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Page Updated:
April 30, 2026

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• • A Sixth Ocean Is Forming as East Africa Splits Apart

  In East Africa, Tectonic Forces Are Slowly Splitting the Continent, Creating a Future Ocean Basin
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  April 27, 2026 -In the scorching deserts of East Africa, the ground is slowly tearing itself apart — a slow-motion, geological drama. Over millions of years, the African continent will cleave in two, and scientists say a new ocean will one day fill the gap.

  The Afar region is most famous for being one of the hottest and most inhospitable places on Earth. But for geologists, what’s more interesting is what lies beneath the scorching ground. The Afar sits at the crossroads of three tectonic plates — the Nubian, Somali, and Arabian — which are gradually pulling away from one another. This process, known as rifting, is reshaping the landscape and offering scientists a rare opportunity to study how continents split and oceans are born.

• • Wu Outlines Climate Roadmap for Boston

  Cut Emissions 50% By 2030, Carbon Neutral By 2050
  
  {WCVB}

  April 27, 2026 -Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is outlining her administration's climate roadmap, including a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.

  Wu's administration wants to "rapidly" cut emissions from buildings, transportation and energy sectors while increasing the adoption of resilience strategies.

  "Climate action is, in fact, safety and health, opportunity and belonging," the mayor said on Monday morning at LoPresti Park, a location selected because she said it demonstrates the kind of best practices called for in the climate plan.

• • Torrential Rain in Southern China Leads to Flooding Fears

  Heatwaves Reach 45C Across India as Unseasonably Cold Weather Affects Parts of Central Canada

  
  

  Apr. 27, 2026 -Widespread heavy rain is sweeping over southern China. By Wednesday, rainfall totals are expected to exceed 100mm across many parts of Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Hunan provinces, and in some areas as much as 150-200mm.

  As a result, the Office of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management have been holding meetings with meteorological and hydrological departments to emphasise the importance of reinforced patrols and emergency responses to mitigate against the probable flooding that the intense rainfall is expected to bring. In particular, reservoirs with known safety concerns must remain empty during the period, as well as through the coming rainy season.

• • I’ve Chased Hundreds of Supercells

  What Makes Them the King of Thunderstorms?

  
  

  Apr. 26, 2026, by Matthew Cappucci -A supercell thunderstorm can tower 10 or more miles high. It can spit out pinpoint lightning strikes, drop grapefruit-size hail, rage for hours and traverse hundreds of miles.

  But the secret to a supercell’s power is that it’s a rotating thunderstorm. The entire storm spins. That’s why supercells can, and frequently do, produce tornadoes.

• • Thousands at Risk After Multi-Million Dollar
  Everest Flood Warning System Left to Rust

  Global Warming-Induced Fast Melting Glaciers Are Causing Many Himalayan Glacial Lakes to Expand Dangerously
  
  {BBC NEWS}

  April 25, 2026 -An early flood warning system designed to save the lives of thousands of people in the Everest region may no longer be working, Nepalese officials have admitted to the BBC, after it was allowed to fall into a state of disrepair.

  The disclosure came after villagers in the local Sherpa communities told the BBC no inspection of the UN-supported project had been carried out for many years after the dangerous Imja glacial lake was last drained in 2016.

• • The Next El Niño Could Lock Earth Into a Hotter Climate

  The Pacific Heat Pulse is Temporary, But Scientists Warn That Its Climate Impacts Are Not

  
  

  Apr. 25, 2026 -The Pacific Ocean is a giant climate cauldron, with a powerful heat engine that affects storms, fisheries and rainfall patterns half a world away, and scientists are watching closely to see if it’s about to boil over.

  Their projections suggest the tropical Pacific is simmering toward a strong El Niño, the warm phase of an ocean-atmosphere cycle that can intensify and shift those impacts.

• • A New Idea to Save the Climate?

  Dam the Bering Strait

  
  

  Apr. 24, 2026 -Brightening clouds. Refreezing the Arctic. Floating a giant parasol in outer space. To the ranks of out-there ideas for countering climate change, two Dutch scientists have added this: building a 50-mile-long dam across the Bering Strait, the shallow waterway that separates Russia and Alaska.

  In a study published on Friday in the journal Science Advances, the researchers show that, under certain conditions, such a dam could prevent a collapse of a network of ocean currents, known as the AMOC, that plays a central role in regulating Earth’s climate.

