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EartherEarth ScienceThe World’s Largest Sand Desert Is Covered in Lakes After Tropical Cyclone Mekunu
When Tropical Cyclone Mekunu rumbled over Oman in May, it dumped torrential rainfall on the city of Salalah. Now, a new satellite image reveals the extent of unloaded rainfall in the nearby desert of Rub’ al-Khali, the world’s largest sand desert and (normally) one of the driest places on Earth. The image, taken by NASA’s … Continued
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EartherEnvironmental Justice
Puerto Rican Government’s Own Data Shows Hurricane Maria Death Toll Is Bullshit
Since Hurricane María struck Puerto Rico last September, experts have struggled to tally how many deaths were directly related to the devastating storm. The official death count stands at 64, but various non-governmental efforts to quantify hurricane-related fatalities vastly exceed that number. Newly-released governmental data bolsters those estimates, revealing that 700 additional deaths happened within … Continued
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EartherEarth Science
Hurricane Bud Could Dump Some Serious Rain on the Drought-Stricken Southwest
Weather whiplash is the perfect descriptor for what’s on tap for the Southwest. Things have been hot and dry since this winter, but they could get wet and wild this weekend as the remnants of Hurricane Bud drench Arizona and parts of New Mexico. Bud is currently churning over the eastern Pacific and is expected … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherEarth Science
The Eastern Pacific Just Saw Its Second Major Hurricane in Less Than a Week
After a sluggish start to eastern Pacific hurricane season, the basin is making up for lost time. Hurricane Bud is the second of back-to-back major hurricanes to form in less than a week. The Category 3 storm is currently churning toward Baja California, though it’s thankfully forecast to weaken before likely landfall this weekend. As … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherEarth ScienceHow Do Meteorologists Rank Hurricanes, and Will I Die?
It’s that dreaded time of year again: meteorologists are talking about hurricanes for the upcoming season. After the widespread death and destruction these tropical tyrants brought on from Texas to Puerto Rico last year, hurricanes have not been off our minds for long—if at all. I’m shaking in my boots. Knowledge is one of the … Continued
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Earther
Don’t Tell Trump, But His Administration Wants to Account for Sea Level Rise
When it comes to climate change adaptation, the Trump administration isn’t even at the table. So when Trump axed Obama-era standards to prevent new construction in flood-prone areas, especially those threatened by sea level rise, in August, it fit his anti-regulation rhetoric perfectly. But the reality of the situation isn’t so simple, and a new … Continued
By Ari Phillips -
EartherEnvironmental Justice
In Puerto Rico, Innovative Solar Projects Aid Kids in Need
It’s been more than seven weeks since Hurricane Maria devoured Puerto Rico in 155-mile-per-hour winds, and more than half of the people are still without electricity. Around 12 percent are without running water. Now, two separate groups have stepped in to install solar powered systems that provide both. Each recently went online at a Boys … Continued
Tracy Staedter -
Earther
In Wake of Relentless Hurricane Season, Wildlife is Exhausted, Disoriented and Vulnerable
Consider the plight of the Barbuda Warbler. A tiny puff of grey and gold feathers, the songbird is found only on its namesake island, where it sticks to dry, shrubby vegetation out of the way of encroaching human development. Its numbers range from 1,000 to 2,000 in the wild. It’s exactly the sort of species … Continued
Asher Elbein -
Tech News
Irma Leaves Florida Streets Flooded With Raw Sewage
Before us humans drained it, South Florida was first and foremost a swamp. Infrastructure improvements went in to make it look the way it is today, with its sewers and drainage systems built to take water back to the ocean. But when Hurricane Irma made itself known last week, it brought back old memories of … Continued
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Tech News
Florida’s Coastline Is Underwater as Matthew Continues North
Category 3 Hurricane Matthew swept up eastern Florida today, delivering heavy rainfall, 100 mph gusts, and powerful waves all along the coast. The storm continues to march northward toward Georgia and South Carolina, with deadly six to nine foot surges possible into weekend. Mercifully, Matthew has stayed far enough off Florida’s coast to avoid inflicting … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Tech News
Satellite Images Show the Evolution of Monstrous Hurricane Matthew
Hurricane Matthew’s deadly rampage across the Caribbean and up Florida’s coast has kept satellite operators completely engrossed over the past week, as they rush to process more and more jaw-dropping images of our waking meteorological nightmare. We’ve collected a few of Matthew’s best photos here, in semi-chronological order. This, my friends, is the biography of … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Tech News
What the Largest Evacuation in Florida’s History Looks Like
More than two million people in coastal Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina are being told to flee their homes in advance of Hurricane Matthew, the Category 4 monster now bearing down on the United States after wreaking havoc across the Caribbean. It’s easily the largest mass evacuation on US soil since Hurricane Sandy, and it’s … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
Tech News
Cyclone Chapala Still Looking Nasty as it Advances on Yemen
Yemen is in for a mess as last week’s rapidly-growing Cyclone Chapala continues to hold it together while approaching the dry desert air. If it makes landfall, it’s anticipated to be the largest storm to hit the country since we started recording them. Based on the latest reports from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the … Continued
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Tech NewsHurricane Patricia, Live
One of the most powerful storms ever is hitting populated land right now, and none of the major media networks have live coverage. Let’s assemble the best of social media from the storm, and keep it live right here. I’ll update this throughout the night as best I can. And you can help! Post pictures, … Continued
By Wes Siler
