'Cruelly hot': Japan devises new term for heatwave days Blistering temperatures rising to 40C and above will now be branded "cruelly hot" or "kokusho-bi" in Japan, the weather agency said Friday, as heatwave days become increasingly frequent in the

Steadily increasing global temperatures has led to Japan creating a new term for "cruelly hot" or "kokusho-bi". The warming climate has also led to wider use of the term aridification and megadrought (the US is in the 27th year of a SW megadrought).
www.djournal.com/news/nationa...

Improved weather forecasts could reduce heat deaths as climate warms When extreme weather looms, timely and accurate warnings can give people the chance to adjust their plans, brace for danger and, in the most severe cases, make decisions that keep them safe. Does that...

Excellent reason to maintain funding for weather research: "In this case, the number of lives saved by improved forecasting—and the likelihood that this benefit will grow as climate change increases risks—translates into a very high economic value."
phys.org/news/2026-04...

Wyoming electric utility dumps wind and solar in long-term planning — The Associated Press One of the key driving forces behind the expansion of wind turbines in Wyoming is gutting plans for future renewable energy projects.

Guess Wyoming doesn’t care about dwindling CO River flow caused mostly by unprecedented fossil-fuel-driven warming
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The Great Salt Lake is dying. Can this $1B Trump plan save it? — USA TODAY Two factors are driving the decline: water use and less precipitation due to climate change. Saving the lake may require 260 billion gallons of water.

No mention of efforts to stop the climate change that is drying up the Great Salt Lake. Everything else that can be done are just bandaids. Useful perhaps, but not solving the ultimate problem.

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Good news - offshore wind still moving forward in the US.
grist.org/energy/offsh...

Global warming is supercharging El Niños and the atmospheric warming they drive". “We saw this in 2016 and more recently in 2023. We’re likely to see another jump in global temperatures if a strong El Niño develops later this year as being predicted." fortune.com/2026/04/09/c...

Climate pod alert: Take time off from all of the crazy to deep dive into the amazingly unprecedented western US March heatwave, and a glimpse ahead to a possible super El Niño.

www.climas.arizona.edu/podcast/apri...

In US first, Ann Arbor makes its own green power company - Bridge Michigan With utilities’ transition to green energy moving too slowly for them, Ann Arbor officials decided to launch a power company of their own.

Check out how Ann Arbor is accelerating drive to net zero carbon power.
bridgemi.com/michigan-env...

“We will inspire but ultimately, we will always choose Earth. We will always choose each other."
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Epic winter drought creates a bleak situation for farmers — and your food If rainfall shortages and record heat continue, the effects may ripple throughout the U.S. food supply, with the cost of beef already surging.

We need to halt climate change: “If rainfall shortages and record heat continue, the effects may ripple throughout the U.S. food supply, with the cost of beef already surging.”

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Go Blue!

‘On a whole other level’: rapid snow melt-off in American west stuns scientists — Guardian US Experts say brutal March heat has left critical snowpack at record-low levels – and key basins in uncharted territory

This is what human-caused climate change looks like: “brutal March heat has left critical snowpack at record-low levels – and key basins in uncharted territory”
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California just hit an inflection point for batteries — Fast Company California’s electric grid just broke a new record, providing as much power during peak demand as six Hoover Dams. Technicians install equipment at a Solar Power/Battery Energy Storage System in San B...

California - not dreaming’: “At 7pm on March 29, batteries provided 12.3 gigawatts of power—roughly as much as six Hoover Dams, or around 43% of the total demand on the grid.”

apple.news/A3I5wU6ESSPq...

No snow. No water. Restrictions grow across West as drought fears rise — USA TODAY Western communities face a dangerously dry summer as record heat melts snow, threatening drinking water and increasing wildfire risk.

Western US drought worsening in its 27th year. "It's really grim. It's horrific…The impacts are going to be everywhere, throughout the economy and personally.”

apple.news/A9saBIN0AQRy...

Discovered a great new western water status resource - many a reservoir now feeling the drought and horrible snow season.
dashboard.wwdh.internetofwater.app

Improved EV battery technology will outmatch degradation from climate change A new study reveals that improved EV batteries will more than offset their expected heat-related degradation on a warming planet.

Batteries used for EVs and the grid continue to improve and get cheaper. They also are becoming more resilient to global warming.
seas.umich.edu/news/improve...

