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Guardian Environmental Network

Extreme Weather

Hurricane Irene from space

Hurricane Irene left millions on the East Coast without power and caused widespread flooding from New Jersey to New England. At least 46 people were killed, and when the damage was totaled, Irene was declared one of the costliest disasters in U.S. history -- the tenth billion-dollar-plus weather catastrophe this year.

What's going on here? As the earth warms, what we call extreme weather is becoming "normal," thanks to changing weather patterns, higher sea levels, and the atmosphere's ability to hold more water vapor. The result: more weather extremes costing more money and causing more misery. Irene wasn't caused by climate change, but it is the latest disaster whose potential for destruction was made worse because of global warming.

 

May 21, 2013: Our top picks: today's best environmental news and #greenreads from around the web. (0) Comments
January 2, 2013: Our top picks: the best environmental news and #greenreads from around the web (0) Comments
November 22, 2012: My parents ignored the dire warnings about Hurricane Sandy and didn't evacuate. By the time they called for rescue, it was too late. (2) Comments
November 2, 2012: In an excerpt from his book, David Gessner contemplates the (no longer) unimaginable -- a New York submerged by storm surge and sea level rise. (2) Comments
October 29, 2012: Here's what's catching our attention as we wait for our power and Internet to disappear. (0) Comments
October 26, 2012: Our top picks: today's best environmental news and #greenreads from around the web. (0) Comments
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October 16, 2012: Our top picks: the best environmental news and #greenreads from around the web (0) Comments
October 10, 2012: Citing record heat and drought, NOAA says 2012 is already the most extreme weather year on record. People are starting to notice. (0) Comments
August 27, 2012: Our top picks: today's best environmental news and #greenreads from around the web. (0) Comments
August 24, 2012: Our top picks: today's best environmental news and #greenreads from around the web. (1) Comments
August 23, 2012: Our top picks: today's best environmental news and #greenreads from around the web. (0) Comments
August 17, 2012: Our top picks: today's best environmental news and #greenreads from around the web. (0) Comments
August 15, 2012: Heat-related football deaths have tripled nationwide since 1994. As extreme heat bakes the South, Georgia football tries to adapt. (0) Comments
August 7, 2012: An aerial view of the devastation caused by Colorado's Waldo Canyon fire, which burned 346 houses and killed two people (0) Comments
August 7, 2012: In Colorado and the West, the most desirable real estate also happens to be the most likely to burn. That’s driving up the cost of firefighting for all of us. (0) Comments
August 7, 2012: The agency is trying to clamp down on the escalating costs of firefighting in a warming world. But even the official who gave the order acknowledges that the long-term effect will be more destruction. (3) Comments
August 6, 2012: The first scientist to alert Americans to the prospect that human-caused climate change and global warming was already upon us was NASA climatologist James Hansen. In a sweltering Senate hall during the hot, dry summer of... read more > (1) Comments
August 2, 2012: In response to the widespread and intense drought that is expected to cost billions in agricultural losses and other impacts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 50.3 percent of all U.S. counties as... read more > (0) Comments
July 25, 2012: Quite an ice breaker: NASA reports that "unprecedented" melting has occurred over a huge portion of Greenland's ice sheet this month. The area of thaw rose from 40 percent of the sheet to a sickening 97 percent in only four... read more > (0) Comments
July 18, 2012: Think wildfires are just a Western thing? They’re not. The East used to be threatened by big blazes, too, but 75 years of fire suppression have brought complacency. Now extreme heat and drought are making Eastern forests vulnerable again. (2) Comments
July 11, 2012: Stuck in the ... tarmac?: Want to know what climate change looks like? Check out the picture above. The extreme heat across the country has had serious consequences for our transportation infrastructure in recent weeks,... read more > (0) Comments
July 9, 2012: Is global warming fueling the worst wildfire season ever? Wrong question, says a long-time chronicler of Western blazes. What we really need to ask is how much worse it’s going to get. (1) Comments
