Record 2012 Greenland Melt Challenges Climate Models
A weather pattern that may have become more common in recent years was largely responsible for causing last summer’s record melt in Greenland, according to a new study. The research, published this week in the International Journal of Climatology, found that a giant protective dome of high pressure established itself above Greenland throughout the … Read More
U.S. Airports Face Increasing Threat From Rising Seas
This was not the first time that LaGuardia suffered major flooding during a storm, nor will it be the last. Due to climate change-related sea level rise, LaGuardia and other coastal hubs throughout the U.S. face a growing risk of coastal flooding during even modest storms.… Read More
Catastrophic Oil Spill Threat to Canadian River Basin
The Mackenzie River Basin, a vast globally important area in Canada, is at great risk from climate change and a catastrophic oil spill from the tailing ponds of tar sands mining, according to a panel of nine Canadian, American and British scientists. The warning came just days after the Canadian Oil Producers Association says it expects oil produc… Read More
Fire & Rain, Western Woes and Big Plans in NYC
Learn about NOAA's newly released reports, NYC's resiliency plan, and how to easily track the fires blazing out West.… Read More
Western Drought Intensifies, Leads to Deadly Wildfires
A western heat wave allowed drought to intensify and expand in Idaho, Oregon and Montana last week. 72.25 percent of the land area in the ten western states is now under drought conditions, according to the latest update to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The worst impacts of the drought are concentrated in the Southwest: New Mexico, Texas, Southern… Read More
$110 Billion Price Tag for Extreme Weather Events in 2012
Now the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has totaled the losses caused by the 11 most expensive extreme weather and climate disasters in 2012, each of which cost upwards of $1 billion. According to NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C., these billion-dollar events cost the U.S. a total of $110 billion, which … Read More
Interactive Wildfires Map Tracks the Blazes in Colorado
Aided by strong winds, the wildfire south of Denver has now become the most destructive fire in Colorado's history. It's burning through thousands of acres of land, and firefighters are struggling to contain the blaze. You can monitor the wildfire with Climate Central’s interactive wildfires map. The flame icons represent wildfires currently … Read More
Spring in U.S. Was Cooler and More Extreme Than Average
The season was especially notable for its exceptionally cold and wet start in the central part of the country, with many cities, from Bismark, N.D., to St. Louis and even Richmond, Va., receiving more snow during the meteorological spring months than they did during winter. Fourteen states, from Minnesota to Georgia had a spring that ranked among t… Read More
