Extreme weather and climate change expert writing for Yale Climate Connections. Co-founder, Weather Underground; former hurricane hunter.
Dr. Jeff Masters
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1985-2023, loss of wetlands added “up to about a $10 billion increase in flood insurance claims (nationwide). In Charleston, along the lower Ashley River, the destruction of upstream wetlands has resulted in the loss of about $20.7 million in flood damage reduction since the 1980s.”
NOAA's monthly climate summary is out. My roundup of the month: yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/06/may-...
All but a handful of U.S. states just had one of their five warmest springs on record. Our look at the numbers for spring 2026 and May 2026, per NOAA/NCEI: @climateconnections.bsky.social
yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/06/seco...
A new study finds that wetland destruction has cost Charleston homeowners millions of dollars in additional flood insurance payments since 1985.
“Agriculture takes up half of the river’s flow. And most of that goes to alfalfa. This cow food consumes more water than all the cities, factories and data centers in the basin combined…about 20% of the alfalfa grown is shipped overseas, according to a 2022 University of Arizona study.”
New study finds increased wildfire smoke has erased 4 years of progress in controlling surface ozone pollution. "Premature deaths from fire-sourced ozone have increased by 318 deaths per year since 2013, with post-2013 mortality 46% higher than pre-2013 mortality." www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Insightful take: "Whether by design or ineptitude, it would essentially make the current system of federal science pretty much impossible. Even if one agrees that the system is in need of reform, breaking the system without having a robust, viable alternative would leave our nation very vulnerable."
Dr. Jeff Masters
Remarkable: The amount of land burned in 2023 in Canada was two times higher than the old record. Smoke from that year’s Canadian fires killed 82,100 people globally — 33,000 in the U.S. — because of PM 2.5 particle pollution.
Dr. Jeff Masters
May 2026 had the second-worst May drought conditions in contiguous U.S. history, with a Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) of -6.93. The only worse May: the Dust Bowl year of 1934 (a PDSI of -7.03). Three of the top-10 months for worst U.S. drought since 1895 have been in 2026:
Bob Henson
Dr. Jeff Masters
Dr. Jeff Masters
Dr. Jeff Masters
Dr. Jeff Masters
Global sea surface temperatures were the second-highest on record for May.
If you have a straw and I have a straw and Big Ag has a straw, pretty soon there won't be any water. Any other fix for the Colorado River is insufficient until we figure out how to use less of a dwindling resource
Gift link to my column for @opinion.bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
The proposed OMB grant regs definitely warrant the concerns being expressed about the potential politicization of science - but trust me as someone who has managed federal science grant programs, the admin and process changes are very worrying all on their own as well.
tinyurl.com/mr24jusr
Mark Gongloff
Wildfires are making the US smoggy again, reversing progress on cleaner air, study finds
apnews.com/article/smog...
Alan Gerard
Cyrus Farivar
tinyurl.com
Would result in major changes to how the federal government does scientific research
Contrary to popular belief, rearranging deck chairs on a sinking boat can theoretically be of some benefit, if you’re clearing a path to the lifeboats, say, or keeping panicky people busy. Very quickl...