July 4, 2012: Want to get Today OnEarth in your inbox? We’ve added a new signup box to the right. Just enter your email address, and every weekday morning at 11 a.m. Eastern, we’ll deliver our survey of the day’s top... read more > (0) Comments
July 3, 2012: Want to get Today OnEarth in your inbox? We’ve added a new signup box to the right. Just enter your email address, and every weekday morning at 11 a.m. Eastern, we’ll deliver our survey of the day’s top environmental... read more > (1) Comments
July 2, 2012: Want to get Today OnEarth in your inbox? We’ve added a new signup box to the right. Just enter your email address, and every weekday morning at 11 a.m. Eastern, we’ll deliver our survey of the day’s top environmental... read more > (0) Comments
June 27, 2012: A clear victory: A federal appeals court upheld the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions yesterday. The court's decision said the interpretation of the Clean Air Act that leads to... read more > (0) Comments
June 20, 2012: WALL·E World: Less than half the world's population has access to proper waste disposal, yet less than one percent of all development aid goes toward dealing with mountains of trash. With waste in cities set to grow by an... read more > (0) Comments
June 6, 2012: ¡Ay Dios mio!: Latin America could face annual bills of $100 billion by 2050 thanks to the impacts of climate change -- including coral reef loss and damage to the Amazon basin -- according to a report published ahead of the... read more > (0) Comments
May 3, 2012: Take that, Phelps: Polar bears can swim wicked far -- like, 30 miles is easy, and 96 miles is common. One female bear tracked by a USGS study swam nearly 220 miles over 10 days. Such marathon aquatic skills will come in... read more > (0) Comments
April 27, 2012: Food fears: Worried about the new case of mad cow disease found in California earlier this week? Don’t be. There are plenty of food safety issues -- from E. coli to contaminated milk -- that should be much higher on your... read more > (0) Comments
April 25, 2012: Bovine brains: Mad cow disease has resurfaced in the U.S. for the first time since 2006. Officials say the animal -- the fourth in the country ever to test positive for the disease -- was on its way to human mouths when it... read more > (0) Comments
April 20, 2012: Fines don’t matter: In an op-ed also published in the New York Times, investigative reporter Abrahm Lustgarten reflects on the two-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the lack of any real consequences for... read more > (0) Comments
April 18, 2012: Extreme belief: A new poll suggests that Americans are starting to make the connection between extreme weather and man-made climate change. More than two-thirds of those polled think that global warming is affecting the... read more > (0) Comments
April 4, 2012: The Dusty Dozen: As many as 12 fierce tornadoes touched down in the Dallas-Fort Worth area yesterday, causing widespread damage and a few serious injuries. The storms echo last April, when 59 twisters hit 10 states within... read more > (0) Comments
March 30, 2012: That’s gotta sting: Scientists have long suspected that pesticides play a key role in colony collapse disorder -- the large-scale dieoff of honeybee colonies, which is threatening agriculture across the globe. New studies... read more > (1) Comments
March 28, 2012: Coal news is good news: The EPA's latest move to cap emissions from new power plants spawned reactions and analysis from around the country.Reuters: "New coal power plants will need to rely on carbon capture"Christian... read more > (1) Comments
March 21, 2012: What winter?: As temperature records are shattered all over the country this week, the National Weather Service reports that Washington, D.C., had it's warmest winter on record... by two full degrees. Washington Post... read more > (0) Comments
March 14, 2012: Flood fears: Thanks to climate change, coastal flooding at levels that were once exceedingly rare could become common by the mid-21st century, new studies show. Nearly 4 million Americans live in harm's way, with Florida... read more > (0) Comments
March 7, 2012: Cost of a fill-up: President Obama scoffed at claims that he actually wants to see gas prices rise and assured the country that his administration is reviewing options to keep prices at the pump from spiraling out of control... read more > (0) Comments
February 29, 2012: Ill winds blow: The U.S. set a record in 2011 for the most billion-dollar weather disasters, with 12 in a single year — including an amazingly destructive string of tornadoes. Yesterday provided an early taste of harsh... read more > (0) Comments
February 21, 2012: Not awful, just really bad: "Game over for climate change" is how NASA climate scientist James Hansen has described plans to unearth Alberta's vast tar sands reserves. Two respected Canadian scientists crunched the numbers... read more > (1) Comments
