Latest news with #KristinaDahl
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
U.S. rocked by four 1-in-1,000-year storms in less than a week
First the river rose in Texas. Then, the rains fell hard over North Carolina, New Mexico and Illinois. In less than a week, there were at least four 1-in-1,000-year rainfall events across the United States — intense deluges that are thought to have roughly a 0.1% chance of happening in any given year. 'Any one of these intense rainfall events has a low chance of occurring in a given year,' said Kristina Dahl, vice president for science at the nonprofit organization Climate Central, 'so to see events that are historic and record-breaking in multiple parts of the country over the course of one week is even more alarming.' It's the kind of statistic, several experts said, that is both eye-opening and likely to become more common because of climate change. At least 120 people were killed across six counties in central Texas' Hill Country region last week, after heavy rain caused catastrophic flash flooding. The Guadalupe River, near Kerrville, surged more than 20 feet in 90 minutes during the storm, washing away roads and causing widespread devastation. Days later, on Sunday, Tropical Storm Chantal drenched parts of North Carolina. Extensive flooding was reported across the central portion of the state, with some areas receiving nearly 12 inches of rain in only 24 hours. Local officials are still confirming the total number of deaths from the flooding, all while the region is under another flood watch Thursday. In New Mexico on Tuesday, at least three people were killed by devastating flash floods that swept through the remote mountain village of Ruidoso, about 180 miles south of Albuquerque. And in Chicago that same day, 5 inches of rain fell in only 90 minutes over Garfield Park, prompting multiple rescues on the west side of the city. Experts said that while 1-in-1,000-year floods are statistically rare, a certain number do occur every year in the United States. 'The probability is 0.1% for your location each year, so it's very unlikely to occur where you are, but over an entire country, some of them are going to happen somewhere each year,' said Russ Schumacher, director of the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University and the state climatologist. Climate change is also likely to make these kinds of extreme flooding events more common, he said. It's often tricky to untangle the precise influence that climate change had on individual weather events, but scientists agree that severe storms are more likely in a warming world — along with more intense rainfall. 'This is one of the areas where attribution science is more solid, because the underlying physics is relatively simple,' Schumacher said. A warmer atmosphere can hold more water, making storms capable of dumping huge amounts of rain over land. Studies have shown that for every degree Fahrenheit that the planet heats up, the atmosphere can hold around 3% to 4% more moisture. 'It is a mathematical certainty that as the atmosphere holds more water, it can also discharge more water in an instantaneous fashion,' said Dave Gochis, a hydrometeorologist who is the head of prediction services at Airborne Snow Observatories, a company headquartered in Mammoth Lakes, California, that measures and models snow and water resources around the world. But terrain can also be a major factor during heavy rainfall events, Gochis said. In Texas, for instance, the area's hills and canyons make it susceptible to flash flooding. Thin soil on top of a layer of bedrock also limits how much water can be absorbed in the ground, Gochis said. In New Mexico, the village of Ruidoso was ravaged by wildfires last year, which left burn scars that tend to increase runoff and heighten the risks of flash flooding. The events of the past week have laid bare the devastating effects of climate change on extreme weather — and the need to protect communities both before and after these events occur, said Dahl of Climate Central. Recovery efforts may take years, she said, and other consequences, including to public health, may linger for much longer. 'These events come and go in the news, and before you know it, we're on to the next one,' Dahl said. 'It's easy to forget that for the people experiencing this, it's really a yearslong process of healing.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
11-07-2025
- Climate
- NBC News
More storms to drench Midwest, hard-hit Texas and New Mexico this weekend
After a week of severe storms that soaked the East Coast and triggered devastating floods in the South, more rain is on the way with a renewed flood threat for still-reeling Texas and New Mexico. Storms are passing through the Midwest, with heavy rain drenching Iowa and parts of Illinois as of Friday morning. Overall, 19 million people are under the threat of hazardous storms capable of impacting major cities, including Kansas City, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Grand Rapids, from northern Missouri into western Michigan. Severe thunderstorms will head east by Saturday, impacting eastern Michigan and parts of northern Indiana. One to two inches of rain is possible as the system tracks east, but some areas could see isolated amounts of three to five inches through the weekend. Friday morning's storms have already impacted