https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. In September 2024, Storm Boris brought extreme precipitation and severe flooding to large parts of Central and Eastern Europe. Poland, Czechia and Austria were particularly affected. In some areas, several hundred millimeters of rain fell within a few days, and numerous rivers burst their banks. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-climate-amplified-european-rainfall.html Environment Wed, 28 Oct 2026 14:00:08 EDT news712331521 Levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other major greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached unprecedented highs in 2025, locking in more long-term warming for the planet, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). https://phys.org/news/2026-10-greenhouse-gases-highs.html Environment Tue, 27 Oct 2026 12:40:04 EDT news712315081 A new study led by researchers at ETH Zurich (Switzerland) and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium) reveals that glaciers worldwide could lose ice faster than previously projected. Published in Nature Communications, the research shows that accounting for daily weather variability leads to more realistic simulations of glacier melt and results in greater projected ice loss by the end of the century. The findings highlight the importance of short-lived weather events, such as the exceptional heat waves and extreme melt seasons recently observed in several glacierized regions around the globe. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-factoring-daily-weather-extremes-glacier.html Earth Sciences Mon, 19 Oct 2026 05:00:01 EDT news711375361 In 2021, Texas suffered the worst energy infrastructure failure in state history, following three severe winter storms in February. At least 246 people were killed as a result of the disruptions, which led to food, water, heat and electricity shortages. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-ai-weather-power-weeks.html Environment Wed, 14 Oct 2026 11:00:47 EDT news711042661 Anak Krakatau, which means Child of Krakatoa, has been active sporadically since it emerged from the sea at the beginning of the last century in the caldera formed after the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatoa. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-earthcare-view-volcanic-plume-boosts.html Earth Sciences Thu, 01 Oct 2026 16:20:20 EDT news710075761 New research brings together recent advances in urban hydrology, boundary-layer meteorology, extreme precipitation and flood-risk research and proposes a new framework for understanding how cities and extreme rainfall interact and co-evolve. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-cities-extreme-rainfall.html Environment Thu, 01 Oct 2026 16:00:42 EDT news710075644 Recent heat waves in Europe have been intensified by the greenhouse gases emitted since nations committed to limiting global warming under the 2015 Paris Agreement, according to a Sep. 22 study published in Geophysical Research Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-emissions-decade-europe-worse.html Earth Sciences Tue, 22 Sep 2026 12:20:02 EDT news709290651 Heat stress is a leading cause of weather-related deaths and can be especially dangerous in cities, where phenomena like urban heat islands drive temperatures higher than in surrounding rural areas. Now, a new dataset developed by the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) aims to provide city governments and health officials with information that could minimize heat impacts on residents. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-high-resolution-weather-neighborhoods-greatest.html Environment Tue, 15 Sep 2026 19:20:01 EDT news708705782 Weather forecasts inform countless everyday decisions—from farmers deciding when to sow crops and energy companies anticipating demand to public authorities preparing for heat waves. But how useful those forecasts are depends considerably on where people live. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-weather-significantly-accurate-poorer-countries.html Environment Tue, 15 Sep 2026 18:20:07 EDT news708703854 Snails carry weather records on their backs that could be used to map prehistoric cyclones, a University of Queensland study has shown. The project led by School of the Environment researchers examined the rings on the shell of a Biggenden Banded Snail (Figuladra bayensis) collected from Coalstoun Lakes National Park in southeast Queensland. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-snail-shells-weather-capsules.html Earth Sciences Mon, 14 Sep 2026 10:00:04 EDT news708594242 The historic droughts of 2023 and 2024 in the Amazon reduced river flows and altered the region's rainfall composition. Daily monitoring in Manaus, the capital of the Brazilian state of Amazonas, revealed these changes through the use of isotopes, which act as a kind of water "fingerprint." This method demonstrated how El Niño and warming in the North Atlantic affected the origin of moisture and precipitation dynamics. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-isotopes-reveal-early-drought-central.html Earth Sciences Thu, 10 Sep 2026 16:30:01 EDT news708274981 Seismic waves produced by thunderstorms, called thunderquakes, can be used as a novel source for seismic imaging, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-thunderquakes-enable-seismic-imaging-earth.html Earth Sciences Fri, 21 Aug 2026 14:00:01 EDT news706362481 The summers of recent years have been hot, but not unusual from a meteorological perspective. According to researchers at Leipzig University, though, the next extreme summer would far exceed anything we have experienced so far. https://phys.org/news/2026-08-drier-soils-late-summer-prolonged.html Earth Sciences Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:20:01 EDT news706263241 A summer beach day in Oregon often involves a cool, gray blanket of fog that not only shapes the experience of beachgoers but also affects the coastal and inland environment. Now, commercially available surfing webcams are helping scientists measure Oregon's coastal fog, according to a study from the University of California, Davis, in collaboration with the USDA Forest Service. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-surfing-webcams-demystify-oregon-coastal.html Environment Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:40:03 EDT news703776427 Traditional global climate models were like early digital cameras—they had only about 10,000 pixels to cover the entire planet. At that low resolution, big storm systems looked like blurry blobs. You couldn't see their true shape, how long they lasted or where they dumped the heaviest rain. