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☆ Atmospheric river: Definition, relationship to hurricanes, potential benefits, and more FAQs answered
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Atmospheric rivers are rivers of water vapors low in the Earth's atmosphere. Below, we answer some FAQs about atmospheric rivers. What causes an atmospheric river? Atmospheric rivers and hurricanes have a few things in common, Cordeira said, but "the processes in the atmosphere that give rise to a hurricane are different than the processes that give rise to atmospheric rivers." In 1994, MIT researchers Yong Zhu and Reginald E. Newell published a paper about "atmospheric rivers and bombs."

Persons: Jason Cordeira, Cordeira, El, it's, Carlos Barria, they're, Yong Zhu, Reginald E, Newell, Ralph et al Organizations: Service, Los Angeles Times, Scripps Institution of Oceanography's Center, Western, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, West, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, REUTERS, MIT, University of California Locations: West Coast, Southern California, Mississippi, California, California , Oregon, Washington, Europe, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, West, Bolinas , California, Hawaii, San Diego

Outside, the tornado had turned the farm’s 103-year-old barn to rubble and strewn debris across the fields for hundreds of yards. Patterson, the meteorologist, said the storm was like ones typically seen in Wisconsin in the late spring and summer. That comes after a 2018 study found that tornadoes were moving farther east, into states like Wisconsin. Conditions collided in Wisconsin late afternoon on Thursday creating the perfect conditions for tornadoes to form, Patterson said. Photos and video shot near Evansville, Wisconsin, that were posted on social media show a tornado with lightning flashing around it.

Persons: Taylor Patterson, Connie Arndt, ”, “, Matt Artis, Artis, ” Hunter Oller, Patterson, El, Dan Wagner, Andy, couldn’t, Andy Wagner, Carrie Antlfinger, Bauer, Brodhead Organizations: National Weather Service, Local, Atmospheric Administration, El Nino, Artis, Associated Press Locations: EVANSVILLE, Wis, Wisconsin, Madison, Iowa, Milwaukee, Evansville, family’s, Porter, Brodhead , Wisconsin, Magnolia, Washington, New Mexico, Upper Midwest, Maine, Evansville , Wisconsin

☆ Australia Records Its 8th Warmest Year as Climate Change Lifts Temperatures
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australia experienced its eighth-warmest year in 2023, with the influence of climate change pushing average temperatures almost 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 1961-1990 average, the weather bureau said on Thursday. Forecasters warn that climate change will make Australia hotter and increase the severity of weather extremes. "Climate change continues to influence Australia's climate," the Bureau of Meteorology said. The national mean temperature was 0.98 C warmer than the 1961–1990 average, with the winter average 1.53 C above the 1961–1990 average, the bureau said. Forecasters expect El Nino to fade and perhaps swing later this year into its opposite, La Nina, which makes wetter weather more likely in Australia.

Persons: El, Nina, Peter Hobson, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: CANBERRA, Meteorology Locations: Australia, 473.70mm, Western Australia, El Nino, South America, Southeast Asia

☆ ‘Super El Niño’ is here, but will it last? What’s in store for the coming months
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Mary Gilbert | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The current El Niño is now one of the strongest on record, new data shows, catapulting it into rare “super El Niño” territory. It means a very strong El Niño is ongoing. El Niño influences weather around the globe, so its strength and demise will continue to have an impact on the weather we experience in the coming months. Average conditions during an El Niño winter across the continental US. El Niño has been known to enhance atmospheric river events on the West Coast.

Persons: El, El Niño, Niño, Michelle L’Heureux, ” L’Heureux, L’Heureux, El Niños, Javier Torres, There’s, CNN’s Rachel Ramirez, Brandon Miller Organizations: CNN, El, AFP, Getty Locations: El, California, West Coast, Americas, Chile, Valparaiso, South America, Africa, Australia, Asia

☆ Climate change: The world just marked a year above a critical limit scientists have warned about
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Angela Dewan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The past year was 1.52 degrees hotter on average than temperatures before industrialization, according to data from Copernicus, the European Union’s climate and weather monitoring service. That 12-month average was boosted by the hottest January on record, which was 1.66 degrees warmer than the average January temperature in pre-industrial times. Scientists are more concerned with multi-year warming above these thresholds, but the 12-month record shows the world is fast approaching the Paris Agreement’s limits. “Rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are the only way to stop global temperatures increasing.”The climate crisis is driven primarily from humans burning coal, oil and gas for energy. Extreme weather events already made more frequent and severe by long-term global warming are now being supercharged by El Niño, scientists say.

