Latest news with #FifthNationalClimateAssessment
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Weekend storms were rare, but they reflect the new rainfall extremes in Wisconsin
As Milwaukee-area residents pick up from the weekend's deluge, there's a common refrain: We've never seen anything like this before. While this storm may have been rare, intense rainfall events already have grown more common in Wisconsin and elsewhere. The reason has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with science. Human activities, like burning fossil fuels, are changing the climate. As our planet heats up, warmer air can hold more water vapor. For every one degree Fahrenheit of warming, the air can hold an extra 4% of moisture, according to the nonprofit climate science organization Climate Central. That means when weather conditions are right for a rainstorm, there's more moisture to let go. Emerging evidence also shows that a warmer climate produces slower-moving weather systems, said Wisconsin state climatologist Steve Vavrus. Winds in the upper atmosphere travel at slower speeds because of warmer arctic air, letting storms linger and dump more rain. In this case, the storm hovered over the Milwaukee area for hours Saturday night and Sunday morning before finally moving on. And while heavy rain doesn't always produce a flood risk, it's more likely in urban areas with concrete surfaces that can't soak up water, said Kristina Dahl, vice president for science at Climate Central. On average, Wisconsin has become nearly 20% wetter since 1950, Vavrus said. That trend is more pronounced in the southern half of the state, including Milwaukee. More: Milwaukee area flooding: Flooding resources, FEMA aid, closures from severe weather in southeast Wisconsin More: Flood debris pickups, drop-offs and more resources for Milwaukee County and suburbs More: How to clean up a flooded basement and prevent mold after Milwaukee floods None of this is unique to Wisconsin. According to the Fifth National Climate Assessment published in 2023, the amount of precipitation falling on days with the heaviest downpours has increased by 45% across the Midwest. The 2010s were Wisconsin's wettest decade since record-keeping began around 1900. Between 2010 and 2019, the state experienced at least 21 "100-year" rainfall events, meaning a 1% chance of the event occurring in a given year. Milwaukee's weather records date back to 1871, Vavrus said, and since then there have only been 11 days where the city has seen more than four inches of rain. Seven of those have occurred in the past 30 years. The National Weather Service reports that some parts of Milwaukee received more than a foot of rain during this last weekend's storm, which would shatter the state's 24-hour rainfall record if verified. Vavrus also pointed back to the 2018 floods in Dane County, when torrential rains of more than 10 inches pummeled the area, killing a motorist and causing more than $150 million in damage. Both that storm and Milwaukee's recent one dumped "hurricane-like" rainfall amounts, he said. "If people's perceptions are that these extremes are getting more common," Vavrus said, "they're exactly right." It's a trend that scientists expect to continue if more effort isn't made to counter climate change. Madeline Heim covers health and the environment for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at 920-996-7266 or mheim@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee, Wisconsin seeing more intense rains due to climate change Solve the daily Crossword
28-07-2025
- Health
As much of the US braces for extreme heat, statistics show 2,000 die from it annually
As extreme heat is forecast across much of the U.S. this week, health departments across the country are warning people to take steps to survive the potentially deadly weather. Extreme heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the U.S., claiming roughly 2,000 people annually, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But experts note the official heat-related death toll may be undercounted due to heat sometimes not being considered as a factor in someone's death. The latest CDC statistics show that 150 heat-related deaths have already occurred in the United States in 2025, but the data is only partially tabulated due to delays in reporting. During the previous two years, more than 4,800 heat-related U.S. deaths were recorded, according