tornado season so far. Here’s why…
This is the 3rd most active season to date for US Tornadoes since 2010, according to the records from NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center. There have been very photogenic, but deadly tornadoes this season. The cause of the active severe weather is a stuck weather pattern, due partly to the heat dome over Central America, with a stalled front over the Plains States. Here’s a full explainer including details about multi-vortex tornadoes.
May 23, 2024 – Why we expect a hyperactive hurricane season
NOAA issued their most active hurricane season forecast in history. There’s good reason. Atlantic water temps are at record levels and La Niña is developing in the Pacific. In short, all signs are lining up for an active season. Here’s more:
May 22, 2024 – Drought builds and no sign of rainy season yet.
As El Niño fades due to cooling water in the eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean, La Niña is probably not far off. During El Niño warm waters energize the subtropical jet stream, but now as water cool the jet has faded. The result is after a somewhat wet winter, the spring has been dry and the soil is drying out. The Keetch Byram drought index south of Tampa is in the moderate to high category. On average rainy season begins this week, but because of a big and persistent heat dome the area will remain mainly dry for at least the next week.
May 21, 2024 – Record hot water, but no tropical storms yet? Why?
Today we answer a great viewer question. With ocean temperatures at record levels, why have no storms formed yet? The answer is that you need more than hot water for storms to form. Specifically what has been missing this year is seedlings. In order for systems to form you need a way to aggregate and then spin up thunderstorms. So far that has lacked this season. Here’s more…
May 20, 2024 – Historic Heat Dome over Central America
For the past couple of weeks, Central America has been roasting under a historic heat dome. Highs have reached as high as 124, and records are being shattered in many locations. Florida has been on the northern edge of the dome and heat index values in Tampa, Miami and Key West have managed to reach 108 to 115. Incredible for May. This heat is partly fueled by climate change, which is making heat waves more frequent, bigger and more intense.
May 17, 2024 – Heat Dome powers 100 mph storms in Texas
1000s of windows were shattered in Houston high rise buildings as a powerful Derecho – or squall line – powered it’s way through Texas and Louisiana. A derecho is a special type of squall line that produces unusually powerful and widespread wind gusts over a long distance. Derecho’s often ride the north end of heat domes and are partially powered from the south by that heat. Also they tend to ride the edge of the dome, producing not only big storms but also copious rainfall falling over the same areas. Some parts of Texas have seen over 30″ of rain in 30 days – 70% of yearly rainfall.
May 16, 2024 – Key West hits 115, shattering daily heat index record by 17 degrees.
On Wednesday, Key West hit a heat index of 115 degrees, tying their all-time record, and breaking their daily record by 17 degrees. That is astonishing given that it’s only mid May, and typically the highest heat index days are in mid summer. It’s due to a heat dome, hot water temps and climate change. Here’s more details…
May 15, 2024 – Fires blazing across Mexico and Canada
Smoke from fires in Central America is impacting the SE, while zombie fires in Canada are reemerging, portending what may be another big fire season there. Here’s more:
May 7, 2024 – European model hurricane season forecast
Now-a-days computer models have the ability to forecast climate patterns months ahead of time. While they can not forecast when/ where a storm will go, they can offer a general overview of the season. For instance how active hurricane season will be based on average climate patterns for a month or seasons. The latest European model ensemble forecast issued early May for the Atlantic hurricane season confirms what we have been forecasting – a hyperactive season. In fact the forecast is the most robust May forecast ever issued by the forecast system. Here’s more:
May 3, 2024 – Florida’s strongest tornado on record
25 years ago today Moore Oklahoma was decimated by and F5 tornado with winds as high as 300 mph. 13 years after that the same city was hit by another EF5. In Florida we have never seen an F5 tornado, but Florida’s biggest tornado was an F4 with winds over 200 mph and it hit right on top of the heart of the Tampa Bay Area, passing through Largo, Clearwater, North Tampa, Temple Terrace, Gibsonia and stayed on the ground all the way to Cocoa on the East Coast – over 100 miles. More here…
May 2, 2024 – Heat arriving earlier
Today was Tampa’s first 90 degree day of the year. This is inline wit the typical time we see the first 90 degree day when we look at the last 100 years of records. But over the past few decades the first 90 degree day has moved from May to April, about 35 days earlier. That’s because springs are warming around here. In Tampa springs are 4 degrees warmer than they were around 1970, due to human-caused climate change and urban heat island. More here…
May 1, 2024 – Florida Fire Season FactoidsWe are now entering the peak of Florida fire season. The timing is due to brush being dry because we are at the end of dry season and the air is warming, increasing evaporation from the vegetation and drying the ground out. Also our daily lightning storms are not too far off, and these strikes often ignite fires. But you may be surprised to hear that humans are responsible for far more acres burned in Florida than lightning. Here’s more details.