Persons: Copernicus, Matt Patterson, ” Copernicus, Samantha Burgess, El Niño Organizations: CNN, Global, University of Oxford, El Locations: Paris, Chile

☆ January Was World's Warmest on Record, EU Scientists Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Kate AbnettBRUSSELS (Reuters) - The world just experienced its hottest January on record, continuing a run of exceptional heat fuelled by climate change, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Thursday. Last month surpassed the previous warmest January, which occurred in 2020, in C3S's records going back to 1950. Every month since June has been the world's hottest on record, compared with the corresponding month in previous years. "Rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are the only way to stop global temperatures increasing," she said. Still, average global sea surface temperatures last month were the highest for any January on record.

Persons: Kate Abnett BRUSSELS, Samantha Burgess, Kate Abnett, Sandra Maler Organizations: El, Nina Locations: U.S, Paris

☆ Zimbabwe Bets on No Till Farming to Reduce El Nino Impact on Grain
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

No till farming minimises soil disturbance, which helps keep carbon in the soil and also enriches soil biodiversity, reducing the need for chemical fertilisers that emit greenhouse. Zimbabwe is one of the countries worst affected by the El Nino weather pattern and struggles to feed itself. Zimbabwe produced 2.3 million tons of maize last year. The country requires 2.2 million tons of the staple grain annually for human and livestock consumption. "This is a reflection that farmers are adopting the recommended climate-proofing interventions, especially during the El Nino condition," cabinet said in a statement released late on Tuesday.

Persons: Vangelis Haritatos, Mthuli Ncube, Zimbabwe's, Nelson Banya, Michael Perry Organizations: Reuters, El, Finance, Nino Locations: HARARE, Zimbabwe, El Nino, Pacific

☆ Dengue Spreads Fast in Brazil Prompting Emergency Health Measures
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Ricardo Brito and Anthony BoadleBRASILIA (Reuters) - Dengue fever has surged in Brazil's hot rainy season, forcing health authorities to take emergency measures and start mass vaccination against the mosquito-borne illness. In the first five weeks of this year 364,855 cases of infection have been reported, the Health Ministry said, four times more than dengue cases in the same period of 2023. The rapid spread of dengue has caused 40 confirmed deaths, the ministry said, and a further 265 are being investigated. The Health Ministry has set up an emergency center to coordinate operations against dengue across Brazil. Dengue fever symptoms include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and an itching skin rash.

Persons: Ricardo Brito, Anthony Boadle BRASILIA, Qdenga, Tedros Adhanom, Anthony Boadle, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Reuters, Health Ministry, Federal, Army, Brazilian Air Force, World Health Organization, WHO, El Locations: Brazil, Minas Gerais, Brasilia, Brasilia ., Rio de Janeiro, Europe, America

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — For the eighth straight month in January, Earth was record hot, according to the European climate agency. Even though it was record hot in January, the level above normal was lower than the previous six months, according to Copernicus data. This is the time of year that El Nino warming often peaks, said Texas A&M University climate scientist Andrew Dessler. Minneapolis has already set a record for the number of 50-degree days for a winter. “For maple trees to run, it needs to be freezing at night, above freezing during the day.

Persons: Copernicus, Andrew Dessler, ” Dessler, that's, Natalie Mahowald, ”, Kathie Dello, floes, “, Greg McKush, ” McKush, Theresa Baroun, ” Baroun, Ed White, Rick Callahan, Seth Borenstein, Steve Karnowski, @skarnowski Organizations: PAUL, European Space Agency, Nino, El Nino, Cornell University, United, North Carolina State, Minnesota, Montgomery National Golf Club, ”, Syrup Producers Association, Isle Royal, Metropolitan Mosquito Control, Associated Press Locations: United States, Minneapolis, Texas, United Nations, Paris, North Carolina, Minnesota, Harriet, ” In Wisconsin, U.S, Wisconsin, De Pere , Wisconsin, Green Bay, Lake Superior, Michigan , Minnesota, Canada, St, Paul , Minnesota, Borenstein, Kensington , Maryland, Detroit, Indianapolis, AP.org

☆ Data from sponges suggest the world has overshot a climate limit, new study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

These findings, published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change, are alarming but also controversial. Other scientists say the study contains too many uncertainties and limitations to draw such firm conclusions and could end up confusing public understanding of climate change. Researchers say the results also suggest global temperature could overshoot 2 degrees of warming by the end of the decade. Changing that baseline would mean the world has already warmed at least 1.7 degrees (scientists say long-term global warming currently stands at between 1.2 to 1.3 degrees). Whatever the baseline for measuring global warming, what remains clear, experts say, is that the impacts will worsen with every fraction of a degree of warming.