• • Georgia Blaze Shows How Climate Change
  Has Led to More Wildfires in the East

  So Far This Year, 2,802 Square Miles (7,258 Square Kilometers) of the U.S. has Burned in Wildfires

  
  

  Apr. 24, 2026 -Often considered more a problem for Western North America, wildfires are becoming more intense, frequent and damaging in the East, such as this week’s blaze that destroyed dozens of homes in Georgia, fire scientists said.

  Researchers blame a number of factors including climate change causing fuel to dry out and be more flammable, a record drought, tens of millions of tons of dead trees from Hurricane Helene and just the large area where dense forests and high numbers of people try to coexist.

• • France Kept Climate Change Off G7 Agenda to Avoid Clash With US

  The Last Thing We Want to Do is To Offend Trump

  
  

  Apr. 24, 2026 -France wound up a meeting of G7 environment ministers on Friday defending its "pragmatic" decision to keep climate change off the agenda to avoid a clash with the U.S.

  Donald Trump has dismissed climate change as a hoax despite scientific evidence, and has withdrawn his country from several international climate bodies.

  Keeping it off the formal agenda of the Paris-hosted ?meeting was "a more pragmatic approach" that avoided "the risk of certain partners walking from the negotiating table," French Environment Minister Monique Barbut told reporters.

• • Huge Chunk of Glacier Blocks Everest Route In Peak Climbing Season

  And One Leads the Way With 97 Fatalities
  
  {AOL}

  April 23, 2026 -A huge, unstable chunk of glacier is blocking the route up Mount Everest from Base Camp in Nepal just as peak climbing season gets under way in the Himalayas.

  "Icefall doctors" – who fix ropes and ladders on the lower part of the route up the world's highest peak - can find no way round the 100-foot-high (30m) block of ice just under Camp 1.

  They say the only option is to wait for the ice block, called a serac, to melt – which they hope will happen within days.

• • What a 5,000-Mile-Long Marine Heat
  Wave Means For Summer in the U.S.

  It Could Worsen Heat and Humidity in the West This Summer, and Also Boost the Risks of Pacific Hurricanes and Wildfires in the Region

  
  

  April 22, 2026 -A massive ocean hot spot is stretching across a 5,000-mile swath of the Pacific — from Micronesia to the coastal waters of California. Across this zone, waters are as much as 6 to 8 degrees above average.

  And it has the attention of climate scientists, who say it could boost temperatures, humidity and the threat for tropical storms in the West during the months ahead. Climate scientist Daniel Swain described this increasingly extreme marine heat wave as an “exceptional event” that’s breaking records.

• • How Are Utilities Preparing For a ‘Historic’ El Niño?

  This Year’s El Niño Could Be the Strongest in Over a Century—Utilities Are Preempting the Fallout
  
  {energy central}

  Apr. 21, 2026 -The forecast: NOAA pegs the odds at 61% for an El Niño emerging between May and July, with a 25% chance it qualifies as “very strong,” pushing ocean temps 2°C above average in some regions. Utilities may confront floods or a combo of drought and wildfire conditions—along with spiking demand.

  The playbook: In SoCal, SDG&E is hardening stressed circuits to handle intense heatwaves and fortifying low-lying substations against coastal flooding. Up north, Seattle City Light is banking reservoir water as drought risk and early snowmelt threaten summer hydro generation.

• • Super El Niño and Climate Change Could
  Lead to Record-Breaking Global Temperatures

  El Niño Events Are a Natural Part of Earth’s Climate System
  
  {Union of Concerned Scientists}

  April 21, 2026 -You’ve probably seen in the news the potential for a super El Niño to develop this summer into early fall.

  According to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, there is at least a 50% chance of a “strong” or “very strong” El Niño during the upcoming Northern Hemisphere Winter. Some climate models, such as those at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), are even saying this event could be the strongest El Niño on record.

• • As Western Heat Wave Ends, Scientists Try to
  Make Sense of Its Length and Intensity

  The heat dome set more than 1,500 temperature records across 11 states
  
  {NBC NEWS}

  April 20, 2026 -The scorching spring heat dome that baked the West for well over a week has finally moved along, after setting more than 1,500 temperature records across 11 states, according to the research group Climate Central.

  In its wake, climate scientists, irrigation managers and local officials are taking stock of a looming water crisis and trying to make sense of just how exceptional the heat wave turned out to be. Even before the high temperatures arrived, Western states were reporting some of their weakest snowpack numbers in modern history. Now, in many places, little snow remains.

• • How Our Allergy Seasons Are Getting Worse

  Sneezy in Seattle

  
  

  April 20, 2026 -It’s not just you. Allergy season isn’t the same as it used to be.

