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Rare Beast: For Many, March Was Warmer Than April | Climate Central

March 2012 is the month that just keeps on giving when it comes to warm temperature records in the United States. Given the widespread, long-lasting and unprecedented heat wave, March came in like a lamb, and went out like . . . a grilled lamb.

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Heeding Sandy's Lessons, Before the Next Big Storm

It has been six months since Hurricane Sandy redrew the northern Mid-Atlantic coastline with its record storm surge and strong winds, paralyzing New York City for days, all the while offering a disturbing preview of what future storms may do to other coastal locations as sea levels continue to rise. The storm killed 159, caused upwards of $70 billion in damage, and led to the release of nearly 11 billion gallons of untreated and partially treated sewage into Mid-Atlantic waterways, enough to cover all of New York’s Central Park 41 feet deep. There are myriad lessons that have emerged from the storm, but here are four key issues deserving of special attention.

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The Last Time CO2 Was This High, Humans Didn't Exist

The last time there was this much carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Earth's atmosphere, modern humans didn't exist. Megatoothed sharks prowled the oceans, the world's seas were up to 100 feet higher than they are today, and the global average surface temperature was up to 11°F warmer than it is now.

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Four Major Heat Records Fall in Stunning NOAA Report

The heat records just keep falling in the U.S., with the lower 48 states setting records for the warmest January through May period on record, the warmest spring season on record, and the second-warmest May, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Importantly, as announced last month, the U.S.

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Weather, Climate Forecasts Imperiled as Programs Cut | Climate Central

A "near-perfect storm" of factors has contributed to a rapid decline in America's Earth observation capabilities, as long-running satellite missions end and new ones struggle to get off the ground, according to a new report from the National Research Council (NRC).

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In St. Louis, pilot was unaware of approaching tornado

This story is the second in a two-part series on the strong tornado that struck Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on April 22, 2011, causing extensive damage to airport facilities and numerous injuries. Part I detailed how people inside the airport terminal buildings never received the warning.

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New Push to Limit 'Super Greenhouse' Gases | Climate Central

United Nations climate change talks may be on a slow train to nowhere, but that doesn't mean countries can't try tackling global warming at the international level. Friday, the Federated States of Micronesia, a Pacific island nation, submitted a plan to amend the 1989 Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer to phase down the production and use of so-called "super-greenhouse gases."

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Historic October Northeast storm: Epic. Incredible. Downright ridiculous.

Epic. Incredible. Downright ridiculous. These words best describe the historic snowstorm that delivered a crippling wallop to parts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast over the weekend. Widely referred to by its social media moniker, "Snowtober," the storm smashed records that had stood since the beginning of the reliable instrument record in the late 1800s (and in some cases, even longer than that), and upended assumptions about what a fall nor'easter can do.

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