April 26, 2024 – Dubai rain event caused mainly by El Nino, study says.
The recent flood in the UAE, where 5-10″ of rain fell in 2 days, was very rare and likely a consequence of El Nino, enhanced by climate change. Here’s more:
April 25, 2024 – How do we know climate change is real?
Today’s bonus is a viewer question. Jerry wanted to know how we know human-caused climate change is real, or is it cyclical? The answer is yes. Both are true. Over tens of thousands of years changes in the Earth’s tilt and orbit mean the amount of sunlight received by Earth changes. That is why every 100,000 years or so Earth cycles through an ice age. But something changed in the past century… the Earth has warmed much faster than is natural -10 times faster than any time in millions of years because of the burning of fossil fuels and release of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. 99% of climate scientists agree that the warming climate is happening and is caused by humans – there is near unanimous consensus. But there is a disconnect. When asked, Americans think only 55% of scientists are in consensus. Here’s more:
April 23, 2024 – Drier air means hotter high temperatures
Tampa’s hottest days don’t come in mid to late summer, even though it feels hotter. That is because late spring and early summer is less humid and the air heats up more easily. Here’s why.
April 23, 2024 – Contrails or Chemtrails?
In today’s Berardelli Bonus we take viewer question. Are the narrow streaks in the atmosphere narrow clouds called contrails or are they a toxic conspiracy called chemtrails? The answer is the long narrow streaks are clouds produced by airplanes. Planes produce warm/ moist air in their exhaust. Because the air at high altitude is cold, the moisture from the exhaust is squeezed out / condensed and forms contrails. When the atmosphere is humid the contrails last for a long time. When the atmosphere is dry the contrails tend to evaporate quickly. More here:
April 22, 2024 – What’s the best thing you can do to help save the Earth?
There’s no one perfect answer. But through my years of doing, I’d say “Care”. If we take a moment on Earth Day to research and educate ourselves on the Earth challenged we face and better understand what sustains us, I think we’d all be more willing to pitch in and help. Here’s more:
April 17, 2024 – Tampa 90 degree days double and come a month earlier
This week parts of the Bay Area are hitting the summery 90 degree mark. For inland areas that is right on time. But things have changed a lot over the past century. On average, Tampa hits 90 degrees 35 days earlier than it did 100 years ago. And Tampa now averages about 120 days at or above 90, that’s double the average around 1970.
April 17, 2024 – El Niño fading, La Niña on the way!
This past summer, fall and winter El Niño dominated the eastern Tropical Pacific and exerted influence on global climate patterns. But the warm water is now fading there and cooler water is taking it’s place. Computer forecasts indicate that La Niña is on the way. That means record breaking global ocean temperatures should decrease, but it also likely means an active hurricane season ahead.
April 17, 2024 – Dubai Rain Bomb! Was it cloud seeding?
The story breaking the internet this week is the 6-14″ of rain in Oman, the UAE and Iran – 2 to 3 years worth of rain in just two days! So what caused it? The internet is speculating it was cloud seeding. But that was not the case. The UAE does have a cloud seeding program, but even if they deployed it, it would have had very little impact on this system. The storm was very well forecast days ahead, some models predicting several inches of rain due to a very dynamic weather pattern. This extreme event was likely enhanced by a warmer climate.
April 16 2024 – Mass global coral bleaching event underway
NOAA released a report this week saying that a global mass coral bleaching event is underway. So far in 2023-2024, 54% of coral regions have experienced bleaching level heat stress. Coral bleaching happens when waters are too warm for too long. It is happening more often now, back to back, not allowing coral reefs enough time to recover. The result is our reefs are dying and most may be wiped out by mid-century according to marine biologists unless humans slow the rapidly Earth’s warming.