February 15, 2012: Denialgate: Leaked internal documents supposedly from the right-wing Heartland Institute portray a concerted effort to spread anti-science rhetoric (including in classrooms) in alignment with industries and wealthy donors... read more > (0) Comments
February 9, 2012: There's nothing like a good sports metaphor to make the notoriously tricky relationship between global warming and extreme weather easier to comprehend.For awhile now, climate scientists have been using the gaming metaphor... read more > (2) Comments
December 29, 2011: The United States suffered an unprecedented 12 weather-related disasters this year with damages of more than $1 billion. Get used to it. (1) Comments
December 20, 2011: In a year that set the record for billion-dollar disasters, these states -- including Texas, North Carolina, and New Jersey -- were hit the worst. (0) Comments
November 18, 2011: In one of the poorest parts of India, where farmers live and die by the weather, there’s little dispute that the summers are getting hotter and drier, the winters are getting colder, and climate change is to blame. A major new report from the IPCC confirms that these weather extremes are a worldwide phenomenon – and they’re only getting worse. (1) Comments
November 17, 2011: Our columnist sits down with Dr. Rajendra Pachauri to talk about past attacks on the panel’s credibility and its disturbing new report that says floods, droughts, and heat waves are only going to get worse. (0) Comments
November 7, 2011: As heat waves, hurricanes, and air pollution increase in a warming world, so will injuries and illnesses. In the first analysis of its kind, two public health scientists attempt to figure out what the economic cost will be. Opening bid: $14 billion. (0) Comments
October 20, 2011: An easy-to-assemble coffin design meant to replace body bags after natural disasters -- which are increasing worldwide due to climate change -- could also give poor countries a greener burial option. (0) Comments
September 13, 2011: Just when it looked like weather conditions couldn’t get any worse in Texas, a new wildfire burning outside of Austin destroyed nearly 800 homes last week. This came on the heels of the state's hottest and driest summer in... read more > (2) Comments
September 12, 2011: Across much of Vermont, New York, and New Jersey, home and business owners continue to cope with devastating flood damage unleashed by Hurricane Irene. The immense storm is already listed as one of the costliest natural... read more > (0) Comments
September 9, 2011: The summer of 2011 has rewritten the record books. Using our record temperature tracker (see below), which draws on the National Climatic Data Center's database, Climate Central found that June, July, and August saw more... read more > (0) Comments
August 31, 2011: From my home about 10 miles southwest of Rutland, Vermont, the past two days have been surreal --and not for the obvious reasons. Our town made it through Hurricane Irene relatively unscathed. The view from my front porch is... read more > (3) Comments
August 31, 2011: New York City dodged a bullet with Hurricane Irene, but big trouble passed more closely than most people think. If the storm surge had pushed the waters of New York Harbor about one inch higher, it could have been enough... read more > (0) Comments
August 31, 2011: In the days leading up to Hurricane Irene, the messages urging me to get ready for the storm were ceaseless: Stock up on nonperishable food, water and batteries; fill up the car with gasoline; clear the yard of objects that... read more > (0) Comments
August 30, 2011: Even after floodwaters have receded from your home, the danger is far from over. How to ensure a safe return. (0) Comments
August 29, 2011: Flooding appears to be the worst problem left behind by Hurricane Irene, and especially in big cities, those floodwaters are likely to be full of raw sewage discharged by overwhelmed city sewer systems. Believe it or not,... read more > (1) Comments
August 29, 2011: [Updated at 7:10pm on Monday, August 29th]Author's note: The recovery efforts in Vermont will be extensive. If you'd like to offer a helping hand in way way -- through volunteer time or donations -- you can find a whole list... read more > (31) Comments
August 29, 2011: When a disaster strikes, the narrative tends to follow one of two paths: lamenting the lack of preparedness, or blasting the hype as overblown. In the case of Hurricane Irene, we seemed to jump back and forth between these... read more > (0) Comments
August 28, 2011: The author in front of damage from Hurricane Irene on North Carolina's Topsail Island. Credit: Mike WhiteFor a long time environmentalists have fretted that people don’t take their warnings about global warming seriously. I... read more > (2) Comments