  Climate change caused by fossil fuels is heating up the planet. In the Northwest, winters have warmed and summers have gotten hotter on average. This has lengthened growing seasons across the U.S., meaning plants have more time to bloom and release eye-watering and sneeze-inducing pollen.

  A new Climate Central analysis of data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that allergy season in the Northwest, including Washington, Oregon and Idaho, has increased by 31 days since 1970, the most out of any other U.S. region.

• • As Summers Worsen, Maryland Looks to Standardize ACs in Apartments

  Bipartisan Legislation Would Bring Summer Cooling Standards Closer to the State's Existing Rules For Winter Heating
  
  {CLIMATEWIRE}

  April 17, 2026 -Maryland’s oppressive summers are growing even more dangerous — especially in urban areas such as Baltimore, where tree cover is minimal, many older buildings lack air conditioning and the heat has killed people before.

  Now, bipartisan legislation awaiting Democratic Gov. Wes Moore’s signature offers renters a pathway to safer conditions during the summer. He is expected to sign it.

• • Japan’s Cherry Blossom Database, 1,200 Years Old, Has a New Keeper

  The Remarkable Catalog of Dates is One of the Longest-Running Records of Climate Change

  
  

  April 17, 2026 -For more than 1,200 years, Japanese noblemen, monks and bureaucrats have carefully recorded one of the most eagerly awaited days of the year — when cherry blossoms bloom in the ancient capital, Kyoto.

  In recent years, a climate scientist, Yasuyuki Aono, has been the keeper of this trove of dates, one of the world’s most remarkable and longest-running climate records. Cherry trees, or sakura, are particularly sensitive to changing temperatures, and as the planet has warmed, they have bloomed earlier and earlier.

• • The Sneaky Saboteur That May Be Raising Your
  Blood Pressure — Especially If You Live in a Coastal Area

  It’s Like Salt in a Wound
  
  {NEW YORK POST}

  April 17, 2026 -Global warming has been blamed for stronger and more frequent storms, droughts, floods and rare disease outbreaks. Now, it might be fueling kitchen table health crises, too.

  Researchers are concerned that rising sea levels are contaminating fresh drinking water with seawater — and that the extra salt could have the same effect on blood pressure as key risk factors like inactivity.

• • Some States Will Go From Record Heat to a Freeze — Thanks to Alaska

  Alaska is One of the Few Places Where it has Been Unusually Cold Lately. The Contiguous U.S. Will Soon Feel That Chill

  
  

  April 17, 2026 -Throughout March in the West, temperatures surged to unprecedented levels for this time of year, due to a remarkable heat dome.

  Then in April, that record-breaking heat shifted east. In D.C., temperatures reached 92 degrees on Thursday, based on temperatures recorded at Dulles International Airport, and the 90s in Baltimore, Philadelphia and near New York.

• • Deep-Diving Robots Help Crack the
  Mystery of Antarctica’s Vanishing Sea Ice

  Scientists Say the Culprit Was a "Very Violent Release" of Deep, Pent-Up Heat

  
  

  April 17, 2026 -Something strange has been swirling in the waters around Antarctica. From the 1970s until a decade ago, the floating sea ice that radiates from the continent had been expanding, even with climate change already in full swing. Then, in 2016, it suddenly and dramatically contracted — and has yet to recover — as rising global temperatures seemed to catch up with the Southern Ocean. Far from being just a local issue, the loss of sea ice has huge implications for Antarctica’s vast ice sheet, which would drive sea levels up 190 feet if it disappeared.

  Now, scientists say they’ve identified what’s behind this rise and sudden fall, thanks to an assist from deep-diving robots. It all comes down to salinity, winds, and churn. “One of the key takeaways from the study is that the ocean plays a huge role in sort of modulating how sea ice can vary from year to year, decade to decade,

• • Australia Declares Mainland Alpine Ash Forests Endangered

  The Silent Demise
  
  {MONGABAY}

  April 16, 2026 -The Australian government recently listed the iconic alpine ash forests of mainland Australia as an endangered ecological community, citing ongoing threats from increasingly severe, frequent bushfires and climate change. While conservationists supported this decision, members of the timber and forestry industry questioned the move.

  Alpine ash forests occur on high country slopes in the states of Victoria and New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, at elevations of 900-1,500 meters (about 3,000-5,000 feet). These culturally significant forests sit within the traditional lands of many First Nations peoples.

• • How El Nino-Driven Weaker Monsoon Rains Could Impact India

  What Is El Nino? How Does It Affect India's Monsoon?