to the CDC. Since 2020, there have been at least 9,436 heat-related deaths across the nation, the CDC noted. The CDC statistics show that the number of heat-related deaths increased from 1,156 in 2020 to 2,415 in 2023, before slightly declining to 2,394 last year. Meanwhile, the average number of heat waves that major U.S. cities experience each year has doubled since the 1980s, according to the federal government's Fifth National Climate Assessment. An analysis by Climate Central, an independent group of scientists and communicators that research climate change, found that between June and August 2024, the average person experienced an additional 17 days of "risky heat" because of human-amplified climate change, and that over the summer months, one in four people on the planet had no respite from the heat. The organization defined "risky heat" as days with temperatures hotter than 90% of the temperatures recorded in a local area from 1991 to 2020. Heat waves are becoming even more dangerous as overnight temperatures are too high to relieve people from the heat, prolonging heat stress and the associated heat risks. Extreme levels of heat stress have more than doubled over the past 40 years, a trend that is expected to continue, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Heat-related illnesses, like heat exhaustion or heat stroke, happen when the body cannot properly cool itself. While the body normally cools itself by sweating, during extreme heat, this might not be enough. In these cases, a person's body temperature rises faster than it can cool itself down and can cause damage to the brain and other vital organs. Hot days can affect anyone. Those who are pregnant, with a heart condition or other chronic condition, as well as children with asthma, can be especially affected. An estimated 70,000 people visit emergency rooms and an average of 10,000 are hospitalized annually due to heat. Between Jan. 1, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2023, there were a total of 119,605 emergency room visits across the country for heat-related illnesses, with 92% of those visits occurring between May and September, according to a report published in April 2024 by the CDC. July and August had higher than average ER visits due to heat than other warm-season months, including May, June and September, according to the report, which looked at data of ER visits caused by heat in 2023 and compared it to visits between 2018 and 2022. These findings are "consistent with record-breaking temperatures observed … in 2023," the CDC said. More than 200 million people across the country, from South Dakota to Florida and up the East Coast to Boston, are on alert for widespread, dangerous heat on Monday and into the new work week, and parts of the Southeast could experience the brunt of the sweltering conditions. The highest temperatures on Monday will be focused in the Southeast, from the Carolinas to Florida, where extreme heat indices -- that is, what the temperatures feel like when humidity is factored in -- are forecast to be between 105 and 115 degrees. Parts of Mississippi and Louisiana are on alert for heat indices up to 120 degrees. Extreme heat is also expected to continue on Monday and Tuesday in the Midwest, where over the weekend temperatures felt between 97 to 111 degrees from Lincoln, Nebraska, up into Minneapolis. The Northeast is in store for multiple days of dangerous heat. Heat indices in the Northeast are forecast to make it feel like the mid-90s to 104 on Monday. Officials in Boston, Philadelphia, New York City and Washington, D.C., have all declared a heat emergency for this week, which includes opening cooling centers and working with utility providers to encourage energy conservation and maintain electrical grid reliability. The New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene are urging New Yorkers to take precautions to protect themselves from hot and humid weather that is expected to extend into Wednesday. NYCEM Commissioner Zach Iscol said this will the fifth heat emergency for New York City this season. "Prolonged heat like this is dangerous, especially for older adults, people with health conditions, and those without air conditioning," Iscol said in a statement. "Stay hydrated, limit outdoor activity, and find a Cool Option, whether it's a City cooling center like a library or a private space such as a friend's or relative's home."
