Weather

Read more about the article Posing the ‘why’ behind the streak of bad weather
Street flooding north of New York City, Sept. 29, 2023. (Credit: New York Times)

Posing the ‘why’ behind the streak of bad weather

Should broadcast news organizations and their weather teams help us better understand the role of human-caused climate change in ongoing weather disasters? The deadly Maui wildfire, widespread New York City flooding, crop-wilting heatwaves, our breathing air fouled by Canadian wildfires, and so many other weather calamities are coming at us in head-spinning waves. Maybe it’s time to elevate the topic to the same painstaking investigation and reporting that take place after other disasters.   All it would take is journalists and forecasters asking experts “why” this global bad weather avalanche accelerates. The…

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Read more about the article Climate Change: Avoiding the ‘natural variations’ pitfall

Climate Change: Avoiding the ‘natural variations’ pitfall

“Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” For over a century, this comment has served as the standard retort when a friend or colleague laments hot and humid weather or complains about a massive snow storm. But when University at Albany Interim President James R. Stellar uses it to talk about work at UAlbany’s  Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Studies (DAES), he’s not grumbling. He uses it as a setup line before he talks about what he, his colleagues, and many others in academia are actually doing about the weather as…

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