Weather and Climate News

2018’s Billion-Dollar Disasters Show Weather & Climate Impacts Across the U.S.

Hurricanes hit the U.S. especially hard, leading 2018’s near-record list of 14 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters. Hurricanes Michael and Florence combined for at least $49 billion in damages — over half of the total from the year’s included events (cost estimates will be updated over time). In addition, the Western wildfire season was

Winter Warming Trends Across the U.S.

A mid-winter cold snap has hit much of the country, but these episodes are becoming less frequent with climate change. Low temperatures and ample snowfall are a must for winter recreation — an industry that contributed more than $20 billion to the national economy in the 2015-2016 season. These conditions are under threat from warming winters,

Future Days Below Freezing

Hottest Years for U.S. Cities

We calculated the average annual temperatures at 244 individual U.S. stations throughout their periods of record, highlighted the decade in which each record hot year was established, and showed the breakdown of each station’s records by decade. Only one place in our sample had its hottest year on record in 2018 — Palm Springs, California. On the

Christmas Climate Extremes Across the U.S.

It’s that time of year when people are wondering about their chance for a white Christmas. Despite historic, early-season snow from Calgary, Alberta to Roanoke, Virginia, the overall snow-covered area in North America is shrinking as temperatures rise with climate change.

Billion-Dollar Disasters Trending Up

Floodwaters surged through Boston streets during a March Nor’easter. Nearly 19,000 structures were destroyed in the Camp Fire, which became California’s largest-ever wildfire just months after the previous record blaze. Hurricanes Florence and Michael flooded farms and flattened homes. It has been another year of devastating extreme weather events,

Fall Nights Are Warming in Our Changing Climate

Fall is a season of transition and big swings in weather; snow has already fallen in the Front Range of the Rockies, while warm and humid conditions hung over the East Coast as recently as last week. As the climate changes, fall is not as cool as it used to be, and cooler weather is being delayed until later in the season. This change affects the

A 2018 Summer of Extremes

Meteorological summer has been one of extremes in the U.S. Overall, the East has been wet while the West has baked in the heat. These types of extremes, which are set up by a consistent jet stream pattern, are amplified by a warming climate. Many locations in the Middle Atlantic, Ohio Valley, and Upper Midwest had one of their 10 wettest summers

How Climate Change Affects Fishing

Each year, more than 49 million Americans fish recreationally in freshwater rivers and lakes. Some fish to relax, and some for the thrill. But in a changing climate, a new generation of anglers will have to get used to conditions far different from those of their parents and grandparents. Warming water in streams, rivers, and lakes is changing the

Longer Heat Streaks

The summer doldrums have set in for much of the U.S., but an end to the Dog Days of summer is within sight. The Dog Days traditionally extend from July 3 to August 11, when Sirius (aka the Dog Star) rises and sets with the sun. Ancient cultures believed that additional energy from Sirius helped make the summer days hotter, but in modern times, the

Extremely Hot Days on the Rise

Late July is the hottest time of year for much of the country. In the midst of this summer heat, we calculated the number of extremely hot days each year in 244 cities across the country and found that 73 percent experience more extremely hot days than they did a half-century ago.

2018 U.S. Temps: State Rankings Through June

Despite a cold April, 2018 is the 14th warmest year on record so far in the U.S. Halfway through the year, Arizona and New Mexico are record hot, and the remaining southwestern states are each having one of their 10 hottest years. In fact, the four hottest years in the U.S. have all come in the decade of the 2010s. July has been a scorcher from