travel, causing chaos at airports and prompting caution on roads. As of 8:30 a.m. ET, there's been over 900 flight delays within, into or out of the U.S. and over 280 cancellations, according to Flightaware data. Flood threat will also return to hard-hit Texas and New Mexico, where recovery operations are still underway and soils remain saturated. Catastrophic floods hit central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend that left more than 100 people dead, and historic flash floods hit the remote village of Ruidoso, New Mexico, this week and killed at least three people. In those floods, the Guadalupe River near Kerrville, Texas, surged more than 20 feet in 90 minutes during the storm, washing away roads and inundating homes. In New Mexico, the Rio Ruidoso River rose 18 feet in just 30 minutes, and flooding fell on burn scars from the South Fork and Salt fires that occurred last year. Friday will be a dry day for these states, but thunderstorms will return over the weekend, fueled by abundant Gulf moisture. A slight risk for flooding is in effect for Texas on Saturday, where thunderstorms with heavy rainfall are forecast for the Texas Hill Country. A flood risk is in place from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, into San Angelo and Kerrville, Texas, on Saturday. Thunderstorms will also be possible over New Mexico, including the Ruidoso area. Storms will be a bit more isolated in this area, but there is a heightened risk of burn scar flooding into Sunday morning. Come Sunday, more showers and storms are forecast across the Southern region. Rain has also inundated the East Coast earlier this week, snarling traffic, leading to water rescues, and killing at least two in North Carolina. The Alamance County sheriff's office in North Carolina said two people died in traffic-related incidents after vehicles were swept off the roadway in floods. The U.S. observed at least four 1-in-1,000-year rainfall events in the past week in Texas, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Illinois. Kristina Dahl, vice president for science at the nonprofit organization Climate Central, said that "any one of these intense rainfall events has a low chance of occurring in a given to see events that are historic and record-breaking in multiple parts of the country over the course of one week is even more alarming." Scientists say the climate crisis and a warming planet are fueling heavier rainfall events. A warmer atmosphere can hold more water, making storms capable of dumping huge amounts of rain over land. Studies have shown that for every degree Fahrenheit that the planet heats up, the atmosphere can hold around 3% to 4% more moisture.
NBC News
10-07-2025
- Climate
- NBC News
U.S. rocked by four 1-in-1,000-year storms in less than a week
First the river rose in Texas. Then, the rains fell hard over North Carolina, New Mexico and Illinois. In less than a week, there were at least four 1-in-1,000-year rainfall events across the United States — intense deluges that are thought to have roughly a 0.1% chance of happening in any given year. 'Any one of these intense rainfall events has a low chance of occurring in a given year,' said Kristina Dahl, vice president for science at the nonprofit organization Climate Central, 'so to see events that are historic and record-breaking in multiple parts of the country over the course of one week is even more alarming.' It's the kind of statistic, several experts said, that is both eye-opening and likely to become more common because of climate change. At least 120 people were killed across six counties in central Texas' Hill Country region last week, after heavy rain caused catastrophic flash flooding. The Guadalupe River, near Kerrville, surged more than 20 feet in 90 minutes during the storm, washing away roads and causing widespread devastation. Days later, on Sunday, Tropical Storm Chantal drenched parts of North Carolina. Extensive flooding was reported across the central portion of the state, with some areas receiving nearly 12 inches of rain in only 24 hours. Local officials are still confirming the total number of deaths from the flooding, all while the region is under another flood watch Thursday. In New Mexico on Tuesday, at least three people were killed by devastating flash floods that swept through the remote mountain village of Ruidoso, about 180 miles south of Albuquerque. And in Chicago that same day, 5 inches of rain fell in only 90 minutes over Garfield Park, prompting multiple rescues on the west side of the city. Experts said that while 1-in-1,000-year floods are statistically rare, a certain number do occur every year in the United States. 'The probability is 0.1% for your location each year, so it's very unlikely to occur where you are, but over an entire country, some of them are going to happen somewhere each year,' said Russ Schumacher, director of the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University and the state climatologist. Climate change is also likely to make these kinds of extreme flooding events more common, he said. It's often tricky to untangle the precise influence that climate change had on individual weather events, but scientists agree that severe storms are more likely in a warming world — along with more intense rainfall. 