CLIMATE CHANGE - Current Severe Weather

"Is the recent wave of severe weather across the U.S. a harbinger of climate change?" PBS NewsHour 2/15/2021

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SUMMARY:  The winter of 2021 is writing itself into the record books this week, with large swaths of the nation seeing the coldest weather in memory.  But is this a particularly severe phase of winter weather or is there more to it than that?  Dev Niyogi, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences and Cockrell School of Engineering, joins Amna Nawaz to discuss.

UNDER WATER - Farmers Fields Cannot be Planted

"For farmers, record flooding and a wet spring mean many fields can’t be planted" PBS NewsHour 6/5/2019

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SUMMARY:  In parts of America’s Heartland, prolonged wet weather and historic flooding are disrupting spring planting for many farmers.  Nearly three months after waters washed over parts of Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska, some fields remain submerged -- and President Trump’s trade war with China isn’t making conditions for struggling farmers any easier.  Jack Williams from Nebraska’s NET Television reports.

SEVERE STORMS - Indiana, Ohio, and Oklahoma Consequences

"Overnight tornadoes devastate parts of Indiana and Ohio" PBS NewsHour 5/28/2019

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SUMMARY:  A string of tornadoes cut a path of destruction across parts of Ohio and Indiana Monday night.  The twisters, some with winds of 140 miles per hour, flattened entire neighborhoods, killing at least one person and wounding dozens more.  Millions are without power as officials scramble to uncover the scope of the damage and encourage residents to check on their neighbors.  Judy Woodruff reports.

"With record rain, Oklahoma’s levee system is under extreme pressure" PBS NewsHour 5/28/2019

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SUMMARY:  Severe weather is devastating the American Heartland.  Spring storms have led to at least eight deaths in Oklahoma, which has been hit by tornadoes and record rain.  With more precipitation expected, state officials are closely watching levee systems for signs of a potentially catastrophic failure.  Judy Woodruff speaks by phone with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt about managing the situation.

"What’s behind the recent rash of violent weather" PBS NewsHour 5/29/2019

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SUMMARY:  Violent weather has tormented regions from the Rocky Mountains to the Mid-Atlantic in recent weeks.  In Kansas Tuesday night, strong tornadoes tore houses apart, littered an airport runway with debris and hoisted a car onto a roof -- but widespread flooding may be the biggest and most prolonged threat.  William Brangham talks to atmospheric scientist Victor Gensini about the brutal spring weather.

William Brangham (NewsHour):  My understanding is, there's been some reporting that climate change perhaps might be shifting where certain tornadoes might be hitting, hitting places that are not used to them.

Is that right?

Victor Gensini, Northern Illinois University:  That's exactly right.

We did a study last October that looked at, well, the number of tornadoes across the United States really hasn't changed very much over the last 40 years, but where they're happening has been changing.

So places like Tornado Alley, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, we have been seeing a downward trend in some of those locations, and an increasing trend further to east in places like Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and portions of the Midwest, which is a big deal for population density and vulnerability, of course, the exposure, as we have many more people living east of the Mississippi River.

"The radical approach these communities have taken to flood mitigation" PBS NewsHour 5/28/2019

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SUMMARY:  The U.S. has experienced its wettest 12-month period on record.  Scientists warn that climate change is causing more intense storms, resulting in increased flooding risk for millions of Americans living near rivers and along the coasts.  How can vulnerable communities prepare?  Special correspondent Cat Wise reports on a radical approach some are exploring: relocation of the towns themselves.

MONSTER STORM - India and Bangladesh

"Monster cyclone slams northeast India, takes aim at Bangladesh" PBS NewsHour 5/3/2019

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SUMMARY:  The enormous Cyclone Fani, equivalent in power to a Category 5 hurricane, slammed into northeastern India Friday, whipping the region with torrential rain and sustained winds over 120 miles per hour before moving toward neighboring Bangladesh.  The storm forced more than a million people to evacuate, brought transportation to a standstill and disrupted Indian election events.  Judy Woodruff reports.