Persons: ” Malcolm McCulloch, Gavin Schmidt, ”, Gabi Hegerl, Yadvinder Malhi, It’s, Amos Winter, Joeri Rogelj, “, Winter Organizations: CNN, University of Western, NASA, University of Edinburgh, Environmental, Institute, University of Oxford, Indiana State University, Grantham Institute, Imperial College London Locations: Puerto Rico, Caribbean, Paris, University of Western Australia

A handful of centuries-old sponges from deep in the Caribbean are causing some scientists to think human-caused climate change began sooner and has heated the world more than they thought. Other scientists were skeptical of the study's claim that the world has warmed that much more than thought. He said this study also supports the theory that climate change is accelerating, proposed last year by former NASA top scientist James Hansen. Carbon dioxide and other gases from the burning of fossil fuels are what causes climate change, scientists have established. “They are cathedrals of history, of human history, recording carbon dioxide in the the atmosphere, temperature of the water and pH of the water,” Winter said.

Persons: Malcolm McCulloch, ”, ” McCulloch, “, —, Amos Winter, James Hansen, Natalie Mahowald, McCulloch, Winter, Michael Mann, credulity, ” Mann, El, La Nina, Michael Oppenheimer, ” ___ Teresa de Miguel, ___ Read, Seth Borenstein Organizations: University of Western, Associated Press, Indiana State University, NASA, Cornell University, United Nations, University of Pennsylvania, Caribbean, El Nino, La, Princeton University Locations: Caribbean, University of Western Australia, Mexico City, AP.org

At least 112 people have been killed by wildfires in central Chile, leading its president to declare two days of national mourning. Scientists say climate change makes the heat waves and drought now hitting South America more likely — and both contribute to wildfires by drying out the plants that feed the blazes. “Climate change has made droughts more common,” said Mitchard. Climate change makes stronger El Niños more likely, said Mitchard, and droughts caused by it are likelier to be more intense. And the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has found that globally, extreme heat waves happen five times more often because of human-caused global warming.

Persons: Edward Mitchard, ”, We’ve, Mitchard, — Organizations: South America, University of Edinburgh School of Geosciences, it's, World Resources Institute, Associated Press Locations: Chile, Colombia, CHILE, Santiago, Scotland, South America, Belgium, AP.org

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Another potentially dangerous “Pineapple Express” storm was expected to hit California late Saturday, bringing the threat of flooding and mudslides over the next couple of days. WHAT IS EXPECTED FROM THIS LATEST ‘PINEAPPLE EXPRESS'? The storm is forecast to move south down the Central Coast and hit the Los Angeles area with downpours, flash floods and high-elevation mountain snow beginning Sunday morning. Parts of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties will likely get hammered hardest by this storm, according to the National Weather Service. The Santa Anita racetrack in Arcadia, northeast of downtown Los Angeles, canceled its eight-race program that was scheduled for Sunday.

Persons: Ventura Organizations: ANGELES, Pacific, San Francisco Bay Area, WHAT, National Weather Service, Coast, NASCAR, Coliseum, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, III, El Nino Locations: California, Santa Barbara, San Francisco Bay, Los Angeles, San Diego, Hawaii, Northern California, Orange County, Southern California, Southern, Ventura, Ventura County, Santa Barbara County, Santa, Arcadia, San Marcos

☆ Australia Sweats Through Heatwave, Bushfire Risk Rated 'Extreme'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Large swaths of Australia on Sunday sweltered through a heatwave as authorities warned of elevated bushfire risk in an already high-risk fire season during an El Nino weather pattern. The nation's weather forecaster had heatwave alerts in place for Australia's most populous state, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Western Australia, warning temperatures in some parts of the country could hit the low 40s Celsius (over 104 degrees Fahrenheit). The high in the west of Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, was forecast at 39 C (102 F), almost 10 degrees above the February mean, forecaster data showed. Hot and dry conditions combined with gusty winds prompted the forecaster to issue "extreme fire danger" warnings for parts of Victoria and South Australia states. Sunday's hot weather - the latest in a string of heatwaves to scorch Australia - comes after the country's east was hit last month by damaging floods.

