El Nino warps weather worldwide. Meteorologists say the natural El Nino cycle is both adding to and feeling the heat of a warming world. A new study says a shift from a rare three‑year La Nina to a strong El Nino recently helped trap extra heat in the climate system. Study authors say between warming from greenhouse gases and that La Nina to El Nino change, it explains three-quarters of Earth's energy imbalance, which leads to extra heat. Warmer waters are also causing NOAA to shift how it calculates and labels this cycle, which likely means more La Ninas and fewer El Ninos.

The United Nations weather agency said carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere reached record highs last year, intensifying climate change and extreme weather. The World Meteorological Organization said CO2 growth rates have tripled since the 1960s, reaching levels that existed 800,000 years ago. The report, released Wednesday, highlights emissions from coal, oil, and gas, along with wildfires, as major contributors. Despite flat fossil fuel emissions last year, CO2 levels continue to rise. The agency has urged policymakers to reduce emissions, warning that the world is heading into a dangerous state. Other greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide have also hit record levels.

The temperature in New York City has reached 100 degrees as the eastern U.S. sweltered under an extreme heat wave. According to the National Weather Service, Kennedy International Airport recorded 100 degrees Fahrenheit at midday Tuesday. Large swaths of the country were broiling under a heat dome, worsened by a humid atmosphere that's circling the East. After nearly 40 US cities broke record high marks Monday, the weather service expected dozens of records Tuesday when the heat dome should hit its peak.

Summer will make a dramatic entrance in the U.S. this week with a heat dome that will bring stifling heat and uncomfortable humidity to millions. The heat will be particularly worrisome this weekend across wide stretches of Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa, where forecasters are warning of extreme temperature impacts. This will be the first stretch of true summertime weather for many from Midwest to the East Coast, according to meteorologist Tom Kines of AccuWeather. The soupy conditions will stretch into next week and the humid conditions will make it feel extra toasty.

  • Updated

California gas prices remain the highest in the nation, but abundant gasoline supplies are contributing to starkly lower gas prices statewide.