January hurricanes are rare events, but two have already formed this month. Atmospheric scientist Adam Sobel explains the conditions that generated Pali and Alex.
Extreme drought, a predictable impact of El Niño, fuels wildfires on the island of Borneo on October 14.
NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL-Caltech, MISR Team
False complacency: Hurricane Patricia didn’t devastate Mexico as feared, but provides more evidence that warming waters raise the chances of more intense storms.
There were no fatalities from Hurricane Patricia, which was downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall in Mexico.
Tomas Bravo/Reuters
Research shows that El Niño creates conditions for a certain type of hurricane – and offers clues as to how climate change can affect the severity of hurricanes.
Outside the Superdome in New Orleans on September 2 2005.
REUTERS/Jason Reed
The experiences of Hurricane Katrina evacuees spotlight the difficulties with our social “safety net” and the holes through which the poorest can fall.
A New Orleans policeman during a boat rescue mission in New Orleans on September 6 2005.
REUTERS/Lee Celano
New Orleans police have been eulogized as heroes and condemned as racists in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. A scholar examines the legacy of conflicting narratives and points to a way forward.
Katrina shortly after landfall.
NOAA/NASA GOES Project
Kerry Emanuel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
The latest science on hurricanes and climate change explained – vital information for coastal regions to prepare for the effects of more intense storms.
When will the next big one strike?
Hurricane via www.shutterstock.com
Hurricanes can be deadly to those in their path. Officials don’t want to unnecessarily alarm before solid forecasts are in place, but residents need enough time to prepare and heed evacuation orders.
Only a Category 1 at landfall, Hurricane Irene had plenty of energy.
H*wind
We’re no longer caught off guard when hurricanes make landfall, the way people were into the early 1900s. Better communications, measurements and observations all feed into better forecasts and more warning.
Hurricane path forecasts are good, but even the ‘cone of uncertainty’ doesn’t fully describe where the hazards could be.
National Hurricane Center
James Franklin, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Forecasting successes can breed complacency in the general public. But all hurricane damage isn’t necessarily contained within the “cone of uncertainty.”
Kerry Emanuel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Kerry Emanuel, professor of atmospheric science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology answered questions posed by the public on Reddit. The Conversation has curated the highlights. Weather With…