Extreme Weather News

Southern Exposure: Cold Wreaks Havoc on Aging Waterworks

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The sunshine is back and the ice has melted. But more than a week after a deep freeze across the South, many communities are still grappling with getting clean water to their citizens. For years, experts …

Fire in California Wine Country Expands as Thousands Flee

A wildfire ripping through Northern California’s wine country has more than tripled in size, forcing thousands of evacuations and endangering properties in a region devastated by blazes just three years ago. The Glass Fire north of San Francisco reached more …

Hurricane Laura and the California Fires Are Part of the Same Crisis

As Hurricane Laura pounded the U.S. Gulf Coast with nearly 150 mile-per-hour winds, causing water levels to rise almost 10 feet above normal in the wee hours of the morning, wildfires in California were still raging across more than a …

Fires and Virus Converge on California

Californians are in their sixth month of sheltering in place because of a pandemic that’s killed more than 11,000 residents. Now a new crisis — hundreds of wildfires — is forcing people to prepare to flee their homes at a …

Drought and Rain Are Reshaping Global Grain Trade Routes

The global wheat trade is being shaken up again after extreme weather hurt crops in the European Union while harvests are booming elsewhere. Fresh from leapfrogging Russia as the top exporter, the EU will drop to third place this season …

Trump Approves Emergency Aid For Iowa After Storm

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he approved federal disaster aid for Iowa after a hurricane-force storm hit last week, causing widespread damage in towns and farms and leaving thousands without power. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said on Sunday …

Warmest Oceans on Record Adds to Hurricanes, Wildfires Risks

The world’s seas are simmering, with record high temperatures spurring worry among forecasters that the global warming effect may generate a chaotic year of extreme weather ahead. Parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans all hit the record books …

Americans Are Paying $34 Billion Too Much for Houses in Flood Plains

At least 3.8 million U.S. homes lie in flood plains. Together, they may be overvalued by $34 billion. New research published today in a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper shows that markets fail to incorporate risks from flooding …

Extreme Weather Has Gardeners Looking for Resilient Plants

Fiercer and more frequent natural disasters in recent years have many homeowners re-evaluating their landscaping. Many are restocking with trees and plants more resilient in the face of storms, fires and flooding. Scientists link the higher frequency of severe weather …

As Wildfires Rage, Australia’s Never Been So Hot and Dry

As massive wildfires devastate swathes of Australia and supercharge the debate over the impact of climate change, government data show the nation has never suffered a hotter or drier year than 2019. The average temperature last year was about 1.5 …