The Alarming Science Behind Climate Change’s Increasingly Wild Weather: Ostro And Francis On Video

The Alarming Science Behind Climate Change’s Increasingly Wild Weather: Ostro And Francis On Video: Earlier this month, Chris Mooney moderated a terrific Climate Desk event featuring top climate researcher Jennifer Francis along with senior Weather Channel meteorologist (and former skeptic) Stu Ostro. Climate Desk summarizes their findings: Ostro’s observations suggest that global warming is increasing the atmosphere’s thickness, leading to stronger and more persistent ridges of high pressure, which [...]/p

Video Explains How Loss Of Arctic Ice Weakens Jet Stream, Amplifies Extreme Weather

Video Explains How Loss Of Arctic Ice Weakens Jet Stream, Amplifies Extreme Weather: We’ve written extensively about how how arctic ice loss is driving extreme weather. Jennifer A. Francis of Rutgers University’s Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences has been at the forefront of this research. She appears in many videos explaining the connection between climate change and extreme weather (see recent 40 minute video here). Here’s a short [...]/p

Nearly 80 Percent Of Americans Hit By Extreme Weather Disaster Since 2007, Report Finds

Nearly 80 Percent Of Americans Hit By Extreme Weather Disaster Since 2007, Report Finds: The vast majority of Americans have experienced a weather-related disaster in the past six years, according to a report released today by the Environment America Research and Policy Center. The report, which is based on disaster declaration data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, found that 243 million Americans — nearly four out of five [...]/p

A Growing Drought for Some, Flood Warnings for Others, says New Report | Common Dreams

A Growing Drought for Some, Flood Warnings for Others, says New Report | Common Dreams
"In a report released Thursday, the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA) warned that the drought that plagued the U.S. in 2012 will continue this year and that extreme weather—a mix of continued dryness in some areas, flooding in others and the destructive interplay of a warming world in general—is what farmers and U.S. residents should expect as the main growing season arrives."

Doomed: Phoenix Arizona Sits Squarely in Climate Change Crosshairs | Alternet

Doomed: Phoenix Arizona Sits Squarely in Climate Change Crosshairs | Alternet
"Phoenix’s pyramid of complexities looks shakier than most because it stands squarely in the crosshairs of climate change. The area, like  much of the rest of the American Southwest, is already hot and dry; it’s getting ever hotter and drier, and is increasingly battered by powerful storms. Sandy and Katrina previewed how coastal cities can expect to fare as seas rise and storms strengthen. Phoenix pulls back the curtain on the future of inland empires. If you want a taste of the brutal new climate to come, the place to look is where that climate is already harsh, and growing more so -- the aptly named Valley of the Sun."

Weather Extremes Provoked By Trapping Of Giant Waves In The Atmosphere, Likely Boosted By Global Warming

Weather Extremes Provoked By Trapping Of Giant Waves In The Atmosphere, Likely Boosted By Global Warming: In October, a NOAA-led study found that “Warming-Driven Arctic Ice Loss Is Boosting Chance of Extreme U.S. Weather.” A new study offers another mechanism for warming to drive extreme weather — JR Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research news release The world has suffered from severe regional weather extremes in recent years, such as the [...]/p

2012 Hottest Year Since Record Keeping Began in 1895 | Alternet

2012 Hottest Year Since Record Keeping Began in 1895 | Alternet
"The U.S. Climate Extremes Index indicated that 2012 was the second most extreme year on record for the nation, marked by historic drought, wildfires, hurricanes and storms."

NOAA: 2012 Was Officially The Warmest Year On Record, Second Most Extreme

NOAA: 2012 Was Officially The Warmest Year On Record, Second Most Extreme: Last year was officially the hottest ever recorded for the lower-48 states. Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric tallied weather and temperature data for 2012, and found that the year was both the warmest and the second-most extreme for weather ever recorded for the contiguous U.S. According to NOAA’s latest “State of the Climate” [...]/p

Halfway To Hell (And High Water): 333rd Month In A Row Global Temperatures Exceed Long-Term Average

Halfway To Hell (And High Water): 333rd Month In A Row Global Temperatures Exceed Long-Term Average: Okay, NOAA’s State of the Climate Report for November isn’t the Mayan meteorological forecast. And the Apocalypse isn’t quite “now.” But this part of the NOAA report is kind of ominous: Including this November, the 10 warmest Novembers have occurred in the past 12 years. The 10 coolest Novembers on record all occurred prior to 1920. [...]/p

2012 Nearly Certain to Be Warmest Year Ever | Common Dreams

2012 Nearly Certain to Be Warmest Year Ever | Common Dreams
"2012 is nearly certain to be the warmest year ever for the US, according to the latest figures from the NOAA."

