Wildfires force thousands to evacuate near Los Angeles: Here's how the 2020 Western fire season got so extreme

The 2020 wildfire season has shattered records across the West. It's a trend that's headed in a dangerous direction.

Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, Ph.D. Student, McGill University • conversation
today • ~8 min
Tags: climate-change climate science heat-wave drought natural-disasters wildfires weather

Extreme wildfires can create their own dangerous weather, including fire tornadoes – here's how

Persistent heat waves and dry lightning are part of the problem. For firefighters, the erratic behavior gets dangerous quickly.

Leila Carvalho, Professor of Meteorology and Climatology, University of California, Santa Barbara • conversation
Aug. 25, 2020 • ~6 min
Tags: storms wildfire heat-wave drought natural-disasters weather tornado lightning fire-risk

Western wildfires are spinning off tornadoes – here’s how fires create their own freakish weather

Persistent heat waves and dry lightning are part of the problem. For firefighters, the erratic behavior gets dangerous quickly.

Leila Carvalho, Professor of Meteorology and Climatology, University of California, Santa Barbara • conversation
Aug. 25, 2020 • ~6 min
Tags: storms wildfire heat-wave drought natural-disasters weather tornado lightning fire-risk

What's in wildfire smoke, and why is it so bad for your lungs?

Wildfires blanketing several Western cities are creating hazardous health conditions. Don't count on cloth masks to protect your lungs.

Luke Montrose, Assistant Professor of Community and Environmental Health, Boise State University • conversation
Aug. 20, 2020 • ~7 min
Tags: health environment covid-19 coronavirus pollution lungs heat-wave forests air-pollution heat particulates wildfires smoke firefighting

What's in that wildfire smoke, and why is it so bad for your lungs?

Wildfires blanketing several Western cities are creating hazardous health conditions. Don't count on cloth masks to protect your lungs.

Luke Montrose, Assistant Professor of Community and Environmental Health, Boise State University • conversation
Aug. 20, 2020 • ~7 min
Tags: health environment covid-19 coronavirus pollution lungs heat-wave forests air-pollution heat particulates wildfires smoke firefighting

How dangerous heat waves can kill

Heat waves can kill via dehydration caused by heavy sweating. Breathing or heartbeat may suddenly stop. Prolonged overheating can also create widespread inflammation.

William H. Calvin, Professor Emeritus, University of Washington • conversation
Aug. 18, 2020 • ~8 min
Tags: climate-change heat-wave heat climate-change-and-health

Heatwaves often end with spectacular thunderstorms and lethal floods – but where and when they'll strike is hard to predict

Volatile, unstable air means that it is very tricky to work out exactly where each thunderstorm will be.

Hannah Cloke, Professor of Hydrology, University of Reading • conversation
Aug. 13, 2020 • ~6 min
Tags: floods heat-wave heatwave flash-floods thunderstorms

Heatwaves can kill – research uncovers the homes most vulnerable to overheating

Poverty and inequality affect the likelihood of your home overheating during heatwaves.

Stefan Bouzarovski, Professor of Human Geography, University of Manchester • conversation
June 1, 2020 • ~8 min
Tags: climate-change global-warming heat-wave housing homes heatwave urban-heat-island overheating

Climate change could wreck traditional sheep farming in Wales

Recent summers have offered a taste of things to come for Welsh farmers.

Mariecia Fraser, Reader in Upland Agroecology, Aberystwyth University • conversation
May 4, 2020 • ~6 min
Tags: climate-change agriculture heat-wave livestock drought grass wales sheep-farming

To protect people in the Great Lakes region from climate extremes, weatherize their homes

Climate change is making extreme weather events, both hot and cold, more frequent across the Great Lakes region. Weatherizing low-income residents' homes is an important way to prepare.

Nicholas Rajkovich, Assistant Professor of Architecture, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York • conversation
April 22, 2020 • ~8 min
Tags: climate-change cooling heat-wave housing extreme-weather great-lakes insulation chicago air-conditioning us-midwest weatherization

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