Persons: El, Sam McKeith, William Mallard Organizations: SYDNEY, Australian Capital, El Nino Locations: Australia, El Nino, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Western Australia, Sydney, Victoria, South Australia, scorch Australia

☆ Chile's Capital Faces Heat Wave, Experts Warn of More to Come
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile's capital and other regions are facing a heat wave, as meteorologists warn that extremely hot weather will become increasingly frequent in the country's austral summer. Over six million inhabitants of Chile's capital Santiago have been enduring days of hot, dry temperatures made worse by the surrounding mountains blocking fresh hair to the city. Scientists have warned that climate change and El Nino are major drivers of extreme heat. Amid the high temperatures in Santiago, many have escaped to the country's coastal areas, which are already filled with vacationers and summertime visitors from abroad. An Argentine tourist said he escaped to a Chilean coastal area to avoid the high temperatures that were also being recorded in parts of neighboring Argentina.

Persons: Marcela Rodriguez, Andres Moncada, El, Nicolas Cortes, Sandra Maler Organizations: Reuters, Ocean, El Nino Locations: SANTIAGO, Chile's, Santiago, Argentine, Chilean, Argentina

However, a quick glance at The Weather Channel this year might indicate the groundhog should predict an early spring for large parts of the U.S. Some lore says that if the groundhog “sees its shadow” there will be six more weeks of winter, and if it doesn’t, there will be an early spring. Weather forecasts over the next week indicate that much of that warmer weather will sweep Northern states. Therefore, a groundhog prediction of six more weeks of winter for California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Alaska would feel accurate for residents keeping their coats on. NOAA|National Weather ServiceWith warmer weather sweeping states used to snow, some are concerned that climate change is swinging the odds closer to an early spring each year.

Persons: Phil Organizations: U.S, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, National Weather Service Locations: Punxsutawney , Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, West Coast, California , Florida , Nevada , Arizona, Alaska, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota , Wisconsin , Iowa , Nebraska, Montana

☆ Colombia, a Usually Wet Nation, Reels Amid Widespread Wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Annie Correal | Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Helicopters hauling buckets of water fly toward the mountains where fires burn, a thick haze periodically covers the sky, and residents have been ordered to wear masks and limit driving because of the poor air quality. For a full week, firefighters have been battling fires in the mountains around Bogotá, Colombia’s capital, as dozens of other blazes have burned across the country, in what officials say is the hottest January in three decades. The president has declared a national disaster and asked for international help fighting the fires, which he says could reach beyond the Andes Mountains and erupt on the Pacific Coast and in the Amazon. Colombia’s fires this month are unusual in a country where people are more accustomed to torrential rain and mudslides than fire and ash. They have been attributed to high temperatures and drought exacerbated by the climate phenomenon known as El Niño.

Locations: Bogotá, Coast

☆ Panama Canal Drought Slows Cargo Traffic
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Mira Rojanasakul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

PANAMA CANAL Colón Atlantic Ocean Lake Alajuela Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Ship traffic Pacific Ocean PANAMA CANAL Colón Lake Alajuela Atlantic Ocean Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Pacific Ocean Ship traffic PANAMA CANAL Colón Lake Alajuela Atlantic Ocean Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Pacific Ocean Ship traffic PANAMA CANAL Atlantic Ocean Colón Lake Alajuela Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Ship traffic Pacific Ocean PANAMA CANAL Atlantic Ocean Colón Lake Alajuela Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Pacific Ocean Ship traffic PANAMA CANAL Atlantic Ocean Colón Lake Alajuela Gatún Lake Panama City PANAMA Pacific Ocean Ship traffic Source: MariTrace Ship movements from Jan. 19 to Jan. 21, 2024. Panama Canal Drought Slows Cargo TrafficThe lake that allows the Panama Canal to function recorded the lowest water level ever for the start of a dry season this year, which means that vastly fewer ships can pass through the canal. The Panama Canal Authority has reduced daily traffic through the narrow corridor by nearly 40 percent compared with last year. “The fact that the Panama Canal operates on freshwater is a major disadvantage compared to other water routes,” said Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, the administrator of the Panama Canal Authority, in a video address last month. But it may not be enough to meet the pressing demand for cargo traffic through the Panama Canal.

