UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON Research News MADISON, Wis. — Nearly 30 years after recording a temperature of minus 93.2 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 69.6 Celsius) in Greenland, the measurement has been verified by the World Meteorological Organization as the coldest recorded temperature in the Northern Hemisphere. The measurement was first recorded by a University of Wisconsin-Madison Antarctic…
As we cope with these events, questions invariably arise about what role climate change may have played. Has a particular extreme been made worse because of our changing climate? How will these extremes change in the future?
The August 10, 2020 derecho event caused an estimated 40 million acres of nearly-mature corn crop to be significantly damaged or destroyed, mainly in Iowa, but also in portions of Nebraska, South Dakota, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and Missouri.
California is burning and smoke has covered the northern half of the state and is spreading across the U.S. Most of the fires were started by a huge “lightning siege” that started on August 15th. How unusual was this massive lightning event? That question will be answered below.
The UN’s weather agency announced Thursday the longest lightning bolt on record—a single flash in Brazil on October 31, 2018 that cut the sky across more than 700 kilometers.
Russ Schumacher, Colorado State University Thunderstorms are common across North America, especially in warm weather months. About 10% of them become severe, meaning they produce hail 1 inch or greater in diameter, winds gusting in excess of 50 knots (57.5 miles per hour), or a tornado. The U.S. recently has experienced two rarer events: organized…
Guest News Brief by Kip Hansen — 23 May 2020 In keeping with the NY Times’ Editorial Narrative on climate change (“every story is a climate story”), Henry Fountain writes this piece: ‘Expect More’: Climate Change Raises Risk of Dam Failures. It carries the sub-title “Engineers say most dams in the United States, designed…
University of Washington The lightning season in the Southeastern U.S. is almost finished for this year, but the peak season for the most powerful strokes of lightning won’t begin until November, according to a newly published global survey of these rare events. A University of Washington study maps the location and timing of “superbolts” —…
Reposted from Dr. Roy Spencer’s blog July 2nd, 2019 by Roy W. Spencer, Ph. D. News reporting of the recent heat wave in France and other European countries was accompanied with the usual blame on humans for causing the event. For example, here’s the CBS News headline: Record-breaking heat is scorching France. Experts say climate…
From Forbes A dose of common sense from Marshall Shepherd As I browsed the social media, I saw claims of climate change, “end of times” language, and sheer awe that hail fell in Mexico during the Summer. I thought that it would be instructive to provide context and perspective on this event before things get…