Weathered: Earth's Extremes

The 2020 fire season is devastating communities, forcing thousands to evacuate, and choking the air with smoke. In this episode of Weathered, scientists and Native leaders tell us what we can do to reduce the harm fires can cause through design, building materials, and listening to the land. We’ll even watch researchers burn a home in their lab to identify weak points and make them stronger.

Hurricanes are the most powerful and destructive storms on the planet. And 2020 surpassed all expectations, becoming the most active hurricane season on record. Have you ever wondered how they form? Or how climate change is affecting them? And, what can we learn from a lab that creates hurricane-force wind and rain to test the strength of houses?

The Colorado Basin provides water to over 40 million people in 7 US states and it is currently experiencing its worst drought in 1200 years! But unlike other droughts, our actions may have real impacts on the outcome and it’s very likely that we can make things better.

Landslides occur in every US state, killing dozens and costing around $4 billion each year. One of the most devastating in US history struck on January 9, 2018 in the town of Montecito, CA. We traveled to Montecito to speak with experts and survivors about what they’ve learned following the tragedy as well as the lessons we can all apply to be more prepared for these common hazards.

Over the last decade, the American Northeast has seen more than a 200% increase in the frequency of large, disruptive snowstorms. This trend surprised nearly everybody, including many of the top experts, as they had been expecting a warming planet to translate into milder winters. But in many locations, we have seen just the opposite. So what’s going on here?

What are the most important essentials you’ll need to comfortably survive a disaster? In this episode of Weathered, Maiya explains the basics of disaster prep and shows you what she keeps in her own go-bag and pantry. She also explains her thought process behind why she’s included each item to help you get started on your own path to preparation!

The Cascadia Subduction Zone is a sleeping monster lurking just off the Northwest coast of the United States. It extends 600 miles between Northern California and Vancouver B.C. and experiences a massive megathrust earthquake every 250 years on average. The last one happened 321 years ago and scientists say there is a 30% chance we’ll see another in the next 50 years.

The awesome and devastating power of tornadoes is unlike any other that Mother Nature dishes out. The largest among them, known as EF5s, produce winds in excess of 200 mph and can span two miles across. We discuss the surprising fact that many of the homes in the US aren’t constructed with surviving tornadic winds in mind and talk to experts about what you should do to prepare your home.

Each year, flooding kills around 100 Americans and displaces some 75,000 from their homes. And as sea levels rise, storms dump more and more rain, and dams and levees continue aging and increasingly failing, the cost of flooding is increasing. So what do we do? Well, it’s not an easy question to answer. But there are many innovative solutions that communities are taking.

In this episode, we delve into the latest science of the “urban heat island” effect, learn about the looming threat of a potential “Katrina-like event” that threatens their electrical grid, and explore the gamut of options being pursued by scientists and activists to make life safer and more livable in America’s hottest city.

A fire tornado, or “firenado,” is exactly what it sounds like: a tornado made out of fire… and it is truly the stuff of nightmares. The most famous example occurred when the 2018 Carr Fire spawned an EF3 fire tornado with estimated wind speeds of 143 mph! And as climate change drives increasing wildfires around the planet, it only makes sense that we see more fire tornadoes as well.

In the 1930s, the US experienced what has been called its greatest ecological disaster, when the dust bowl ravaged the midwest, eroding topsoil, destroying crops, and displacing millions. As climate change exacerbates drought across much of the US, damaging dust storms and haboobs are becoming more common, leading many experts to ask if we're headed into another dust bowl.

Have you ever wondered how hail is formed? Or just how big it can get? We learn how the IBHS Research Laboratory is using 3D printers, sophisticated potato guns, a sky-diving chamber, and other state-of-the-art equipment to help unravel the mystery of how on earth such large hailstones form… and how we can reduce the damage they cause.

For decades we’ve been planting trees in hopes of reducing carbon pollution. But when it comes to carbon sequestration, have we actually been getting it all backward? We travel to the Pacific Northwest forests of Oregon to see what we can learn about forest carbon sinks and the groundbreaking research with Oregon State University’s Department of Forestry.

