Articles by Eric Roston

Climate Change Made LA 35% More Primed to Burn, Scientists Say

Climate change made Southern California’s dangerous wildfire conditions in early January 35% more likely than they would have been before the industrial era, according to a new analysis by the scientific group World Weather Attribution. Greenhouse gas pollution raised temperatures, …

Update: Hottest Year Ever Sees World Breach 1.5C Global Warming Target

Earth’s warming exceeded 1.5C on an annual basis for the first time in 2024, according to three major climate science agencies. It’s the most potent evidence yet that countries are failing to meet a Paris Agreement goal of limiting global …

AI Weather Models Have Shown Promise This Hurricane Season

When Hurricane Beryl was rushing across the Atlantic basin in July, the weather forecasting tool made by Google Deepmind, the tech company’s artificial intelligence unit, saw something other models missed. Deepmind’s AI-driven program, called GraphCast, forecast the storm would take …

Global Warming Is Already on the Cusp of 1.5C, New Research Finds

A newly proposed method for calculating the global temperature suggests that countries may have already failed their main climate goal: to limit warming to below 1.5C. Scientists using the method say the world was 1.49C hotter than in pre-industrial times …

Record-Breaking Temperatures Mask a Subtler Threat: Chronic Heat

Phoenix has become a nerve-wracking bellwether for extreme heat. Arizona’s capital recently endured a three-week stretch when every day broke a heat record, with thermometers peaking at 117F (47C) on Sept. 28. Yet even below the threshold of smashing records, …

Thousands of Fires Are Burning in the Drought-Wracked Amazon

Much of Brazil is burning as tens of thousands of fires rage around the country, half of them in the Amazon rainforest. Exacerbated by a severe drought, the fires threaten one of the world’s most crucial ecosystems and are consuming …

Extreme Rain Is a Growing Climate Threat to the Northeastern US

As high temperatures break records around the US and wildfires rip through the West, another climate-driven weather hazard — extreme rainfall — is pummeling the country’s Northeast and scientists say it will get worse as the climate changes. That will …

The Era of Runaway Heat Records Is Here

Las Vegas set a heat record of 117 degrees Fahrenheit (47.2C) in 1942, and for 82 years no weather system could budge it. Thermometers registered the same temperature four more times, all since 2005, without setting a new high. Then …

Clashing Risk Predictions Cast Doubt on Black Box Climate Models

Many companies offer detailed climate projections tailored to property-level precision. These tools can allow owners and investors to better anticipate risks of flooding, wind, wildfire and other disasters. Insurers have been among the adopters of climate-risk models, in a sign …

The Era of Super-Wild Weather Is Already Here

Wildfires in Canada that burned continuously for over a year. Floods that brought Dubai to a standstill. Deadly heat blanketing the streets of New Delhi. The first half of 2024 has laid bare the catastrophic extremes that now characterize the …