  
  

  April 16, 2026 -India's weather office has forecast a below-average monsoon in 2026, with an El Nino expected to develop and weigh on rainfall in the latter half of the June to September season.

  In the past, India has seen below-average ?rainfall in most El Nino years, at times triggering severe droughts that ravaged crops and prompted export curbs on certain grains.

• • Pacific Ocean Warming Signals the Possible Return of a Strong El?Niño

  A Significant Shift is Underway in the Tropical Pacific, With Clear Signs That an El?Niño Event is Developing.
  
  {Met Office}

  April 15, 2026 -Sea surface temperatures across a key region of the central Pacific have been rising steadily in recent months. Observations show that temperatures have crossed important thresholds that are used internationally to identify El Niño conditions.

  Satellite measurements also reveal that sea levels in this part of the Pacific are increasing. Warmer water expands, so rising sea level is another strong indicator that additional heat is building in the ocean. The pace and scale of these changes suggest a well-established warming signal rather than a short-lived fluctuation.

• • Critical Atlantic Current Significantly
  More Likely to Collapse Than Thought

  Scientists Say Finding is ‘Very Concerning’ As Collapse Would Be Catastrophic for Europe, Africa and the Americas

  
  

  April 15, 2026 -The critical Atlantic current system appears significantly more likely to collapse than previously thought after new research found that climate models predicting the biggest slowdown are the most realistic. Scientists called the new finding “very concerning” as a collapse would have catastrophic consequences for Europe, Africa and the Americas.

  The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (Amoc) is a major part of the global climate system and was already known to be at its weakest for 1,600 years as a result of the climate crisis. Scientists spotted warning signs of a tipping point in 2021 and know that the Amoc has collapsed in the Earth’s past.

• • Bessent Questions the Cause of Climate Change and Its Economic Toll

  The Treasury Secretary Said It's “Difficult to Deconstruct” the Reasons For Global Warming, Which He Described as a Belief of the “Elite.”

  
  

  April 14, 2026 -Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed on Tuesday that it was difficult to determine the actual causes of climate change, dismissing decades of science that has attributed global warming to the burning of fossil fuels. He instead called on international financial institutions to focus their attention on economic growth and alleviating poverty.

  The comments came in remarks on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Mr. Bessent had previously ordered the World Bank to remove some of its climate finance targets and finance “all affordable and reliable sources of energy” including gas, oil and coal.

• • Climate Change Concern Near Its High Point in U.S.

  More Now Say Seriousness of Global Warming is Underestimated
  
  {GALLUP}

  April 14, 2026 -Americans’ concern about global warming or climate change remains elevated compared with what it had been prior to 2017. At least four in 10 U.S. adults have expressed “a great deal” of concern about the matter throughout the past decade (except for a 39% reading in 2023). Between 2009 and 2016, worry was typically in the low-to-mid 30% range but dropped to as low as 25% in 2011.

  Currently, 44% of U.S. adults worry a great deal about global warming or climate change, among the highest in the full trend since 1989, along with 46% measured in 2020 and 45% in 2017.

• • Inside the Effort to Restore California's Russian River

  From a Climate Reporter
  
  {wbur}

  April 9, 2026 -For a century, California's Russian River has been a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community. But the health of the river and surrounding area is suffering the effects of climate change.

  KQED's Ezra David Romero reports how the community is working to preserve it for another hundred years.

• • Critical Atlantic Current Significantly
  More Likely to Collapse Than Thought

  Scientists Say Finding is ‘Very Concerning’ as Collapse Would Be Catastrophic for Europe, Africa and the Americas

  
  

  April 15, 2026 -The critical Atlantic current system appears significantly more likely to collapse than previously thought after new research found that climate models predicting the biggest slowdown are the most realistic. Scientists called the new finding “very concerning” as a collapse would have catastrophic consequences for Europe, Africa and the Americas.

  The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (Amoc) is a major part of the global climate system and was already known to be at its weakest for 1,600 years as a result of the climate crisis. Scientists spotted warning signs of a tipping point in 2021 and know that the Amoc has collapsed in the Earth’s past.

• • Why Blazing Hot Temperatures Have Suddenly Hit the East Coast

  Summer is Here—in April?

  
  

  April 14, 2026, It may be April, but for most of the country, summer feels very much like it’s already here. This week East Coast states are seeing unusually hot days, with temperatures in some major cities reaching as high as the 90s Fahrenheit (mid-30s Celsius).