The closely observed Hunga Haʻapai volcano in Tonga erupted in January 2022. The hot plumes of ash they spew into the atmosphere are the most dangerous part of these eruptions, threatening downwind communities and even planes. It turns out these plumes also form volcanic lightning!

With climate change making temperatures more extreme each year, like we recently saw in the great Texas freeze and the Northwest heatwave, large-scale power outages become a matter of life and death. Could a power grid failure during an extreme weather event be the most deadly weather disaster in US history? And what can we do to prevent this kind of catastrophic blackout?

NOAA’s 2020 Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disaster report showed a notable uptick in extremes. In 2021, 10.6% of all-weather stations reported record temperatures. And with the continued emission of carbon into the atmosphere, this should come as no real surprise. But some new scientific research shows that there is a surprising thread that connects nearly all of these events.

Space weather can have a major effect on the technology we rely on. And a large solar flare could cause the most significant weather threat because so much of essential services are powered by a functioning electrical grid and a geomagnetic storm could create a grid-down scenario. We learn about the Carrington Event, Coronal Mass Ejection, and how to harden the grid.

We look at many hazards from temperature, storms, drought, farming, wildfire, polar vortex, hurricanes, sea-level rise, crop failure, extreme heat, and even economics. We look at the effect of climate on future migration patterns in the US and talk to someone who left New York City after Hurricane Sandy and identifies as a climate migrant.

Sea level rise is a problem that is garnishing increasing attention among both scientists and the media. And as climate change continues to warm the earth, the current rate of 1.4 inches per decade is projected to increase, with NOAA predicting another foot of sea-level rise along US coastlines by 2050. The most consequential tipping point, when it comes to sea-level rise, is Thwaites Glacier.

Life on the ground following natural disasters is often chaotic and scary. And with global warming gradually adding energy to our atmosphere, driving more extreme weather and worse disasters, it’s logical that people would be concerned. This got us thinking: does owning firearms actually make you safer following a disaster?

Both climate models and the laws of physics are clear: more greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere means warmer air and oceans, which means more energy for bigger, stronger hurricanes. So why haven’t we seen a clear signal from climate change in the hurricane record? This episode explores groundbreaking research on this question and looks ahead at what we can expect in the coming decades.

For decades, conventional wisdom has told us that fuels reduction is key to protecting communities. However, the latest research shows that weather actually plays a big role as well. In fact, the vast majority of structures are destroyed in wind-driven fires. Tune in to learn how we’ve been focusing on the wrong problem and what we can do about it.

In this episode we are going to dive into this unjust history of housing discrimination and see what it can teach us about how to keep cities cooler and save lives. We’ll visit Richmond, Virginia and Portland, Oregon to understand the problem and solutions. Innovative solutions are being carried out at the Science Museum of Virginia and by the Portland organization, Friends of Trees.

A “tipping point” is when a system, with just a small amount of additional energy, is pushed from one stable state to another suddenly and dramatically. This can be a chair falling backwards. Or it can be a major earth system collapsing. The IPCC recently identified 15 potential climate-related tipping points that scientists have grown increasingly worried we are getting close to crossing.

As global warming continues, we are going to continue seeing record droughts and many places are, simply, going to have to live with far less water. But, more specifically, it means we are going to need to innovate both how cities and agriculture do business. So, we discuss how water is used in agriculture and how the greatest gains in water use efficiency will have to come from irrigation.

Subduction zone earthquakes are the largest and most destructive on earth. In the Pacific northwest lurks the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which has been dormant for centuries and is overdue for its next “big one.” So, In this episode, we’re going to tell you what experts think is the best way to survive this inevitable disaster.

We try to get to the bottom of this paradox and unravel the role that climate change is truly playing in our increasingly erratic weather and precipitation patterns. We also look at large climatological elements like atmospheric rivers and Hadley cells to see the roles they are playing in these changes. And we look back on the worst flood to ever hit the United States.

As our seas rise and hurricanes get stronger, it is important that we understand more about storm surge – the most dangerous part of a hurricane. In this episode of Weathered we tell the story behind the best video we’ve ever seen of storm surge – or any storm footage for that matter – captured by storm chaser Max Olson’s probe. And we’ll tell you why it matters.