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-megapixel-earth-capture-storms-unprecedented.html Earth Sciences Tue, 16 Jun 2026 04:00:03 EDT news700736942 Climate change is altering where and when rocks are most likely to fracture across Spain, according to new research that suggests warming temperatures are redistributing a key process responsible for breaking down mountain landscapes. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-climate-reshapes-spain-rockfall-frost.html Earth Sciences Mon, 15 Jun 2026 05:40:02 EDT news700479435 Planetary heating is intensifying and key climate indicators are deteriorating, top scientists said Thursday, warning that funding decisions affecting Earth observation systems in the United States and other countries threaten efforts to track global warming. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-human-driven-139c-15c.html Earth Sciences Thu, 11 Jun 2026 16:40:09 EDT news700404026 The Arizona sunshine hits like a blowtorch. The pavement radiates heat like a stove burner. To make hot-weather walking less of an ordeal, Arizona State University researchers have created a web-based app that finds the coolest, shadiest ways to reach destinations on foot. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-cool-routes-cooler-paths-hourly.html Environment Wed, 10 Jun 2026 15:20:04 EDT news700314242 Arctic communities are increasingly exposed to dangerous weather events due to climate change and rely on accurate weather forecasts. However, conditions in the lower atmosphere remain poorly observed in the Arctic because monitoring systems are expensive and difficult to deploy. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-demand-arctic-balloon-sharpen-local.html Earth Sciences Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:40:06 EDT news699792062 There is an 80% chance of the warming El Niño phenomenon developing between June and August, increasing the risk of extreme weather events, the World Meteorological Organization said Tuesday. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-world-el-nino-extreme-weather.html Environment Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:14:24 EDT news699617578 In the next five years, the Earth is overwhelmingly likely to surge again and again past the international climate threshold set as safe and shatter its hottest-year record along the way, according to new United Nations climate projections. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hot-years.html Environment Thu, 28 May 2026 04:52:16 EDT news699162645 Forecasters say a potentially "super" El Niño is rapidly taking shape in the Pacific—but whether it evolves into a history-making event could hinge on fickle winds and other volatile atmospheric shifts. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scientists-potential-super-el-nino.html Earth Sciences Fri, 22 May 2026 04:18:14 EDT news698642211 Florida State University researchers have discovered how to accurately predict winter weather forecasts months in advance, affording sectors such as agriculture, water management, energy use and public health a longer lead time to prepare for inclement conditions. The research, published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, shows a method for forecasting how the stratospheric polar vortex, or SPV, will behave from winter through summer, before winter even starts. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-polar-vortex-gain-months-climate.html Earth Sciences Tue, 05 May 2026 17:20:03 EDT news697202821 Atmospheric dust plays a dual role in Earth's climate: it reflects some sunlight back into space while also absorbing and retaining the planet's heat like an insulating blanket. But while dust likely cools the planet overall, that's not the whole story. New UCLA research shows that the heat-trapping effect of airborne desert dust in the atmosphere is about twice as big as previously believed. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-airborne-climate-analysis.html Earth Sciences Tue, 28 Apr 2026 05:00:03 EDT news696502441 Outdoor air pollution is estimated to contribute to more than 100,000 premature deaths in the United States each year, according to the National Weather Service. Accurate air quality forecasts—designed to protect public health, alerting communities to dangerous levels of pollutants linked to asthma attacks, heart disease and premature death—are critical for helping people limit exposure and for guiding regulatory action. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-irrigation-gaps-weather-skew-air.html Earth Sciences Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:30:10 EST news691866181 The warming El Niño weather phenomenon could form later this year, potentially pushing global temperatures to record heights. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-el-nino-planet-hotter.html Environment Mon, 02 Mar 2026 02:21:58 EST news691640423 In a critical advance for climate resilience, researchers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed an AI model that can predict dangerous convective storms—including Black Rainstorms, thunderstorms and extreme heavy rainfall like those that have hit Hong Kong—up to four hours before they strike. This world-first technology, developed in collaboration with national meteorological institutions and powered by satellite data and advanced deep diffusion technology, improves forecast accuracy by over 15% at the 48-kilometer spatial scale compared with existing systems. This breakthrough strengthens the overall accuracy of the national weather forecasting system and promises to transform early warning systems for vulnerable communities across Asia. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ai-severe-thunderstorms-hours-higher.html Earth Sciences Wed, 28 Jan 2026 16:32:39 EST news688840321 Researchers at the University of Kansas have shown the National Severe Storms Laboratory's Warn-on-Forecast System (WoFS) has potential to help weather forecasters issue warnings to emergency managers and the general public well before tornado formation. Their study appears in the peer-reviewed journal Weather and Forecasting. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-tornado.html Earth Sciences Tue, 27 Jan 2026 18:10:05 EST news688744931 The dangers of heat and humidity are so well known it's become cliché to mention them. But the impacts can extend farther than even scientists and doctors realized. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-hot-humid-weather-pregnancy-poses.html Environment Sun, 21 Dec 2025 04:27:05 EST news685513570 If you ever find yourself on Macquarie Island—a narrow, wind-lashed ridge halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica—the first thing you'll notice is the wildlife. Elephant seals sprawl across dark beaches. King penguins march up mossy slopes. Albatrosses circle over vast, treeless uplands. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-storms-southern-ocean-consequences-global.html Earth Sciences Sat, 06 Dec 2025 12:00:01 EST news684150861