Extreme Drought Continues, Could be Most Extreme Weather Event This Year | Common Dreams

Extreme Drought Continues, Could be Most Extreme Weather Event This Year | Common Dreams
"t's been overshadowed by other extreme weather events recently, but the extreme drought that plagued the U.S. this summer continues. In fact, according to the Drought Monitor, conditions have worsened slightly across the country. The extreme drought is likely to extend through February and could be the most extreme weather event in the U.S. this year, which is saying a lot in a year that saw a superstorm flood large swaths of New York City and knock out power to millions of people.

Beyond the millions of dollars in lost agricultural yield, the extreme drought threatens theOgallala Aquifer, the single most important water source in the High Plains regions."

Weather Channel: We've Never Seen Anything Like This Before

Weather Channel: We've Never Seen Anything Like This Before
If you live in one of the states that might be affected, and can vote early, get out there vote now.

Arctic Death Spiral: The Video

Arctic Death Spiral: The Video: Last week, I reported that leading scientific experts were warning we could see a “near ice-free Arctic in summer” in a decade — if volume trends continue. Here’s a short video showing those ominous trends from 1979 through early September 2012: Since 1979, the volume of summer Arctic sea ice has declined by 75% and [...]/p

US Just Experienced Warmest Year-to-Date Period Ever | Common Dreams

US Just Experienced Warmest Year-to-Date Period Ever | Common Dreams
"Climate change continues to bring extreme, record breaking weather to the U.S., according to the most recent calculations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released Monday.

The contiguous U.S. just experienced the third hottest summer ever. And the year-to-date (Jan. - Aug.) period was also the warmest first 8 months ever recorded for the contiguous U.S.

The summer (June - Aug.) national average was 2.3°F above the 20th century average at 74.4°F, surpassed only by the summers of 2011 and 1936 for warmest summer in recorded history.

For the year-to-date period, the contiguous U.S. was 4.0°F above the 20^th century average at 58.7°F, surpassing the previous record for this period set in 2006."

July was hottest recorded month in U.S. history | Nation & World | The Seattle Times

July was hottest recorded month in U.S. history | Nation & World | The Seattle Times
"This probably comes as no surprise: Federal scientists say July was the hottest month ever recorded in the Lower 48 states, breaking a record set during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s."

NOAA: July Was Hottest Month Ever in US | Common Dreams

NOAA: July Was Hottest Month Ever in US | Common Dreams
"July was the hottest month on record in the continental United States, continuing the warmest January-to-July period since modern record-keeping began in 1895, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported Wednesday."

2012 Has Already Set More Daily Heat Records Than All Of 2011, And More Are On The Way

2012 Has Already Set More Daily Heat Records Than All Of 2011, And More Are On The Way: The U.S. has already seen more daily heat records broken or tied than 2011 — and its only August. In 2011, 26,674 daily heat records were broken or tied. As of August 5th, there have already been 27,042 heat records set or matched. Many of those records were set during heat waves in March and [...]/p

Climate Change is Here — and Worse Than We Thought | Common Dreams

Climate Change is Here — and Worse Than We Thought | Common Dreams
"n a new analysis of the past six decades of global temperatures, which will be published Monday, my colleagues and I have revealed a stunning increase in the frequency of extremely hot summers, with deeply troubling ramifications for not only our future but also for our present."

Food Disaster Worries Mount as US Drought Worsens | Common Dreams

Food Disaster Worries Mount as US Drought Worsens | Common Dreams
"The worst US drought in 56 years has intensified over the past week as scorching temperatures continued and too little rainfall parched corn and soybean crops across the Midwest and central Plains, a report from climate experts said on Thursday."

Bill McKibben of 350.org: Even Industry-Funded Climate Change Deniers Can’t Ignore Planet’s Warming | Alternet

Bill McKibben of 350.org: Even Industry-Funded Climate Change Deniers Can’t Ignore Planet’s Warming | Alternet
"Hundreds of new U.S. counties were declared disaster areas on Wednesday amidst the country’s worst drought in decades."