For this episode we wanted to see where we are in terms of “business as usual,” and if we are still headed towards an apocalypse of sorts. Or if, perhaps, all of the technological innovations in renewables and EVs along with new climate policy such as the Paris Agreement might have bent down the curve on global warming. So, tune in to see where we’ve been in our race against the clock.

Climate Change is increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters all around the world. And in the United States, more and more people seem to be moving to the places that are projected to be most impacted by climate change, from hazards such as flooding, wildfire, storms, drought and extreme heat; and leaving the most climate-resilient areas.

Arctic air is warming, causing scientists to worry that melting arctic ice and snow could also lead to a sudden permafrost thaw and release of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) that forms a climate tipping point or feedback loop. And the trigger temperature may be coming much sooner than expected.

A variety of exotic marine life have begun to move in, now able to live in the warmer waters. And while this may serve as a boon to some of the inhabitants of the region and its fishing economy, it also signals profound and likely permanent ecosystem changes and points toward the kinds of tipping points we may see if we continue emitting greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.

Climate scientists are clear that we need to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. And in order to do this, we’re going to need to electrify everything and green the grid. But what will this clean, green future look like? Can we pull off this massive transition in time before some seriously dire tipping points are reached?

We’ve all heard that we should keep global climate change under 2 degrees of warming, but did you know that there are many places around the globe that have already surpassed that? Some places around the globe are experiencing extreme warming, while other places have actually seen some cooling. So what’s with all the variation?

As climate change continues warming the planet, a new and invisible killer is emerging: extreme wet bulb temperatures. This refers to a potentially lethal combination of heat and humidity that, until now, have appeared somewhat infrequently around the world. But models predict that they are likely to become an increasingly big problem in the coming years.

Remember the 2008 Financial Crisis? Experts warn that the same thing may be happening again, but this time, CLIMATE CHANGE is the culprit. Increasing natural hazards, from wildfires and hurricanes to rising sea levels and catastrophic flooding are threatening the very foundation of our real estate system in huge swaths of the country.

With unprecedented heat waves and record-breaking global temperatures, it’s hard to believe that there might be a place on earth that has actually COOLED since the industrial revolution.

As our world gets warmer and our climate gets more extreme, the weather isn’t the only thing that’s changing and becoming more dangerous. Disease vectors are also spreading and becoming riskier to humans. In this episode of Weathered, we delve into some of the world’s biggest killers, like Malaria and Dengue, but also discuss some smaller, and creepier threats that are becoming more common.

The weather down here can get pretty crazy. But we got curious and asked: just how extreme can weather actually get on planet earth? So we decided to travel the world in search of answers and discovered not only some fascinating answers, but some pretty interesting questions along the way.

This episode of Weathered explores the controversial world of solar geoengineering by injecting sulfate aerosols into the stratosphere, looking at both the controversial promises and profound risks associated with manipulating the Earth's climate. Luke Iseman, the founder of Make Sunsets, tells us about his start up that is already releasing small amounts of sulfur dioxide into our skies.

From Mexico all the way up to Alaska, hundreds of gray whales have been washing up ashore. The deaths peaked in 2019, and the numbers were so significant that it led scientists to call it an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) which kicked research into gear. This episode of Weathered explores gray whales' complex food web and how what’s happening in the Arctic may just affect all of us.

If you take a look at global temperature graphs that span millions or billions of years, you can see that our planet’s temperature has made wild swings. In fact, the Earth used to be completely covered in snow and ice! So, what’s the big deal about a few degrees of warming today?

While tsunamis happen all over the world, really big ones are rare. But, they can be truly devastating. And what’s more, the West Coast of North America is overdue for a subduction zone earthquake and tsunami that has the potential to be the biggest disaster the U.S. has ever seen. So, what is the single most important factor determining whether or not YOU survive a tsunami?

For decades, Antarctic sea ice trends seemed to defy climate change, until…they didn’t. In just two years, Antarctica lost as much sea ice as the Arctic lost in three decades. Statistics say that the record low sea ice in 2023 was a 1 in 700 BILLION year event, suggesting that the models in this case may be broken, or that this anomaly was caused by climate change. And a new study asked the question.

