Weather

National

To Prevent Calif. Wildfires, Utility Preemptively Shuts Down Power

6:52am October 27, 2020

by Dan Brekke

Pacific Gas and Electric Company is again shutting down electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes. The move is meant to prevent power lines from sparking wildfires during windy conditions.

Light snow dusts the trees near the Cameron Peak Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado on Friday.

Environment

Fight Against Colorado's Two Largest-Ever Fires Continues, Aided By Snow

7:16pm October 26, 2020

by Reese Oxner

The fires are burning across more than 400,000 acres and have reached Rocky Mountain National Park.

Hurricane Zeta is forecast to make landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday night.×

National

Now A Hurricane, Zeta Is On Track To Hit Louisiana On Wednesday

6:32pm October 26, 2020

by Matthew S. Schwartz

Zeta is the 11th hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic season, and would be the fifth named storm to make landfall in Louisiana this year — the most since the state started keeping records in 1851.

A PG&E contractor works on utility poles along Highway 128 near Geyserville, Calif., on October 31, 2019. The utility is shutting off power for hundreds of thousands in an effort to not spark wildfires.

360,000 Customers Lose Power In California Amid Fire-Safety Shutoffs

3:46pm October 25, 2020

by Kat Lonsdorf

Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced a public safety power shutoff over the weekend as some of the strongest winds and driest conditions of this year's fire season sweep through the region.

The remnants of Hurricane Sandy churn up Lake Michigan in Chicago in 2012. Flood risk in the city is increasing as climate change drives more extreme rain, and renters face greater financial peril than homeowners. More than half of Chicagoans are renters,

Most Tenants Get No Information About Flooding. It Can Cost Them Dearly

7:06pm October 22, 2020

by Rebecca Hersher

Most landlords are not required to disclose if a property is in a flood plain or has flooded before. That's a big problem in cities where climate change is driving more frequent and severe floods.

Queue Listen Now

A tree fell across vehicles at a home in West Des Moines after a severe thunderstorm moved across Iowa on Aug. 10. It was the costliest storm system in modern U.S. history.

National

Iowa Derecho This August Was Most Costly Thunderstorm Event In Modern U.S. History

2:55pm October 18, 2020

by Matthew S. Schwartz

The derecho, which raced through the Midwest and focused its attention on Iowa, led to $7.5 billion in damage. That's more expensive than some hurricanes.

Kendall-Osborne finds a small jewelry box in the remains of her Deer Park home, one of the few recognizable items left behind.

Environment

Undisclosed: Most Homebuyers And Renters Aren't Warned About Flood Or Wildfire Risk

9:00am October 18, 2020

Wildfires and floods threaten tens of millions of properties in the U.S. But most Americans get little or no information about climate risks when they move.

A new study has found that home sale prices and volume appear to be declining in Florida coastal areas at vulnerable to rising sea levels compared to coastal areas with less risk. Here, the balcony view from a luxury condo in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., in 2

Is The Risk Of Sea Level Rise Affecting Florida Home Prices? A New Study Says Yes

7:38pm October 15, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

Research published this week finds that home sales volume and prices have declined in coastal census tracts vulnerable to sea level rise, relative to coastal areas less threatened by climate change.

A recent push, backed by the American Medical Association, has encouraged teaching medical students about health risks tied to a warming planet.

Medical Residents Learn To Treat The Growing Health Hazards Of Climate Change

5:01am October 12, 2020

by Martha Bebinger

From heat-related illness to mosquito-borne infections, physicians are seeing the effects of a warming planet in the exam room. There's a growing push to teach doctors-in-training how to respond.

Marcus Peterson walks past a downed tree in his yard in Jennings, La., after Hurricane Delta moved through the region. Delta hit as a Category 2 hurricane with top winds of 100 mph before rapidly weakening over land.

National

Hundreds Of Thousands Without Power After Hurricane Delta Sweeps Through South

5:37pm October 10, 2020

by Matthew S. Schwartz

Delta brought more damage to areas already hit hard by Hurricane Laura in August. By Saturday morning, the storm had weakened to a tropical depression, but more rain was expected in nearby states.