Fewer monsoons may make fighting wildfires harder

Winter rains can temper Arizona's wildfire season, but monsoon rains shut them down. Unfortunately, this monsoon season was the second-driest ever.

---

Tags: climate-change wildfire rainfall earth-and-environment monsoons

Study offers clues to how climate affected 1918 pandemic

A new study of ice-core data shows that an unusual, six-year period of cold temperatures and heavy rainfall coincided with European deaths during the 1918 Spanish flu.

---

Tags: science-technology history environments-sustainability alvin-powell michael-mccormick spanish-flu rainfall world-war-i alexander-more initiative-for-the-science-of-the-human-past long-island-university nottingham-university paul-mayewski university-of-maine

Curious Kids: How much does a cloud weigh?

It's a lot more than you might think.

---

Tags: rainfall meteorology curious-kids clouds

Rain plays a surprising role in making some restored prairies healthier than others

Restoring former prairies that have been plowed under for farming delivers land, wildlife and climate benefits. But a new study finds that the weather plays a surprising role.

---

Tags: climate-change ecology rainfall prairies grasslands ecosystem-recovery weather us-midwest weeds precipitation native-plants restoration-ecology

Cold war nuclear tests changed rainfall thousands of miles away

Finding could be useful for attempts to manipulate the weather using technology.

---

Tags: rainfall meteorology weather nuclear-tests

Is air pollution behind 80-year decline in monsoon rain?

Rainfall from the Asian summer monsoon has been declining for 80 years, and air pollution is the most likely culprit, researchers say.

---

Tags: pollution rainfall earth-and-environment monsoons

Rain on other side of the planet foreshadows California heat

Scientists can predict heatwaves in California by looking for rain half a world away.

---

Tags: rainfall temperature weather prediction featured science-and-technology