A new study reveals that there is a winter-weather trend that OVERPOWERS CLIMATE CHANGE. To better understand this, we are taking it back to March of 1993 to look at The Storm of the Century, which brought record breaking cold temperatures and 20 INCHES OF SNOW to ALABAMA! By going back, we can better answer questions like: What causes this set up to occur in our atmosphere?

Flooding is getting worse, and not just from hurricanes or rising tides, but from increased heavy rainfall. In this episode, we dive into the changing landscape of flood hazards. First, we journey to New York, to visit Hoboken, New Jersey, and Hollis, Queens, two communities facing different flood challenges. Then, we explore First Street's groundbreaking new risk map, pinpointing high-risk areas.

Maiya May embarks on a journey across the United States, from the sunny shores of Florida to the icy expanses of Alaska, to explore climate tipping points – thresholds that lead to rapid and irreversible change. Discover how critical our climate systems are for our planet’s stability. Are these vital ecosystems already past their tipping point, or is there still hope to reverse the damage?

When is it time to leave your home? Maiya May visits Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana, one of the first communities in the US to undergo a federally funded relocation due to climate change. She talks to resident, Chris Brunet, about his decision to move away from the island where his family has lived for generations.

Maiya explores the most deadly kind of weather, heat, in an unlikely place: Portland, Oregon. She revisits the 2021 heat dome, one of the most anomalous weather events recorded on earth. In order to understand why some urban areas are hotter than others, she travels to Medellín, Colombia. Then she visits the hottest city in the US, Phoenix, Arizona, to see how we can turn the temperature down.

Maiya May explores the growing extremes of droughts and floods and their impact on our food and water. She visits Tulare Lake, once a critical water reserve and cultural site for the Tachi-Yokut tribe, which has re-emerged after 150 years. Maiya learns about agriculture's challenges, the depletion of groundwater, and finds hope in innovative farming practices.

Maiya explores positive climate tipping points. She travels from Wyoming to Michigan and back to her hometown of Atlanta. In Cheyenne, she visits a supercomputer to see how climate systems are predicted and analyzed. In Michigan, she witnesses the end of a coal plant, marking progress in the global energy transition. Back in Atlanta, Maiya speaks with Dr. Marshall Shepard about climate challenges.

In our season finale, Maiya returns to Florida to explore the impacts of climate change on ocean currents, where scientist Lisa Beal has uncovered a slowing Gulf Stream, hinting at a critical tipping point. But not all tipping points are bad: she also travels to meet Stacey Abrams and learn about electrification efforts, takes a flight lesson, and learns about achieving net-zero emissions.

Hurricane Helene and Milton are painful reminders that our oceans are changing. Warmer ocean waters are acting on higher sea levels, causing catastrophic damage to our coastal communities. And what’s scarier is that the sea level rise we’ve witnessed over the past 30 years is nothing compared to what we’ll see in our lifetimes. In this episode, we take a peek at brand-new flood imagery created by Climate Central’s FloodVision team - imagery that shows just what our coastal communities will look like in 2050, 2100 and beyond. And we’ll uncover detailed maps showing just what our coastlines will look like as the seas rise. So stay tuned to see if your home is on these maps, and what we can do to lessen the impacts in the future.

Fires are getting bigger and more homes are burning each year. Firefighters are having to change tactics when it comes to the most destructive fires, but why? Jennifer Blach, Ph.D., just released a new study in the journal, Science, and her findings point to a new type of fire that is the culprit for all this destruction. In this episode, we dive into this groundbreaking new study to learn why fires are getting more dangerous to humans and what we can do about it. Plus we have never-before-seen animations from NASA that show us exactly how these new fires behave. So tune in to learn about the future of fires and how to protect yourself and your home as fires change.

We know that the Urban Heat Island Effect can make cities particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, but a new study uncovered something even more surprising: cities might actually be able to attract, and even CREATE, storms. In this episode, we explore what scientists know about this phenomenon, and what it might mean for where we live in the future.