  On April 15 New York City’s Central Park reached 90 degrees F (32 degrees C), three degrees F higher than the previous record high for the date, which was set in 1941. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., hit the same temperature, breaking the previous record, also from 1941, by one degree F. Philadelphia hit 91 degrees F (nearly 33 degrees C), breaking its 1941 record by three degrees F. Raleigh, N.C., tied its April 15 record of 92 degrees F (more than 33 degrees C) but still has the potential to see records fall in the coming days.

• • Bessent Questions the Cause of Climate Change and Its Economic Toll

  The Treasury Secretary Said It is “Difficult to Deconstruct” the Reasons For Global Warming

  
  

  April 14, 2026 -Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed on Tuesday that it was difficult to determine the actual causes of climate change, dismissing decades of science that has attributed global warming to the burning of fossil fuels. He instead called on international financial institutions to focus their attention on economic growth and alleviating poverty.

  The comments came in remarks on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Mr. Bessent had previously ordered the World Bank to remove some of its climate finance targets and finance “all affordable and reliable sources of energy” including gas, oil and coal.

• • A Summerlike Heat Wave Will Hit
  the East This Week, Worsening Drought

  High Temperature Records Are Forecast to Be Neared, Tied Or Broken in Nearly 600 Locations From the Plains to Northeast

  
  

  April 13, 2026 -An early heat wave is headed for parts of the East this week, making it feel more like summer.

  Temperatures will rise into the 90s across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, with 80-degree heat stretching from the Midwest to New England — exceeding June averages for around 160 million people. High-temperature records are forecast to be neared, tied or broken in about 600 locations from the Plains to Northeast.

• • Northeast States Set Big Climate Goals

  Now Those Plans Are in Trouble

  
  

  April 11, 2026 -Several years ago, in a burst of climate optimism, Democratic-led states across the Northeast adopted some of the world’s most ambitious policies to shift away from fossil fuels and cut planet-warming emissions.

  But today, many of those states are scaling back or rethinking their climate plans as they miss emissions targets, struggle with soaring electricity bills and confront the Trump administration’s hostility to renewable energy.

• • Near-Record Sea Temperatures in March Pave
  Wave for Return of El Niño and Abnormally Hot Year

  Several Climate Centres Said Last Month That El Niño, a Natural Climate Pattern Characterized by the Warming of Ocean Surface Temperatures That Drives Temporary Spikes in Global Surface Temperature, is Likely to Form
  
  {EARTH.ORG}

  April 10, 2026 -Sea surface temperatures approached historic highs once again in March, paving the way for the return of a warming weather pattern known as El Niño later this year.

  The average sea surface temperature last month was 20.97C, the second-highest value on record for the month, according to the European Union Copernicus Climate Change Service’s (C3S) monthly bulletin published Friday. The climate monitor said this reflects “a likely transition toward El Niño conditions.”

  Several climate centres, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said last month that El Niño is likely to form during the summer months and persist through the end of 2026 and potentially longer, with a one-in-three chance of becoming “strong” in the winter months

• • Emperor Penguins Have Just Been Declared Endangered

  The Antarctic Fur Seal Also Was Newly Labeled as Endangered By a Key International Group, Which Cited a Warming World

  
  

  April 9, 2026 -Two iconic South Pole species, the emperor penguin and the Antarctic fur seal, have been officially declared endangered by the world’s leading conservation authority — a consequence of dramatic changes to their habitats caused by global warming.

  Emperor penguins were already considered near threatened due to the loss of coastal sea ice, which they rely on for raising chicks. Early ice breakup can lead to colonies falling into the ocean before chicks grow their waterproof feathers, causing the hatchlings to drown.

• • Climate Change Denial Sees a Resurgence in Trump’s Washington

  A Conference Near the White House Drew Hundreds of People Who Reject the Scientific Consensus On Climate Change

  
  

  April 9, 2026 -Climate change is a hoax perpetrated by “leftist politicians.” Fossil fuels are the greenest energy sources. More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will be harmless.

  These were some of the false claims made at a conference on Wednesday held by groups that reject the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change. What might have seemed like a fringe event in years past this time boasted a prominent keynote speaker: Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and one of President Trump’s possible choices for the next attorney general.

• • Heat Wipes Out Western Snowpack, Raising Fears of Drought, Wildfire

  A Record-Mild Winter and Blistering Spring Heat Will Mean Higher Risks of Water Shortages and Wildfires In the Months Ahead

  
  

  April 8, 2026 -After the warmest winter on record for many states and a blistering March heat wave that left almost no snow in parts of the American West, the region is facing a summer of serious wildfire risks and a drought that could force broad water restrictions.