15-07-2025
- Climate
Climate change is amplifying extreme rain events in the Northeast, research shows
The extreme rainfall that occurred in the Northeast on Monday will likely occur more often in the future as a result of climate change, research shows. The Northeast has experienced the largest regional increase of extreme precipitation in the U.S., with a 60% increase in recent decades, according to the U.S. government's Fifth National Climate Assessment, a summary of the latest climate science research findings by 14 different federal agencies, published in November 2023. Extreme precipitation events are very rare, defined as the top 1% of daily precipitation events. While it's problematic to attribute any specific weather event solely to climate change, global warming is amplifying naturally occurring events, like the torrent of rain that fell on the Northeast on Monday evening, making them more intense. New York City's Central Park preliminarily recorded its second-highest hourly rainfall total since 1943, measuring 2.07 inches of precipitation in one hour at around 7 p.m. on Monday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The amount of rain that fell in one hour represents a 1-in-20-year flood for Central Park, meaning there is a 5% chance it could happen in any given year. The record for most precipitation in one hour in Central Park was set on Sept. 1, 2021, when the remnants from Hurricane Ida caused 3.15 inches of rain to fall, flooding basement apartments in the city and killing 13 people. The deluge of water caused subway lines to flood, with water even rushing from platforms and into train cars. In at least one instance, the city sewer overflowed into the subway system, according to the city's Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Between one and five inches of water fell in neighboring northern and central New Jersey, with the highest totals measured in the regions around Plainfield, New Jersey and White Plains, New York – about five inches, according to the NWS. Metro-North and New Jersey Transit commuter train lines experienced service disruptions due to downed trees and flooding, and numerous roadways in the region were closed due to floodwaters. Two people were killed when their car was swept into the overflowing Cedar Brook river in Plainfield, officials said. According to climate scientists, human-amplified climate change is causing extreme rainfall events to become more frequent and more intense. More intense extreme rainfall events also increase the frequency and scale of flash flooding as the influx of water is more than existing infrastructure was built to handle, according to the Fifth National Climate Assessment. Additionally, human-amplified climate change has contributed to increases in the frequency and intensity of the heaviest precipitation events across nearly 70% of the U.S., the Fifth National Climate Assessment found.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Climate change is amplifying extreme rain events in the Northeast, research shows
The extreme rainfall that occurred in the Northeast on Monday will likely occur more often in the future as a result of climate change, research shows. The Northeast has experienced the largest regional increase of extreme precipitation in the U.S., with a 60% increase in recent decades, according to the U.S. government's Fifth National Climate Assessment, a summary of the latest climate science research findings by 14 different federal agencies, published in November 2023. Extreme precipitation events are very rare, defined as the top 1% of daily precipitation events. MORE: 2 killed when car swept away in flash flooding in New Jersey, dozens rescued While it's problematic to attribute any specific weather event solely to climate change, global warming is amplifying naturally occurring events, like the torrent of rain that fell on the Northeast on Monday evening, making them more intense. New York City's Central Park preliminarily recorded its second-highest hourly rainfall total since 1943, measuring 2.07 inches of precipitation in one hour at around 7 p.m. on Monday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The amount of rain that fell in one hour represents a 1-in-20-year flood for Central Park, meaning there is a 5% chance it could happen in any given year. The record for most precipitation in one hour in Central Park was set on Sept. 1, 2021, when the remnants from Hurricane Ida caused 3.15 inches of rain to fall, flooding basement apartments in the city and killing 13 people. The deluge of water caused subway lines to flood, with water even rushing from platforms and into train cars. In at least one instance, the city sewer overflowed into the subway system, according to the city's Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Between one and five inches of water fell in neighboring northern and central New Jersey, with the highest totals measured in the regions around Plainfield, New Jersey and White Plains, New York – about five inches, according to the NWS. Metro-North and New Jersey Transit commuter train lines experienced service disruptions due to downed trees and flooding, and numerous roadways in the region were closed due to floodwaters. Two people were killed when their car was swept into the overflowing Cedar Brook river in Plainfield, officials said. MORE: How rising sea levels will affect New York City, America's most populous city According to climate scientists, human-amplified climate change is causing extreme rainfall events to become more frequent and more intense. More intense extreme rainfall events also increase the frequency and scale of flash flooding as the influx of water is more than existing infrastructure was built to handle, according to the Fifth National Climate Assessment. Additionally, human-amplified climate change has contributed to increases in the frequency and intensity of the heaviest precipitation events across nearly 70% of the U.S., the Fifth National Climate Assessment found. ABC News' Climate and Weather Unit contributed to this report.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Trump administration shutters major federal climate website