April 15 2024 – Huge blob of Saharan Dust cooling tropical Atlantic waters
It’s that time of year that we start looking towards Africa for Dust outbreaks. We have one now and it, combined with strong easterly winds, is finally cooling off the sea surface temps in the East Atlantic. But does that matter for hurricane season? Here’s more…
April 12 2024 – March was the 10th record warm month in a row, globally
The numbers are in and March 2024 was once again the warmest March on record since records have been kept. Global temps were ~.2 degrees F above the former record. More importantly for Florida, the Tropical Atlantic Ocean is by far the warmest it has ever been. Here’s more details…
April 11 2024 – NOAA says heat trapping emissions are still going up
The 2023 numbers are in and emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases have not declined. That is the conclusion of a NOAA report recently released. The rate of increase of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere is 100X faster than a natural increase and CO2 is now likely higher than anytime in 14 million years. The planet is warming at a rate that is 10X faster than it has in the last 65 million years. More here:
April 10 2024 – Super cool images of optical phenomena sent in by viewers
In the past few days we have had some great pics sent in by viewers from halos to upside down rainbows. Here’s the science behind them.
April 4 2024 – Reasons for the Hyperactive Hurricane Season Forecast
Colorado State University put out their annual hurricane season forecast for this summer and as expected the forecast is for a very active season. Here’s the reason for hyperactive forecast.
April 3 2024 – Escalating damage cost from severe weather events
Damage costs from severe weather events has been rising sharply over the past decade. This is due to more infrastructure in vulnerable areas, climate change and replacement costs increasing.
April 1, 2024 – El Nino’s Impact on US Tornado Season
El Niño and La Niña have a big impact on spring severe weather season in Tornado Alley. Specifically El Niño results in less severe weather because the subtropical jet stream blocks warm/ moist air from moving far northward out of the Gulf of Mexico. Here’s more:
March 29, 2024 – Big Antarctic Climate Shifts
Since 2014, Antarctic sea ice has been decreasing. Last year’s ice max was alarming, far below anything observed before. And sea ice extent is still much lower than normal. While the drop likely has something to do with the warming climate, the patterns are so complex down there that the extent to which is unclear. With that said, if these odd conditions persists, there may be a climate regime shift taking place.
March 28, 2024 – Hundreds more homeruns are likely as climate warms!
Warm and more humid air means baseballs travel farther – about 3 feet per 10 degrees F. According to a 2023 study, so far climate change has caused 500+ more homeruns in Major League Baseball since 2010. In the future, the paper says there will be a few hundred more homeruns per season as the climate continues to warm.
March 27, 2024 – Another mass coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is in the middle of another mass coral bleaching event. Coral are sensitive to warm water, so bleaching occurs when water temperatures stay too warm for too long causing heat stress. This is the 5th coral die off in 8 years. This increase in coral bleaching events is due to climate change, but events like this one have a boost from the strong El Nino, which commonly increases the odds of bleaching.
March 26, 2024 – El Nino -vs- La Nina: Significant Impacts on Hurricane Season
La Nina’s typically produce a lot more tropical systems, hurricanes and major hurricanes than El Nino’s. Here’s a quick summary.
March 25, 2024 – Why do tide times vary so much?
Tide times can vary by hours from location to location – only minutes away – by hours. That’s because it depends on the location of the gauge measuring the tide. Is it facing the open ocean or Gulf or is it inside a bay or intracoastal? Here’s more…
March 21, 2024 – Retiring hurricane names
Most years hurricane names are retired, but not all. In 2023 no tropical system names were retired. That’s because none caused enough damage to justify it. It was the first time since 2014.
Here’s more on retiring storm names…
March 20, 2024 – How I Walk the Walk for Climate Change
From time to time viewers send in question for the Bonus. Joe asked what I do to limit my carbon footprint. While I would never push my choices on other people, I do walk the walk. My family owns one car – it’s a plug-in hybrid. We do not eat meat and we waste very little food. In short, EV’s in the US emit ~60% less carbon in their lifetime than gas cars, meat accounts for ~57% of the emissions from the average American diet and Americans waste up to 40% of their food, which is carbon intensive to make. Basically I follow a fairly minimalistic lifestyle, but admittedly it’s not for everyone. Lastly I left my job many years back to go back to get my Master’s degree in climate to help educate on the topic. Here’s more.