  New measurements this month show most of the Mountain West won’t be able to rely on melting snow, the region’s largest water source, because there’s hardly any snowpack there. And while some rain is forecast in the coming weeks, any spring precipitation will likely be too little, too late, scientists said.

• • March Smashes Heat Records For Continental US

  ‘Climate Change is Kicking Our Butts
  
  {AP News}

  April 8, 2026 - March’s persistent unseasonable heat was so intense that the continental United States registered its most abnormally hot month in 132 years of records, according to federal weather data. And the next year or so looks to turn the dial up on global warmth even more, as some forecasts predict a brewing El Niño will reach superstrength.

  Not only was it the hottest March on record for the U.S., but the amount it was above normal beat any other month in history for the Lower 48 states. March’s average temperature of 50.85 degrees Fahrenheit (10.47 degrees Celsius) was 9.35 F (5.19 C) above the 20th century normal for March. That easily passed the old record of 8.9 F (4.9 C) set in March 2012 as the most abnormally hot month on record — regardless of the month of the year — according to records released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

• • Scientists Placed a 6-Mile Fiber-Optic Cable in Front of a
  Glacier and Recorded 56,000 Icebergs Breaking Off

  A Glass Thread Strung Along the Bottom of a Fjord Captured the Entire Process of Calving, From the Cracking of Ice to the Breakup of Bergs
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  April 8, 2026 -On Greenland’s coast, glaciers meet the sea in narrow fjords that have been carved over hundreds of thousands of years. Ice cliffs tower hundreds of meters high.

  At a glacier’s terminus, where those cliffs crash into the waters of the Atlantic, small (bus-sized) chunks of ice slough off all the time. Occasionally, a stadium-sized iceberg plunks into the water.

  All this glacial calving impacts sea level rise and global climate, but there’s a lot that researchers don’t yet know about how calving happens. Now, scientists have gotten a detailed look at the whole process using a fiber-optic cable on the seafloor 500 meters from a glacier’s calving front. The findings were published last month in Nature.

• • ‘Non-Survivable’: Heatwaves Are Already Breaching Human Limits

  With Worse to Come

  
  

  April 7, 2026 -Extreme heat is already creating “non-survivable” conditions for humans in heatwaves that have killed thousands and likely many more, according to new research that warns people are more susceptible to rising temperatures than first thought.

  Scientists re-examined six extreme heatwaves between 2003 and 2024 and found that when temperature, humidity and the body’s ability to stay cool were accounted for, all were potentially deadly for older people.

• • WA Declares Unprecedented Fourth Drought Emergency in a Row

  This Year the Snowpack Sits at About Half Its Normal Levels and It’s Melting Early

  
  

  April 8, 2026 -More than two months before the start of summer, Washington officials warn the state is headed for severe drought conditions not seen since the disastrous hot and dry season of 2015.

  Washington Department of Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller declared a statewide drought emergency Wednesday morning.

  This is the fourth such emergency Washington has faced, an unprecedented dry spell in state history. And the fact that state officials started ringing alarm bells so early in the year underscores just how painful they expect the summer drought to be. April 1 is typically when Washington’s mountain snowpack reaches its peak.

• • Why This NASA Climate Scientist Wants You to Stay Angry

  Kate Marvel Reflects On Her Fiery Resignation: “I Don’t Think We Rebuild Science Without Getting Mad”

  
  

  April 7, 2026 -Last month, climate scientist and author Kate Marvel resigned from her position at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, where she had spent more than a decade studying a warming world. In her resignation letter, she cited the Trump administration’s attacks on the field.

  “I anticipated that our work would be questioned,” she wrote, “but only because its implications were politically inconvenient. I never expected that science itself would come under attack.”

• • How Climate Change Is Reshaping Forests

  Recent Research Found Climate-Fueled Disturbances in European Forests Could More Than Double By the End of the Century

  
  

  April 7, 2026 -The world’s forests are simultaneously climate powerhouses and victims, sucking carbon from the air while facing myriad global warming impacts—from wildfires to pest outbreaks.

  Recent research found that climate change is already driving widespread disturbances in European forests and, by the end of the century, will likely transform the landscapes that communities depend on.

• • Epic Winter Drought Creates a Bleak
  Situation For Farmers — and Your Food

  If Rainfall Shortages and Record Heat Continue, the Effects May Ripple Throughout the U.S. Food Supply, With The Cost of Beef Already Surging

  
  

  April 7, 2026 -Justin Perry’s family has been farming the rolling hills of the Nebraska panhandle for four generations, but none of them can remember a winter as warm and parched as this one.