A major federal climate website has been shut down by the Trump administration, multiple agencies have confirmed with ABC News. The website of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which hosts numerous climate change reports and resources, including the comprehensive and often cited National Climate Assessments, is no longer operational, according to a NASA spokesperson. MORE: Hurricane season is here and meteorologists are losing a vital tool for forecasting them The U.S. Global Change Research Program's website was taken offline, along with all five editions of the National Climate Assessment and a wide range of information detailing how human-amplified climate change is impacting the United States. Although the National Climate Assessment is required by Congress, in April, the Trump administration announced it was canceling funding for the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which coordinates the federally mandated report that's published every four years. All the authors working on the upcoming Sixth National Climate Assessment, set for release in 2028, were also dismissed. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), comprising 15 federal member agencies, was managed by the White House through the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. NASA will now take over, Victoria LaCivita, communications director at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, told ABC News. "All preexisting reports will be hosted on the NASA website, ensuring compliance with statutorily required reporting," LaCivita said, referring ABC News to NASA for more information. A NASA spokesperson wrote in response to an ABC News inquiry, "The USCGRP website is no longer active. All preexisting reports will be hosted on the NASA website, ensuring continuity of reporting." Since mid-April, a small yellow banner has appeared at the top of the U.S. Global Change Research Program homepage, informing visitors that: "The operations and structure of the USGCRP are currently under review." The Internet Archive has not recorded the website as being active since Monday morning. The Fifth National Climate Assessment, a breakdown of the latest in climate science coming from 14 different federal agencies released in November 2023, is the most recent version of these reports and provides a detailed, peer-reviewed snapshot of climate change's present and future impacts in the U.S., along with recommendations for adaptation and mitigation strategies. In addition, the U.S. Global Change Research Program site provided a wide range of educational resources, including interactive webpages, videos and podcasts that explained the far-reaching impacts of climate change in an easy-to-understand manner, even for the public. For example, late last year, a first-of-its-kind interagency website on sea level rise was launched by the U.S. Interagency Task Force on Sea Level Change and hosted on the domain. For the first time, the public had access to a centralized, comprehensive online resource offering the latest research on sea level change, along with an interactive database that allowed users to explore how sea levels have changed over recent decades. As of Tuesday, references to the Fifth National Climate Assessment and various climate change impacts could still be found on other government websites, such as those of the USDA and EPA. And all of the National Climate Assessments remained available for public download, archived in NOAA's Institutional Repository (IR). MORE: USDA orders removal of climate change mentions from public websites Last week, NOAA announced that another federal climate-focused website, was also being shut down, saying, "In compliance with Executive Order 14303, 'Restoring Gold Standard Science,' NOAA is relocating all research products from to in an effort to centralize and consolidate resources." The agency wrote that future research products previously housed on the climate-focused website will now be under the domain and its affiliated websites. The agency posted its final updates to and its related social media account on Friday. Although much of this information may end up on various other federal agency websites, many climate scientists are voicing their concern and disappointment, stating that these actions are making it more challenging to find climate change information. Craig McLean, former assistant administrator of NOAA research, told ABC News that these decisions "create a gap in both the availability of and the opportunity to use valuable information that is essential to everyday life for the public and decision-makers alike." Haley Crim, a former NOAA employee who worked at the agency's Climate Program Office, said in a Bluesky post, "The National Climate Assessment, and all special reports and past assessments, are now offline. Federal climate science is being systematically erased." MORE: USDA orders removal of climate change mentions from public websites Crim elaborated that this is "not an organized attack like what happened with the DEI executive order. It's the culmination of expired contracts, decisions about individual products, lack of staffing and resources, and refusal to protect climate information.' "Every day is a trainwreck for climate science. Stay aware of what is happening, and speak out!" wrote Zach Labe, a former NOAA climate scientist who now works at Climate Central, in a recent Bluesky post. He said he had saved documents in advance of the rumors that the USGCRP program was being targeted. As of this writing, NASA has not provided any details on when and where the reports will be available again or if the new assessment will proceed.