March 19, 2024 – UN Report Warns of Rapidly Changing Climate
The World Meteorological Organization released a huge assessment on the state of our climate today. All key indicators show just how rapidly the Earth is warming, far off-kilter to what it should be in a normal climate. This is due to climate change from the burning of fossil fuels and release of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, as well as changes in land use. Here’s a short summary.
March 18, 2024 – Springs are springing earlier
Across much of the eastern US, spring has sprung weeks early. In some cases it is 20-30 days early, when measuring it by when leaves and flowers should bloom. But Tuesday morning will be below freezing for much of the US, causing freezes and frosts which are dangerous to early blooming crops and vegetation. Here we discuss how El Nino and climate change is causing spring to spring so early.
March 6, 2024 – What’s the deal with Hole Punch clouds?
Recently a viewer sent me post by NASA with a satellite view of fallstreak hole punch clouds. They are rare and very interesting. So in today’s bonus I show you examples of those clouds and explain how a hole can be punched through a cloud.
March 5, 2024 – Springs are warming in the Tampa Bay Area
Spring is upon us and in March we gain around 5 degrees on average from the beginning to the end of the month, starting with highs in the mid 70s and ending with highs near 80. But springs are warming in the Tampa Bay Area. Since 1970 the period of March, April and May has warmed by more than 4 degrees. And our last 40 degree day is now one month earlier than it used to be a century ago.
March 1, 2024 – Warmest US winter on record
Winter 2023-2024 was by far the warmest winter in record across the US, aided by a strong El Nino and robust human-caused climate change. But 1% of the nation was below normal, and most of Florida fit into that small category.
Feb 29, 2024 – Texas’ biggest fire on record
The extreme weather continues across the US. This weekend parts of California will get buried under up to 12 feet of snow. Meanwhile the Smokehouse Creek Fire continues to burn in the Texas Panhandle. It is now the largest wildfire in TX history. But just how big is that? We compare it to the size of Central Florida.
Feb 28, 2024
El Niño briefly reached “super” status this winter when Eastern Tropical Pacific waters warmed to +2 degrees Celsius. Now sea surface temperatures are starting to fall as El Niño weakens. Over the coming months it will fade away and so will its impacts. Due to El Niño it has been a cloudy, somewhat wet and slightly cooler than normal winter around the Tampa Bay Area. Here’s more:
Feb 26, 2024
A remarkable winter heatwave is underway in the nation’s middle with dozens of sites breaking their monthly record high temperatures. This is being caused by strong winds downsloping off the Rockies, creating dry, windy, warm weather, on top of the warmer baseline climate of today. Here’s more:
Feb 23, 2024
With Tropical Atlantic Ocean temperatures much above normal and computer models projecting La Niña to form in the eastern Tropical Pacific this upcoming summer, the signs point to an active or perhaps hyperactive hurricane season ahead. Here’s what the latest computer model ensemble says.
Feb 22, 2024
The Atlantic Ocean has never been this warm in February – by a long shot. Here we put the heat into perspective and compare past hurricane seasons to get a glimpse into what this hurricane season may bring.
Feb 20, 2024
Forecasting weather in the mountains can be a challenge. That’s because the way air flows up and down the slopes often means vastly different weather in locations just miles apart. Here’s how it works…
Feb 19, 2024
Over the weekend the jet stream clocked an incredible 265 mph over the US East Coast. That helped power a flight from NYC to Lisbon at a peak speed of 835 mph, with the flight reaching Portugal an hour early. Climate change is making upper level winds faster – a 2% wind increase for every 1C warming with a boost of 2.5X for the fastest winds. Right now Earth is 2C warmer than preindustrial, so the boost is approx. 10%. Thus winds of 240mph would be 265 mph. More on the science here…
Feb 15, 2024
This winter, so far, has been the cloudiest winter on record in the Tampa Bay Area and most of Florida. This is due to El Nino – a natural climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean. Here’s an in-depth explanation.
Feb 14, 2024
Fatalities caused by hurricanes have changed significantly over the past few decades. Storm surge used to be the main killer but now it is rain flooding. Also potentially surprising, indirect causes are death in hurricanes are just as prevalent as direct.
Feb 13, 2024
The Amazon Rainforest is in the midst of its worst drought in modern history. A new attribution study finds climate change, not El Niño, was responsible, making it 30X more likely.