  There was no steady rain to gently soak the soil. No blanket of snow to insulate the fields and pasture. Just warm, dry winds that swept across the landscape, sucking moisture from every inch of exposed earth.

• • Why Our Annual April Showers Are Becoming April Storms

  Heavier Rain Events Are Becoming More Frequent and Intense Across Most of the U.S.—and Experts Say These Regions Will Be Hit the Hardest

  
  

  April 6, 2026 -After months of cold, April brings brightness to the Northern Hemisphere. Rain helps seeds germinate, brings flower blooms, and refills drinking water supplies. But too much can hinder spring planting, lead to major flooding, and damage infrastructure.

  Researchers say April showers are transforming from sprinkles into heavier storms as Earth’s temperature rises. Since the 1950s, heavier rain events have become more frequent and intense across most of the United States, according to the U.S. National Climate Assessment.

• • Warming Waters in the Gulf of Maine May Affect the Future of Lobsters

  Researchers Studying the Crustacean’s Early Life Cycles Find Clues That Can Help the Fishery That Depends On Them Plan For a Warmer Future

  
  

  April 4, 2026 -Curt Brown spent his childhood harvesting lobsters along the coast of Maine. As an adult, he went on to earn a Master of Science from the University of Maine, observing the very waters where he spent years fishing for the crustaceans.

  With a rapidly changing climate, many researchers worry that Maine’s lobsters will eventually move north to colder waters. Brown isn’t so sure, though, seeing all of the forces affecting the ecosystem as highly complex. His studies in marine biology and policy, along with his continued work as a lobsterman, have helped him understand that the lobster industry depends upon various factors, some beyond man’s control.

• • The Alaskan Permafrost is Thawing

  Here’s Why That’s So Worrying

  
  

  April 5, 2026 -Thawing permafrost is among climate science’s worst “positive feedback loops”: As the world warms, permafrost—essentially frozen soil—thaws, releasing fresh water and carbon into the environment. That release further fuels climate change, driving more warming. (Thawing permafrost has also raised concerns about unleashing new pathogens on humanity.)

  And in Alaska, the loop seems to be speeding up. In a new study, researchers tracked how thawing permafrost in a Wisconsin-sized section of the North Slope region of Alaska has added fresh water and dissolved organic carbon to estuaries off the Alaskan coast between 1980 and 2023.

• • The 2026 Southwest U.S. Heat Wave Was One of the Six
  Most Astonishing Weather Events of the Century

  From the Pacific Northwest to Antarctica, It’s Extraordinary Warmth That’s Punching Through Climate Norms With the Most Force
  
  {Yale Climate Connections}

  April 3, 2026 -The mind-blowing heat wave that gripped the southwest half of the United States in late March 2026 joins our semi-subjective top-six list of the meteorologically stunning extreme events this century that have most astonished us. Below is our list, including how the March 2026 mega-event compares to an earlier round of March climate madness.

  We know that climate change is injecting more heat into the atmosphere and ocean system. Heat is energy, which means there is more energy to power extreme weather events — particularly heat waves, droughts, and storms — that would have been virtually impossible in the 20th century.

• • Terrifying New Maps Show the Entire West
  Faces an Extreme Wildfire Threat This Summer

  Amid Drought and Heat Waves, April’s National Wildfire Forecast Shows That Nearly the Entire Western U.S. Will Face an Above-Normal Risk of Wildfires At Some Point In the Next Four Months.
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  April 3, 2026 -Every state in the West is expected to face an above-normal threat of wildfire this summer, according to the latest projections, released Wednesday by the National Interagency Coordination Center.

  The government-run center publishes monthly reports predicting fire risk for the four months ahead, and the change since the March outlook is staggering. The agency denotes elevated risk in red on its maps, and the June forecast from March 2 showed a small swath of rouge in the Southwest. But, citing an ongoing snow drought, rapid snowmelt, and a recent unprecedented heat wave, the latest maps feature red spilling across the Southwest and into the Rockies, Pacific Northwest, and northern California.

• • See Where Flowers and Leaves Are
  Emerging Early After Record-Warm March

  After the Most Unusually Warm Month On Record Across the U.S., the Trees and Flowers Have Taken Notice

  
  

  April 1, 2026 -Temperatures were a whopping 7 degrees above average across the country during March, and it was shockingly toasty in the West, where temperatures were summerlike.

