Weather

Aaron Fukuda, general manager of Tulare Irrigation District, stands in a basin that's designed to capture floodwater so that it can replenish depleted aquifers.

Water is scarce in California. But farmers have found ways to store it underground

4:51pm October 05, 2021

by Dan Charles

Farmers in California's drought-plagued Central Valley have big plans for the next year of heavy rains. They want to use that water to replenish depleted aquifers, akin to depositing water in a bank.

A month after Hurricane Ida, thousands of kids have yet to return to school

5:16pm October 04, 2021

by Aubri Juhasz

Hurricane Ida walloped south Louisiana a month ago. The killer storm wrecked lives and buildings. Now, kids are beginning to head back to classrooms for the first time since the hurricane.

Tropical cyclone Shaheen reached Oman's coast in the early hours of Sunday morning. State officials have encouraged coastal residents to evacuate and all flights to and from the country's capitol, Muscat, have been suspended.

Environment

Rare tropical cyclone Shaheen is battering the coast of Oman

10:52am October 03, 2021

by Deepa Shivaram

It's rare for a tropical cyclone this intense to come through the Arabian Sea, but warming ocean temperatures due to climate change are making these natural disasters more common.

Mary Bradshaw's house in Elkhorn, Ore., in February. The fire-hardened home was one of the few that survived last year's Beachie Creek Fire in the area.

Oregon Has A New Plan To Protect Homes From Wildfire. Homebuilders Are Pushing Back

11:54am September 27, 2021

by Cassandra Profita

Industry groups and property owners are wary of mandating fire-resistant materials in new construction. There's also controversy over exactly where the new rules should be required.

Sam Is Now A Major Hurricane But Isn't Likely To Hit Land

11:27pm September 25, 2021

by Dave Mistich

The storm was located about 630 miles off the coast of French Guiana on Saturday. There's a slight chance it could hit Bermuda, but modeling currently shows it's likely to miss the island.

Hurricane Sam has not triggered any storm warnings or watches, but forecasters are keeping a close eye on the storm, with it predicted to reach major hurricane status on Saturday.

84-Degree Ocean Waters Will Turn Sam Into A Major Hurricane On Saturday

4:40pm September 24, 2021

by Bill Chappell

The storm is forecast to intensify rapidly as it passes over warm water far out in the Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center says. It's too soon to predict where or when Sam might affect land.

Wilma Banks, who lives in the neighborhood of New Orleans East, sits on her bed next to her nebulizer and CPAP machine. In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, when much of New Orleans was left without power, she wasn't able to power up the medical devices and

Entergy Resisted Upgrading New Orleans' Power Grid. Residents Paid The Price

8:28pm September 22, 2021

Entergy failed to rebuild a stronger system after hurricanes repeatedly damaged its electric grid. Then Hurricane Ida knocked out power for more than a week in the middle of a heat wave.

As inspiration for all trees preparing their autumnal hues, here's a beautiful red oak photographed in Berlin's Kreuzberg district on October 28, 2020.

Science
Arts

The Autumnal Equinox Is This Afternoon. Fall Is Here

11:08am September 22, 2021

by Emily Alfin Johnson

According to the National Weather Service, at 3:20 p.m. EDT today, the Autumnal Equinox (the moment when the length of daylight and darkness are almost perfectly equal) occurs.

A patchwork of national and state regulations require utilities to trim around their power lines. More than a dozen of the country's largest utilities told NPR that falling trees and branches represent a leading cause of outages.

Climate Change Is Killing Trees And Causing Power Outages

1:13pm September 21, 2021

by Julia Simon

Fungi, parasites, root rot: Climate change is increasing the risk of trees weakening and dying. Falling trees have increased power outages nationwide, which threaten public health and safety.

Bags of garbage pile up on a New Orleans street on Friday. Trash collection delays have left some residents outraged at the city's contractors.

Weeks-Old Garbage Is Stinking Up New Orleans. Residents Had A Trash Parade In Protest

12:30pm September 20, 2021

by Nell Clark

In New Orleans, some residents are still living with the trash from Hurricane Ida, more than three weeks after the storm. Residents and city officials are outraged at the delays in trash pickups.