Weather Archives - Strategian: Science Magazine

Why some storms brew up to extreme dimensions in the middle of America – and why it’s happening more often

April 24, 2025 Kevin Engel Understanding Science

Shuang-Ye Wu, University of Dayton (from The Conversation) A powerful storm system that stalled over states from Texas to Ohio for several days in early April 2025 wreaked havoc across the region, with deadly tornadoes, mudslides and flooding as rivers rose. More than a foot of rain fell in several areas. As a climate scientist who studies the water cycle, I often get questions about…

Extinction and climate change

March 22, 2025 Kevin Engel Intersections

Earth’s climate is changing rapidly. No, it is not a hoax, not a projection for the future, not a scare tactic from whatever political or advocacy group that you or your favorite politician may not like. In our lifetimes, it has changed–generally growing warmer and often dryer, with daily weather more prone to extremes–winds, rain, snow, cold, heat, more destructive storms leading to more extensive…

What is an atmospheric river? A hydrologist explains the good and bad of these flood-prone storms and how they’re changing

January 30, 2024 Kevin Engel Intersections

Qian Cao, University of California, San Diego (from The Conversation) A series of atmospheric rivers is bringing the threat of heavy downpours, flooding, mudslides and avalanches to the Pacific Northwest and California this week [early 2024]. While these storms are dreaded for the damage they can cause, they are also essential to the region’s water supply, particularly in California, as Qian Cao, a hydrologist at…

Extreme winter weather and a changing climate

January 14, 2024 Kevin Engel Intersections

The United States was virtually snow-free during the Christmas season 2023 matching a year which was one of the hottest globally since weather records have been kept. Yet, by early to mid January 2024, large sections of the United States were facing snow storms, blizzards, and extreme cold temperatures. How does that sudden change of weather–from warmer than usual to extreme cold and snow–fit the…

Looking for a US ‘climate haven’ away from heat and disaster risks? Good luck finding one

August 26, 2023 Kevin Engel Intersections

Julie Arbit, University of Michigan; Brad Bottoms, University of Michigan, and Earl Lewis, University of Michigan (from The Conversation) Southeast Michigan seemed like the perfect “climate haven.” “My family has owned my home since the ‘60s. … Even when my dad was a kid and lived there, no floods, no floods, no floods, no floods. Until [2021],” one southeast Michigan resident told us. That June,…

Climate change is intensifying the water cycle, bringing more powerful storms and flooding – here’s what the science shows

July 30, 2022 Kevin Engel Intersections

Mathew Barlow, UMass Lowell (from The Conservation) Powerful storm systems triggered flash flooding across the U.S. in late July 2022, killing at least 25 people in eastern Kentucky as floodwater engulfed homes and set off mudslides. Record rainfall also inundated St. Louis neighborhoods, and another deluge in Nevada flooded the Las Vegas strip. The impact of climate change on extreme water-related events like this is…