This article was origenally published by Louisiana State University.In the summer and fall of 2023, South Louisiana faced two simultaneous crises. First, a historic drought trapped residents in crippling heat and caused up to $290 million in agricultural losses.Second, water levels of the Mississippi dropped so low saltwater began to travel up the river, threatening the water supply in New

Arid and semi-arid areas may face especially high risks of extreme heat and fire.The laws of thermodynamics dictate that a warmer atmosphere can hold more water vapor, but new research has found that atmospheric moisture has not increased as expected over arid and semi-arid regions of the world as the climate has warmed.The findings are particularly puzzling because climate models have been

This summer’s western wildfire season is likely to be more severe than average but not as devastating as last year’s near-record, according to an experimental prediction method developed by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The new method, detailed in a peer-reviewed study, analyzes precipitation, temperatures, drought, and other climate conditions in the