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. Weather drones are being tested to help update forecasts of extreme weather more quickly, and could help us prepare earlier for upcoming winter storms. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-drones-weather-accurately-winter-storms.html Environment Wed, 28 Oct 2026 16:40:12 EDT news712423921 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 Right now, people in parts of Indonesia are inhaling what may be the most polluted atmosphere on Earth. As the historically large 2026 El Niño intensifies, parts of Southeast Asia have been plunged into an air quality crisis of catastrophic proportions. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-indonesia-el-niodriven-peat-region.html Earth Sciences Wed, 28 Oct 2026 09:40:01 EDT news712393040 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 The effects of El Niño are being felt globally, ranging from floods in Argentina to deadly fires in Peru and drought in French Guiana, and prompting a U.N. call for speedy action to face an unprecedented "wrecking ball" this year. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-el-nio-impacts-world-week-1.html Environment Tue, 27 Oct 2026 06:20:01 EDT news712299704 Natural gas leaks are a significant source of methane emissions in cities, but it can be hard to pinpoint exactly where and why they happen. And methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is the main chemical component of natural gas, has been historically undercounted or omitted in emissions estimates, according to a team of atmospheric and climate science researchers in the Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-methane-emissions-baltimore-seasonal-daily.html Environment Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:20:17 EDT news711806175 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 Britain's Met Office says this year's El Niño is "unprecedented." Japan's weather agency has called it the strongest ever observed. U.S. forecasters say it still trails the biggest events in its record books. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-el-nio.html Environment Mon, 19 Oct 2026 04:20:01 EDT news711601008 Just minutes into a planned research flight from Colorado to Oregon in August to study massive storm clouds fueled by intense wildfires, scientists discovered that a fire in Utah offered a more promising target. The mission support staff on the ground scrambled to draw up a new flight plan, and the pilots of the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) Gulfstream V worked to get the green light from air traffic controllers to fly toward the wildfire-generated thunderstorm. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-rare-airborne-firestorm-clouds.html Earth Sciences Wed, 14 Oct 2026 13:20:17 EDT news711202036 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 Food security concerns, wildfires and power warnings are among the impacts around the world this week from an exceptionally strong El Niño weather cycle. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-el-nio-impacts-world-week.html Environment Tue, 13 Oct 2026 06:40:06 EDT news711091270 Predicting the unpredictable starts with understanding how extreme wildfires develop and under what conditions. This knowledge is essential to better anticipate and respond to them. To achieve this, firefighter and researcher Marc Castellnou and the GRAF/Bombers Catalonia team measure the atmosphere both inside and outside wildfire plumes. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-wildfire-plumes-extreme-behavior.html Environment Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:20:07 EDT news711042122 Hurricane Simon shifted track slightly on Sunday and was forecast to skirt Mexico's west coast without making landfall, while packing heavy rain and severe winds. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-hurricane-simon-churns-mexican-coast.html Environment Mon, 12 Oct 2026 05:20:01 EDT news711000400 Sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific are forecast to increase to record levels during October–December 2026, reflecting the strengthening of the El Niño event, which will drive weather patterns and affect economies, ecosystems and communities across the globe. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-sea-surface-temperatures-el-nio.html Environment Thu, 08 Oct 2026 10:20:12 EDT news710672008 Margaret Hamilton, a groundbreaking computer scientist who led the team that created the onboard flight software for NASA's moon-bound Apollo program and later in life was celebrated as a powerful symbol of women in technology, has died. She was 90. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-margaret-hamilton-scientist-nasa-apollo.html Space Exploration Thu, 08 Oct 2026 04:37:04 EDT news710652952 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 In the highlands of Papua New Guinea, crops have been killed by drought and frost. Severe frosts have destroyed food crops such as taro, sweet potatoes, bananas and sugarcane, leaving some local communities scrambling for food. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-el-nio-pacific-australian-farmers.html Agriculture Wed, 30 Sep 2026 10:20:16 EDT news709977422 Hurricane Polo made landfall on Mexico's Baja California peninsula on Tuesday, cutting power and causing flooding as the sea breached coastal defenses. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-polo-landfall-mexico-category-hurricane.html Environment Tue, 29 Sep 2026 10:49:58 EDT news709897510 Strong winds battered Mexico's Baja California peninsula on Monday ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Polo, a major El Niño-charged storm expected to cause severe damage along the Pacific coast. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-hurricane-polo-approaches-mexico-threatens.html Environment Mon, 28 Sep 2026 09:20:20 EDT news709805307 Are there any geographical differences in how people experience weather conditions? This question was investigated in the citizen science project Kallt och svettigt (Cold and sweaty) for a year with the help of school pupils throughout Sweden. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-students-people-temperature.html Environment Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:40:01 EDT news709555878 Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent on Sept. 12, according to NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder. The ice covered an estimated 1.78 million square miles (4.6 million square kilometers), tying 2008, 2010 and 2025 for the 10th-lowest minimum in the satellite record. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-arctic-sea-ice-annual-minimum.html Earth Sciences Thu, 24 Sep 2026 14:20:14 EDT news709467961 The fall equinox is Tuesday, when light and darkness split the day evenly. It marks the beginning of fall for the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of spring in the Southern Hemisphere. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-day-night-equal-billing-tuesday.html Earth Sciences Tue, 22 Sep 2026 12:40:04 EDT news709293425 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 On Sept. 15, the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau sent volcanic ash up to 15,000 meters (50,000 feet) and produced rumbling heard 700 kilometers (435 miles) away. Eight airports suspended operations, thousands of flights were disrupted, and more than 270,000 passengers were stranded. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-disaster-borders-indonesia-credibility.html Environment Fri, 18 Sep 2026 10:40:07 EDT news708937922 Australian farmers are heading into spring with an unusual mix of optimism and uncertainty. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-war-weather-australian-farmers-crops.html Agriculture Fri, 18 Sep 2026 09:40:04 EDT news708932041 Rivers across the globe in 2025 had one of the driest years in more than three decades, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It shows a continuation of the long-term decline in Earth's freshwater storage and glacier retreat—trends with serious implications for people and economies in the future. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-global-reveals-drying-rivers-erratic.html Earth Sciences Thu, 17 Sep 2026 16:20:01 EDT news708867601 Australia's farm sector currently faces a double whammy from weather and nonweather-related factors: a confirmed El Niño effect and surging inflationary pressures. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-el-nio-food-prices-soaring.html Environment Thu, 17 Sep 2026 11:20:14 EDT news708849302 The planet's water cycle is becoming increasingly erratic, swinging between too little and too much, the United Nations warned Thursday, with an unprecedented El Niño expected to exacerbate the long-term trend. https://phys.org/news/2026-09-world-unpredictable.html Environment Thu, 17 Sep 2026 04:20:01 EDT news708836692 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