Heat extremes are the leading weather-related cause of death in the United States, driving the need for accurate prediction. A new study finds an increase in summertime heat wave occurrence over the US Great Plains is linked to a larger than normal tropical Atlantic warm pool.
During the 2020-2022 drought, evaporation accounted for 61 percent of the drought’s severity, while reduced precipitation only accounted for only 39 percent.
When will the Arctic experience its first ice-free summer? The latest generation of climate models have predicted the Arctic could lose all its summertime ice as early as 2015 or as late as after 2100. New research has narrowed the time frame for this event, indicating that the Arctic could experience its first ice-free summer by 2040.
The findings address an important gap in understanding that could help advance prediction capability for U.S. summer to fall precipitation.
A new study suggests that ships may be spreading stony coral tissue loss disease across Florida and the Caribbean. Experiments used ultraviolet treatment of ship ballast water to see if it could transport pathogens, and whether ultraviolet treatment of this water could prevent the spread of this disease.
The dynamics that lift smoke from large wildfires into the upper atmosphere could potentially be employed one day to help temporarily cool the planet, based on the findings of a modeling study led by NOAA scientists.
The people, economy, and ecosystems of the Pacific coast states of California, Oregon and Washington are highly dependent on cool-season atmospheric rivers for their annual water supply. A new study suggests climate change may alter atmospheric rivers in ways that complicate water management.
Drought is typically defined based on precipitation and runoff deficits, but is that the best way to identify drought conditions? A new study suggests that drought must be understood as a more complex process that involves both natural and human‐induced changes.
A new study focused on San Diego County, California, conducted virtual focus groups from heat-vulnerable communities to assess current education and warning systems, and recommend improvements.