An intense drought has gripped the southern tier of the United States for several months, accompanied by destructive wildfires, low water supplies, and failed crops.
In summer 2011, the South was in the grip of one of the worst droughts on record, and the fall drought outlook issued by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center provided little hope of relief, especially for the Southwest and Texas.
At the peak of this year’s drought, a record 12 percent of the U.S. was experiencing exceptional drought conditions.
As the East Coast prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Irene, New Englanders may be recalling a similarly threatening storm that walloped the area 73 years ago.
A map of each location where a daily heat record was broken in July 2010 creates a nearly complete image of the contiguous United States.
Image highlights form the 2011 State of the Climate report.
Starting in July, when you hear that a day was hotter, or colder, or rainier than normal, that normal will be a little different from what it was in the past.
Normally invisible, wind turbine wakes come to life over the ocean, fascinating scientists who study winds in the lower atmosphere.
As of 2021, the warming effect of long-lived greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere had increased by 49% compared to 1990. Relative to pre-industrial times, today's atmosphere absorbs more than 3 extra Watts of energy per square meter.