'This is one of the areas where attribution science is more solid, because the underlying physics is relatively simple,' Schumacher said. A warmer atmosphere can hold more water, making storms capable of dumping huge amounts of rain over land. Studies have shown that for every degree Fahrenheit that the planet heats up, the atmosphere can hold around 3% to 4% more moisture. 'It is a mathematical certainty that as the atmosphere holds more water, it can also discharge more water in an instantaneous fashion,' said Dave Gochis, a hydrometeorologist who is the head of prediction services at Airborne Snow Observatories, a company headquartered in Mammoth Lakes, California, that measures and models snow and water resources around the world. But terrain can also be a major factor during heavy rainfall events, Gochis said. In Texas, for instance, the area's hills and canyons make it susceptible to flash flooding. Thin soil on top of a layer of bedrock also limits how much water can be absorbed in the ground, Gochis said. In New Mexico, the village of Ruidoso was ravaged by wildfires last year, which left burn scars that tend to increase runoff and heighten the risks of flash flooding. The events of the past week have laid bare the devastating effects of climate change on extreme weather — and the need to protect communities both before and after these events occur, said Dahl of Climate Central. Recovery efforts may take years, she said, and other consequences, including to public health, may linger for much longer. 'These events come and go in the news, and before you know it, we're on to the next one,' Dahl said. 'It's easy to forget that for the people experiencing this, it's really a yearslong process of healing.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Australia records big bump in pregnancy heat-risk days
Climate change has already added about 10 extra days a year of extreme heat deemed harmful for pregnant women in Australia. Darwin experienced a sharp 17-day jump in heat conditions threatening to pregnant people and newborns, the biggest increase of all Australian cities captured in the analysis by international non-profit Climate Central. Heatwaves pose birth risks, with the World Health Organization linking high temperatures to preterm birth and stillbirth as well as hypertension and gestational diabetes. Climate Central vice-president for science Kristina Dahl said climate change added more than half of Australia's pregnancy heat-risk days experienced over the past five years. "That means climate change is already making it harder to have a healthy pregnancy, especially in regions where care may be limited," Dr Dahl said. She said each day of extreme heat increased the chances of serious pregnancy complications. More than 240 countries and territories were assessed against a known marker of elevated preterm birth risks; days when maximum temperatures are higher than 95 per cent of local seasonal temperatures. These extremely hot days were counted and compared with a counter-factual estimating extreme heat without human-caused climate change. From there it was possible to gauge how many pregnancy heat-risk days were caused by climate change each year. Every country experienced more pregnancy heat-risk days between 2020 and 2024, with higher emissions from burning fossil fuels and other human activities adding an extra month for nearly one-third. The sharpest increases were recorded in developing nations with substandard healthcare systems. Keeping cool with air-conditioning also tends to be more challenging in less-developed countries.
West Australian
14-05-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Australia records big bump in pregnancy heat-risk days
Climate change has already added about 10 extra days a year of extreme heat deemed harmful for pregnant women in Australia. Darwin experienced a sharp 17-day jump in heat conditions threatening to pregnant people and newborns, the biggest increase of all Australian cities captured in the analysis by international non-profit Climate Central. Heatwaves pose birth risks, with the World Health Organization linking high temperatures to preterm birth and stillbirth as well as hypertension and gestational diabetes. Climate Central vice-president for science Kristina Dahl said climate change added more than half of Australia's pregnancy heat-risk days experienced over the past five years. "That means climate change is already making it harder to have a healthy pregnancy, especially in regions where care may be limited," Dr Dahl said. She said each day of extreme heat increased the chances of serious pregnancy complications. More than 240 countries and territories were assessed against a known marker of elevated preterm birth risks; days when maximum temperatures are higher than 95 per cent of local seasonal temperatures. These extremely hot days were counted and compared with a counter-factual estimating extreme heat without human-caused climate change. From there it was possible to gauge how many pregnancy heat-risk days were caused by climate change each year. Every country experienced more pregnancy heat-risk days between 2020 and 2024, with higher emissions from burning fossil fuels and other human activities adding an extra month for nearly one-third. The sharpest increases were recorded in developing nations with substandard healthcare systems. Keeping cool with air-conditioning also tends to be more challenging in less-developed countries.