August 27, 2011: Global warming's effects have put more and more people in harm's way in New York, where flooding from a hurricane could create massive problems. (0) Comments
August 26, 2011: We're now a day out from Hurricane Irene’s projected landfall in the Outer Banks of North Carolina (or near-miss, and it doesn’t make a lot of difference which it is). A day later -- sometime Sunday, that is -- the storm’... read more > (2) Comments
August 26, 2011: Government scientists have studied numerous ideas for disrupting storms: Cool 'em. Nuke 'em. Soak 'em up with diaper gel. Would any work? (1) Comments
August 26, 2011: Back in 2005, after I returned from covering Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of the Gulf Coast, an editor at my newspaper asked me a very simple question: Why can’t somebody figure out how to stop these monster storms? Or at... read more > (2) Comments
August 26, 2011: The ancient water infrastructure of our eastern cities is crumbling in disrepair. The City of Brotherly Love has an enlightened solution. (0) Comments
August 25, 2011: How to prepare yourself and your family for Hurricane Irene or any approaching storm. (1) Comments
August 25, 2011: As Hurricane Irene takes aim at the East Coast, with New York or New England possibly in its sights, I’m thinking back on the time that I witnessed the great 1635 hurricane that hit the Jamestown settlement and Massachusetts... read more > (0) Comments
August 25, 2011: Twenty years ago last week, I stood outside a low cement building in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, and leaned into the 80 mph wind. Hurricane Bob had arrived, and a few hundred of us had piled into one of the more... read more > (3) Comments
August 16, 2011: People who live in dry places are forced -- by their water bills (one hopes), or by public education campaigns or their parched lawns -- to think about water conservation. But why should people with full reservoirs and... read more > (0) Comments
August 3, 2011: July was hot: Washington, D.C., Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, and Austin set records for not just their warmest July in history, but their warmest month on record. The heat prompted people to hide indoors, crank up the... read more > (1) Comments
July 21, 2011: My colleague Heidi Cullen had an excellent op-ed in the New York Times yesterday on the current heat wave, and the shifting notion of what constitutes a "normal climate" as average global temperatures continue to warm. She... read more > (1) Comments
July 15, 2011: Though his is no doubt the voice most associated with climate change (for better or worse), it seems like it's been awhile since we've heard from Al Gore on the subject. Well, Al's back, with quite the splash. A few weeks... read more > (7) Comments
July 13, 2011: In Monday’s New York Times, Kim Severson and Kirk Johnson wrote an eloquent story on the intense drought that is maintaining a tight grip on a broad swath of America’s southern tier, from Arizona to Florida. Reporting from... read more > (2) Comments
June 21, 2011: Last week I talked with the nonprofit energyNOW! program about tornadoes, climate change, and how tornado-ravaged communities can rebuild green. We also discussed how all of our communities need to become more resilient to... read more > (0) Comments
June 7, 2011: This is a NASA satellite image of the deadly tornado that tore through Western Massachusetts. On June 1, an EF3 tornado touched down in Westfield, intensifying as it traveled due east, until it reached Springfield. Footage... read more > (2) Comments
May 11, 2011: Climate Central tackles a vital question -- is the current rash of extreme weather a sign of things to come as the world continues to warm? (2) Comments
April 29, 2011: With more than 300 dead from at least 100 tornadoes, including at least 210 deaths in Alabama alone, the tornado outbreak that tore across the South on Wednesday was certainly one for the record-books. Storm surveys are... read more > (0) Comments
April 28, 2011: The fires are eating through millions of acres of land as residents struggle to find ways to fight back. (0) Comments
October 28, 2010: Most Americans may not realize it, but the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season has been a doozy, with 17 named storms so far. Remarkably, the U.S. has gotten through most of the season largely unscathed, with not a single... read more > (1) Comments
October 4, 2010: The heavy rains that inundated the East Coast during the last week of September were the result of a rare combination of ingredients--namely a wide-open, 3,000-mile-long pipeline of tropical moisture extending from the... read more > (0) Comments