Persons: El, Jan, ”, Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, Gatún, Joshua Tewksbury, Gloria Arrocha Paz, Arrocha Paz Organizations: PANAMA Ship, Panama Canal Authority, Maersk, Panama Canal, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Demand, Times, Smithsonian Tropical Research Locations: PANAMA, Lake Panama, Panama City PANAMA, Lake Panama City PANAMA, Panama, East Coast, United States, Northeast Asia, South America, Tewksbury, Indio, Gatún, Panama City, Panama Canal Authority, What’s

☆ The world successfully tackled a dangerous pollutant. But did it accidentally warm the planet in the process?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

These ghost clouds look beautiful, but they are a visible sign of deadly air pollution. Of all of the theories, however, the impact of shipping regulations is swiftly becoming one of the most discussed. But this is not an argument against cutting air pollution, Diamond said, it’s an argument for tackling it alongside reducing carbon emissions. The cooling impact of air pollution is far outweighed by the heating impact of burning fossil fuels. It’s when air pollution is tackled without also reducing carbon emissions, that “we can get into trouble,” Diamond said.

Persons: ”, Michael Diamond, It’s, Olaf Morgenstern, ” Morgenstern, James Hansen, ” Hansen, ” Diamond, Piers Forster, Diamond, doesn’t, Jason Armond, Annica Ekman, it’s, ” Forster Organizations: CNN, International Maritime Organization, United Nations, Florida State University’s Department of, Atmospheric Science, National Institute of Water, Atmospheric Research, Atlantic, Leeds University, Shipping, Port, Los Angeles Times, Stockholm University Locations: New Zealand, El, Sahara, Tonga, Europe, North America, Asia, Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro , California, Sweden

CNN —Colombia declared a disaster situation on Thursday due to wildfires raging across several parts of the country, as the president warned the conditions could get worse. Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro declared a “situation of disaster and calamity,” telling reporters that funds previously approved for other purposes are being redirected to deal with the crisis. The government is also seeking international help, he said, adding that the United States, Chile, Peru and Canada, “which has enormous experience [fighting fires],” have responded to the call. Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty ImagesAt least 25 active fires were reported on Thursday by the National Disaster Risk Management Unit. “We estimate that the phenomenon is composed of 70% fog and 30% smoke,” the Civil Aviation Authority of Colombia said on X.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, ”, Petro, he’s, El Niño, Raul Arboleda Organizations: CNN —, United Nations, European Union, Getty, National Disaster Risk Management Unit, Civil Aviation Authority Locations: CNN — Colombia, United States, Chile, Peru, Canada, Bogota, AFP, El Dorado, Colombia

☆ Emergency declared in San Diego as wettest January day on record brings widespread flooding
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Dennis Romero | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Damage is shown after a heavy rain storm causes a small river to overflow into a neighborhood in San Diego, California, U.S. January 22, 2024. SAN DIEGO — Winter storms for relatively dry San Diego are hit-or-miss, but mostly miss, so the wallop of a Pacific front Monday stunned California's second-largest city even as it was expecting rain. It was the wettest January day on record in San Diego, the National Weather Service said. Residents in the Southcrest neighborhood just southeast of downtown had to be rescued by firefighters as standing water quickly surrounded their apartment complex, according to authorities and coverage from NBC San Diego. "At least in the short term, it doesn't look like there's a whole lot on the horizon for Southern California," Maxwell said.

Persons: California's, Todd Gloria, weren't, Gloria, Gavin Newsome, Sean Mahoney, Brandt Maxwell, Maxwell, There's Organizations: DIEGO, National Weather Service, U.S . Customs, Border Protection, San Diego Fire Department, Residents, NBC San, Navy Base, ., Lincoln High School, Red Cross Southern, California Transportation Department, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, San Diego Locations: San Diego , California, U.S, San Diego, West Coast, Tijuana, Baja California, Southcrest, NBC San Diego, Navy Base San Diego, downtown, Las Vegas, San Diego Bay, La Mesa, Spring, Red Cross Southern California, Mission, Ocean, San Diego County, Oceanside, El Niño, Southern California, San, El, California, Washington, Israel, Gaza

