Scientists say human-caused climate change make extreme weather events more likely, according to new research published Wednesday (Dec. 15, 2021) in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.
The 10th edition of the report, Explaining Extreme Events in 2020 from a Climate Perspective, presents 18 new peer-reviewed analyses of extreme weather across the world during 2020. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration study that examined the U.S. Southwest drought using several different model simulations found climate change may have increased the likelihood that the monsoon-season rains would fail as they did in 2020, reigniting a multiyear drought. One trend emerging in the past several years is several studies that find climate change is reducing the risk of certain types of extreme events, typically cold outbreaks or heavy precipitation.
Stephanie Herring, a NOAA climate scientist, says, “This report reinforces the scientific consensus that human influence has created a new climate — one that is impacting extreme events today.”
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