extreme weather

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Killer Storms, Mild Winters: That's Climate Change

Atmospheric physics are apparently behind it

(Newser) - Climate skeptics may be chuckling, but scientists say our odd mix of extreme snowstorms and otherwise-mild snowfall is caused by climate change. Apparently it's all atmospheric physics: Lower temperatures give us more rain and less snow, but a warmer atmosphere can retain and drop more moisture, which leads to...

Christmas Storms, Tornadoes Hit South

 6 Dead, Thousands 
 Stranded in Storm 
updated

6 Dead, Thousands Stranded in Storm

More than 1,300 flights have been canceled

(Newser) - Nasty holiday weather that brought tornadoes to the South and blizzards across the nation's middle is now headed for the Northeast, reports AccuWeather.com . It's not going to be a pretty travel day, whether on the ground or in the air.
  • 6 deaths: Winds brought down a tree
...

Storm Killed in Many Ways
 Storm Killed in Many Ways 

Storm Killed in Many Ways

Tragic stories emerge in Sandy's aftermath

(Newser) - The North American death toll from Sandy has risen above 40 and the superstorm claimed lives in a chilling variety of ways, the New York Times finds. Most victims were killed by falling trees, including numerous people who were crushed as they sheltered inside their homes and an 8-year-old Pennsylvania...

Isaac Expected to Hit Gulf Coast as Hurricane

But shouldn't be as bad as Katrina

(Newser) - Tropical Storm Isaac is following Hurricane Katrina's path, and is expected to plow into the Gulf Coast as a hurricane tomorrow or Wednesday—Katrina's seventh anniversary. But unlike the 2005 storm, Isaac is predicted to be Category 1, quite a bit weaker, CNN reports. Still, thousands have been...

Heat, Drought Savaging US Infrastructure

Roads crack, nuclear plants shut down as weather grows extreme

(Newser) - Farming isn't the only thing being devastated by the country's ongoing drought—much of the US' infrastructure is getting pounded, too, as the record-setting heat takes its toll on concrete, steel, and pavement, reports the New York Times . In Washington, DC, 100-degree temperatures caused a subway to...

High Heat, Smoke, Storms Move to East Coast

Winds carry pollutant-filled wildfire smoke across the nation

(Newser) - Storms, high heat, and wildfire smoke are spreading from the Midwest to the East Coast this weekend as extreme weather grips more of the country. MSNBC gives us a weather rundown:
  • New York City, enveloped in muggy heat, is facing a likely thunderstorm this afternoon.
  • Storms are also heading for
...

3 Killed in Sudden NC Storm
 3 Killed in Sudden NC Storm 

3 Killed in Sudden NC Storm

Dozens of homes damaged, trees uprooted

(Newser) - Summer storms continue to take a toll on East Coast: In North Carolina, a sudden violent storm struck yesterday, uprooting trees and killing three people. One 77-year-old man was killed when a barn collapsed while he was inside, and a husband and wife died after a tree fell on their...

Heat Wave Smashes 1K+ Records in Week

It's so hot, you can fry bacon on your driveway

(Newser) - The nation is sizzling this week, breaking a whopping 1,015 daily high temperature records in just the seven days ending Tuesday alone. That's significant, considering records typically aren't broken until July or August, the AP reports. And don't get your hopes up for any sort of...

Northeast Broiling as Summer Begins

Heat expected to hit triple digits in some areas

(Newser) - Summer started off with a bang in the Northeast yesterday, with temperatures often higher than 90 degrees up and down the East Coast. In some states, the heat index hit as high as 105 degrees, and New York City and parts of New Jersey expect that number to get higher,...

Hot Weather Leads to 'Yucky' Maple Syrup

And maple trees did not produce nearly as much as usual

(Newser) - The record high temperatures in March resulted in maple syrup that one syrup distributor refers to as simply “yucky,” and total syrup output in the US fell as much as 40%, Reuters reports. "It was kind of a disaster," the company owner says with regard to...

Anchorage Breaks 60-Year-Old Snow Record

133.6 inches beats old record, set in 1954

(Newser) - While much of the rest of the country is basking in robins and sunshine, Alaska's biggest city was busily breaking a 60-year-old seasonal snow record yesterday. Inundated with nearly double the snow they're used to, Anchorage residents have been expecting to see this season's snowfall surpass the...

300 Dead in European Cold Snap

Ukraine, Bosnia, Poland take the brunt of it

(Newser) - Now in its second week, a European cold snap has claimed more than 300 lives and sent hundreds more to hospitals, the Telegraph and BBC report. Some temperatures have plunged as low as -40 Fahrenheit. Ukraine still has it worst with 131 officially dead—most of them homeless—and 1,...

Freak Apple Storm Pelts Cars
 Freak Apple Storm Pelts Cars 

Freak Apple Storm Pelts Cars

Rain of fruit baffles British drivers

(Newser) - Drivers on a busy road in central England were suddenly forced to pull over when it started raining apples. "The apples fell out of the sky as if out of nowhere. They were small and green, and hit the bonnet hard," says one driver, noting that there were...

Predicting Tornadoes Still a 'Crapshoot'

Dallas will test new approach with network of small radar devices

(Newser) - Even with 21st-century technology, predicting tornadoes is still largely a matter of guesswork, reports the New York Times . Scientists know the weather conditions that create tornadoes, but can't accurately say when those conditions will be just right. "There’s a large crapshoot aspect," says a senior scientist...

Storms Wallop South; Death Toll Hits 16
 Storms Wallop South; 
 Death Toll Hits 17 
UPDATED

Storms Wallop South; Death Toll Hits 17

Tornadoes claim victims in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama

(Newser) - A total of seven people have been killed in violent storms in Alabama, bringing the total death toll to 17 as a devastating storm system works its way across the South. A spate of tornadoes ripped through towns, tossing mobile homes around like toys. "The tornado hit and jumped...

Half of US at Flood Risk
 Half of US at Flood Risk 

Half of US at Flood Risk

National Weather Service warns record spring floods could be on the way

(Newser) - As the mammoth winter snowfall melts across much of the US, expect the struggle against Mother Nature to continue: Spring flooding is already happening in parts of the country and almost half the US has an above-average risk of floods over the next few weeks, the National Weather Service warns...

Extreme Rains Linked to Global Warming

Two studies tie weather disasters to pollution effects

(Newser) - We may have no one but ourselves—in part—to blame for the heavy rains and floods that have been plaguing everywhere from Nashville to Australia in recent years. Prior studies discovered that the likelihood of experiencing severe precipitation on a given day jumped 7% over the years 1951 to...

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