severe weather
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Texas got a CRAZY amount of hail
I know this looks like a firefighter standing in a crack in some rocks, but no, my friend: those are four-foot hail drifts in Amarillo, Texas. The reason they look so dirty is that this is basically the only precipitation the drought-stricken state has been getting lately — Texas was covered in mostly dust, so […]
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Pumpkin shortage slams Northeast
If you're going to want pumpkins for this season's jack-o-lanterns, pies, horseman head substitutes, or transportation to the ball, better start stocking up now. This year's weird weather has meant a smaller pumpkin crop, and existing pumpkins are selling for much more than usual. Thanks, climate change, you buzzkill.
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How to assess hurricane damage using waffles
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has an idiosyncratic (and tasty) way of determining the damage caused by a hurricane: the Waffle House Index. The iconic Southern chain is so widespread -- and so stalwart -- that you can gauge a storm's severity based on whether the local Waffle Houses closed.
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Severe weather costs us $485 billion per year
According to estimates from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the baseline cost of extreme weather (which has always been with us, but which is steadily getting worse due to climate change) in the United States is $485 billion a year -- 3.4 percent of the country's GDP.
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Could climate disruptions lead to an increase in GIANT SNAKES?
Here's another reason to combat climate change: Severe weather events can flush out terrifying giant snakes. This photo — which gives me ALL THE WILLIES. ALL OF THEM — was taken in Louisiana near the Morganza spillway, a flood control structure that was just employed to relieve pressure on the levee system after recent floods. […]
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Is climate change causing the Mississippi flood?
Mother Jones has posted everything you might want to know about the record flooding along the Mississippi, including the big question: Is this destruction just the ravages of an angry Nature, or is it the ravages of an angry Nature that's pissed about climate change in particular? The answer to "did climate change cause this?" […]
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How to help victims of the Alabama tornadoes
Alabama's still reeling from severe tornadoes. Supporting the environment also means supporting humans when the environment f*cks them over, so we figure you're looking for a way to throw your shoulder in. Here are some ideas for how to do your part for people who may not be feeling so keen on Mother Nature right […]
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'Climatopolis' by Matthew Kahn is not a good book
Climatopolis has a deeply flawed main thesis. The author just doesn't know what he's talking about because he hasn't done his homework.
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Global boiling declares war on Thanksgiving
Paul Bakus in a ruined pumpkin patch.Photo: Wonk Room Cross-posted from the Wonk Room. Our increasingly extreme climate is devastating American agriculture. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, strengthened by global warming, caused $1.6 billion in agriculture damage in Louisiana alone. Now it appears that a Thanksgiving mainstay — pumpkin pie — is next on the global […]