☆ Australia Sweats in Heatwave Lifting Bushfire Risk, Amid El Nino
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Large swaths of Australia sweltered on Sunday in a heatwave, the nation's weather forecaster said, raising bushfire risk in an already high-risk fire season amid an El Nino weather pattern. Heatwave alerts at "extreme" level, the highest danger rating, were in place for a second day for parts of Western Australia and were extended to South Australia, while areas of Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory were under "severe" warnings, the weather forecaster said. It cautioned that in Western Australia, the nation's largest state, the remote Pilbara and Gascoyne areas could hit high forties degrees Celsius (about 120 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday. On the east coast, parts of New South Wales' capital Sydney were forecast on Sunday to reach 40 C, almost 10 degrees above the average January maximum. The hot, dry conditions raised the risk of bushfires in some areas, the weather forecaster said, as Australia endures an El Nino weather event, typically associated with extreme phenomena such as wildfires, cyclones and droughts.

Persons: Sam McKeith, Sandra Maler Organizations: SYDNEY Locations: Australia, El Nino, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland , New South Wales, Northern, Gascoyne, Perth, Paraburdoo, Jan, New South Wales, Sydney, Turkey

☆ People Have a Right to Climate Data - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Justin S. Mankin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As a climate scientist documenting the multi-trillion-dollar price tag of the climate disasters shocking economies and destroying lives, I sometimes field requests from strategic consultants, financial investment analysts and reinsurers looking for climate data, analysis and computer code. These requests make sense: People and companies want to adapt to the climate risks they face from global warming. Venture capitalists are injecting hundreds of millions of dollars into climate intelligence as they build out a rapidly growing business of climate analytics — the data, risk models, tailored analyses and insights people and institutions need to understand and respond to climate risks. I point companies to our freely available data and code at the Dartmouth Climate Modeling and Impacts Group, which I run, but turn down additional requests for customized assessments. I regard climate information as a public good and fear contributing to a world in which information about the unfolding risks of droughts, floods, wildfires, extreme heat and rising seas are hidden behind paywalls.

Persons: El Organizations: BlackRock, Venture, Dartmouth, Modeling

☆ Western Australia on 'Extreme' Heatwave Alert, Raising Bushfire Risk
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Parts of Western Australia on Saturday were set to swelter through an "extreme" heatwave, raising the risk of bushfires in the vast state, the nation's weather forecaster said. The Bureau of Meteorology on Saturday had an "extreme heatwave warning" in place for the remote Pilbara and Gascoyne areas of Australia's largest state, warning temperatures there could hit high forties degrees Celsius on the weekend. The hot weather lifts the risk of bushfires in an already high-risk fire season amid an El Nino weather event, which is typically associated with extreme events such as wildfires, cyclones and droughts. "Very hot and dry conditions combined with fresh southerly winds and a fresh to strong west to southwesterly sea breeze will lead to elevated fire dangers on Saturday," the weather forecaster said on its website, regarding part of the Pilbara. The warning comes after hundreds of firefighters earlier this month battled an out-of-control bushfire near Perth amid soaring temperatures, prompting evacuations.

Persons: Sam McKeith, Sandra Maler Organizations: SYDNEY, Western Australia, Meteorology Locations: Gascoyne, Australia's, Paraburdoo, Perth, El Nino, Turkey, Sydney

☆ A critical climate goal may be ‘deader than a doornail,’ and scientists are bitterly divided over it
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“Anybody who understands the physics knows that.”Hansen’s words have heft — he is widely credited as the first scientist to publicly sound the alarm on climate change in the 1980s. Climate change is fueling storms in both the summer and winter. The year came within a whisker of breaching 1.5 degrees, according to data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service. “For all practical purposes we are only going to be looking at 1.5 degrees in the rearview mirror,” he said. Why 1.5 mattersFew scientists will dispute that the world faces a daunting path to limit warming to 1.5 degrees.

Persons: James Hansen, Lauren Owens Lambert, I’ve, Jim, ”, Michael Mann, Hansen, Friederike Otto, “, it’s, Niño, Hurricane Idalia, Joe Raedle, ” Otto, –, Storm Daniel, Karim Sahib, Bill McGuire, ” McGuire, Chris Smith, El Niño, Mann, Samantha Burgess, Copernicus, Otto said, ’ ” Smith, “ we’ve, McGuire, Otto Organizations: CNN, Getty, University of Pennsylvania, Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute, “, United, Hurricane, University College London, University of Leeds Locations: Hampton , New Hampshire, AFP, United States, Europe, Tarpon Springs , Florida, Paris, Libya's, Derna, kilter

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