Climate

A wildfire burns a section of forest in the Grande Prairie district of Alberta, Canada, on Saturday.

World News

Out-of-control wildfires cause evacuations in western Canada

8:50pm May 07, 2023

by The Associated Press

A provincewide state of emergency was declared in Alberta as more than 110 wildfires burned across the province, while two out-of-control wildfires burned in British Columbia.

In California's Central Valley, a long-disappeared lake has been resurrected. A power line dangles precariously over the edge of the water now filling the Tulare Lake Basin, and a building on the horizon is caught in the middle of the flood.

California's epic snowpack is melting. Here's what to expect

11:26am May 05, 2023

Warmer temperatures are melting the state's historic snowpack. Already flooded communities downstream are scrambling to prepare for the surge.

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The San Joaquin River has spread far beyond its banks as the snowpack melts in California's Sierra Nevada.

Environment

The latest to be evacuated from California's floods? Bunnies

2:25pm May 04, 2023

by Lauren Sommer

Rising rivers are stranding endangered riparian brush rabbits in California. Wildlife officials are searching out and relocating hundreds of them to help protect the species.

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A large section of the U.S. could see warmer temperatures than normal, NOAA said as it gave an update on current forecasts calling for an El Niño climate pattern.

National

El Niño is coming. Here's what that means for weather in the U.S.

5:10pm May 03, 2023

by Bill Chappell

Warmer sea waters have many far-ranging effects. In the new pattern, some parts of the U.S. could get relief from drought, while others might see fewer hurricanes.

Jacqueline Arellano hikes through a wash she suspects migrants move though on their way north after crossing the border. She volunteers with Border Kindness , a group that is extending its services to desert areas around Yuma, Ariz., to assist lost or hurt migrants.

Desperate migrants are choosing to cross the border through dangerous U.S. desert

6:06am May 03, 2023

by Jasmine Garsd

The humanitarian aid group Border Kindness leaves water and other aid in areas along the U.S.-Mexico border. They say people are ill-prepared for conditions on uncharted trails.

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The Los Angeles skyline is seen above the Union Pacific LATC Intermodal Terminal on Tuesday.

California becomes the first state to adopt emission rules for trains

5:57pm April 27, 2023

by The Associated Press

California approved a rule limiting rail pollution to aggressively cut greenhouse gas emissions in the state's latest move to establish itself as a global leader in the fight against climate change.

Science

Encore: Greenland's melting ice and right whales

5:18pm April 22, 2023

by Lauren Sommer

Climate change is causing ice caps and glaciers to disappear. One animal that the ice melt is affecting is the North Atlantic right whale.

People view fields of flowers at Carrizo Plain National Monument, California's largest remaining grassland.

California's destructively wet winter has a bright side. You'll want to see it

9:16pm April 21, 2023

California's year of endless storms has seeded superblooms of wildflowers and provided a boost to some of the state's endangered ecosystems.

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Lasers can measure mountain snowpack — important data for drought-stricken areas

4:28pm April 20, 2023

by Stephanie Maltarich

Laser technology is being used to more accurately measure mountain snowpack — crucial information for farmers and water managers in drought-stricken areas like the Colorado River Basin.

Fire burns in the hollow of an old-growth redwood tree in Big Basin Redwoods State Park in California. The Biden administration has identified more than 175,000 square miles of old growth and mature forests on U.S. government lands.

The U.S. plans new protections for old forests facing pressure from climate change

1:38pm April 20, 2023

by The Associated Press

The Biden administration catalogued 175,000 square miles of old growth and mature forests on federal land. It plans a new rule to better protect woodlands from fires and other climate change effects.