  That means flowers are blooming in the Mid-Atlantic and Central states, and you may notice pollen wafting through the air — depending on where you live.

• • Warming Climate Could Expose Antarctica’s
  Hidden Trove Of Precious Metals

  Melting Ice, Rebounding Land, and Rising Seas Will Change What Resources Are Available in Antarctica
  
  {ZME SCIENCE}

  April 1, 2026 -A warming climate could expose a Pennsylvania-sized chunk of ice-free land in Antarctica by 2300, which could drastically reshape Antarctic geopolitics as well as the continent’s geography.

  A study published in Nature Climate Change is the first to incorporate glacial isostatic adjustment—how land beneath heavy ice sheets uplifts after the ice retreats—into projections of ice-free land emergence in Antarctica. The results reveal that climate change could expose potentially valuable mineral resources that may spur renegotiations of the international treaties that currently govern Antarctica.

• • The Warm, Dry Winter Has Left Firefighters in Wyoming Nervous

  A National Forecast Underscored the Elevated Risk of Wildfire Across the West, Which Just Experienced a Climate Change-Fueled Heatwave After a Winter With Little Snow

  
  

  April 1, 2026 -On the heels of one of the warmest and driest winters on record, parts of Wyoming show “significant fire potential” this spring and summer, according to a national forecast released on April 1.

  The U.S. has set or is approaching records for the number of wildfires ignited and the acreage burned by March, and Wyoming firefighters and district managers have already responded to blazes across the state. While the National Weather Service forecasts rain and snow for parts of Wyoming this week, many firefighters in the state are nervous about the potential for huge, quickly spreading conflagrations this summer.

• • Rapid Snow Melt-Off in American West Stuns Scientists

  Experts Say Brutal March Heat has Left Critical Snowpack at Record-Low Levels

  
  

  April 1, 2026 -Snow surveys taking place across the American west this week are offering a grim prognosis, after a historically warm winter and searing March temperatures left the critical snowpack at record-low levels across the region.

  Experts warned that even as the heat begins to subside, the stunning pace of melt-off over the past month has left key basins in uncharted territory for the dry seasons ahead. Though there’s still potential for more snow in the forecast, experts said it will probably be too little too late.

• • In New England, Catching Climate Data Along With Fish

  Commercial Vessels Are Deploying High-Tech Sensors to Map a Shifting Sea, Providing Critical Data For Scientists and Some Help For the Industry

  
  

  April 1, 2026 -When Bob Hersey Jr., a Maine lobsterman, pulls up his traps, he gets more than tasty crustaceans. He’s collecting vital details about the changing ocean environment.

  Mr. Hersey, who also dives for sea urchins, is among nearly 150 fishermen who have installed temperature sensors on their traps or trawl nets from Maine to North Carolina as part of a program run by a nonprofit organization with help from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

• • Fifth of Arabica Coffee Growing Area to Be Unsuitable By 2050

  Blame It On Climate Change

  
  

  Mar. 30, 2026 -Climate change could result in 20% of current arabica coffee growing areas being classified as unsuitable by 2050, Rabobank forecast in ?a report on Monday.

  Currently, 8% of arabica-growing areas -- found in countries including Brazil, Colombia and Honduras among others -- are unsuitable for cultivation, where crops require more investment and produce lower yields, the bank said.

• • Severe Weather Risks Dot Central U.S. as Calendar Turns to April

  The Stormy Spate Comes Amid a Season Uptick In Expected Severe Weather Chances

  
  

  Mar. 30, 2026 -The calendar is flipping to April, and with it comes an atmospheric shift more conducive to severe thunderstorms and heavy rains over much of the United States. That includes expected severe weather this week.

  Multiple days of severe weather are expected through Saturday, with at least some potential for a few tornadoes Wednesday and Friday. As Gulf of Mexico waters, already milder than average, continue to warm, more moisture will waft north over the central states. It’s why the spring months tend to be the most prolific for tornado activity in the U.S. — particularly April and May.

• The National Climate Change Assessment
• 6 Things We Can Do About Climate Change
• Climate Change Positive Thoughts (free e-Book)
• Get the Climate Lab Book
• Interactive Climate Map 2050 (CC Consequences)
• The People's Dosier on Climate Change

• Global Warming Report from NOAA
• Another Good Global Warming Resource
• More Climate Change Resources
• NY Times Climate Forward: (Climate Change Q&A)
• Carbon Fee & Dividend Video
• Interactive Air Pollution Map 2100