Scientists say a record-smashing March heat wave in the U.S. Southwest shows climate change is already driving more dangerous weather extremes. World Weather Attribution said Friday that the heat would have been virtually impossible without human-caused warming. Experts say extremes now hit more often, in odd seasons, and in unusual places. NOAA data shows a much larger share of the country sees extreme conditions than decades ago. An analysis by The Associated Press finds the U.S. breaks far more heat records than in past decades. One former FEMA official said disasters now fall outside old planning models and noted insurers pulling back.
By SETH BORENSTEIN, SARAH BRUMFIELD and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press
Extreme weather conditions from coast to coast put more than half the U.S. in the path of rough conditions. Storms across the nation's eastern half forced airlines to cancel more than 3,000 flights nationwide Monday. Many schools closed early in the mid-Atlantic states, where high winds and tornadoes were in the forecast. Blizzards buried parts of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota while torrential rains flooded homes and washed out roads in Hawaii. California is dealing with unusually high temperatures for this time of year. Areas near San Francisco could see temperatures in the high 80s.
Visitors are flocking to Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada to take in a rare phenomenon known as a superbloom. Thousands of long-dormant flowers have popped through the desert soil, transforming the barren landscape in carpets of gold. The bloom is a result of steady rain in the fall and winter, and experts don't expect the blooms to last long. Ecologists say the superbloom, though not a real scientific term, proves that there is life in the desert, even in a place known for death.