Opinion | The Great Salt Lake is running out of water — and time Utah’s ambitious plan to save it could be a blueprint for the West.

Utah’s water crisis is rapidly worsening. “The lake is plunging toward a new low, risking the increased exposure of hundreds of square miles of lake bed contaminated with arsenic and heavy metals.”
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Suddenly, the US manufactures a ton of grid batteries Energy storage is surging on the U.S. grid — and now the country has more than enough battery-making factories to meet that booming demand.

Encouraging news: "Energy storage is surging on the U.S. grid — and now the country has more than enough battery-making factories to meet that booming demand."
www.canarymedia.com/articles/cle...

University of Michigan study breaks down the cost differences of owning an EV versus gas car Used EVs can save owners as much as $13,000 compared to internal combustion engine vehicles of the same size and category.

Even before you factor in the recent jump in gas prices: "Electric vehicles have been getting more cost-effective for years, and ... they are officially the cheapest option over their lifespans"
www.thecooldown.com/green-busine...

This picture has to be AI generated, but it's a good one. This report is a good reality check - follow the money, as they say...
The energy transition is for real, going more slowly in the US than many other countries. CCS & green H don't look like winners.
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Looks like the record heat in the West is melting an already low snowpack fast with peak snow water equivalent has coming earlier than ever before - over 2 weeks earlier than the median peak timing. Distressing to say the least. nwcc-apps.sc.egov.usda.gov/awdb/basin-p...?

Earth is Getting Darker. Here’s Why That’s Alarming - Legal Planet Some recent Earth observations are spreading new alarm among climate scientists. The observations have been reported in many scientific and environmental outlets, and have provoked a fair amount of co...

This is one thing that can cause climate change - global warming included - to speed up: the loss of reflective clouds. More energy from the sun to get trapped in the planet's climate system by increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
legal-planet.org/2026/03/20/e...

The US likely set an all-time heat record for March. Yes, it’s climate change | CNN The new heat record is an alarming signal of how hot the planet is getting and how fast it’s happening.

Climate change will keep giving us new heat records, that's one thing for sure. www.cnn.com/2026/03/20/w...

The Weather Is Getting Wilder, and Some See a Dire Signal in the Data

Yep, sadly true: “The effects of climate change are intensifying in ways that have surprised even experts.”
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/c...

Yet more record heat. This is what human-caused climate change looks like: www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/w...

'Feels like hell': Phoenix braces for historic heatwave while blizzards lash Midwest Phoenix is bracing for a historic heat wave with temperatures forecast to reach 105°F, while blizzard conditions and ice storm warnings sweeping across parts of the Midwest.

105°F is HOT for March for sure, but wait until summer to see what really hot looks and feels like. Heat records are being broken all over the place out west. And yes, much cooler in Michigan - no blizzards in Ann Arbor tho.
www.fox10phoenix.com/news/feels-l...

How Ann Arbor, Michigan, is creating its own clean energy utility Investor-owned utilities have been slow to ditch oil and gas. The city of Ann Arbor plans to boost access to renewables through a new dual-service model.

Cool: Customers who opt in will get two utility bills — one for the power supplied by these new city-owned clean energy systems, and one for any power they’re still drawing from the regular grid — which will add up to less than they currently pay.
grist.org/cities/ann-a...

Under the same sky, climate change brings drought to Somalia and floods to Kenya For east African neighbours Kenya and Somalia, the effects of climate change are worlds apart, with one country suffering drought and the other deadly flooding.

This seems paradoxical, but it makes sense: a warming atmosphere can hold more moisture & thus demand more from land & vegetation when conditions aren't ripe for rain, and also dump more intense rain when conditions are ripe for rain. More intense drought & flooding. www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20...

Nebraska wildfires turn deadly as magnitude overwhelms firefighters The wildfires threatened multiple communities, forced evacuations, and damaged rangeland and infrastructure across at least seven counties.

Lack of winter snow + record warmth (and plenty of wind) means we're looking at the potential for a record wildfire season. It's already starting to burn across the Great Plains. Huge fire in Nebraska a harbinger of what's to come.
www.newsweek.com/nebraska-wil...

Summer in March? Unusual Heat Wave Descends on Already Parched Western U.S. — Inside Climate News The heat wave could further lower water availability in the region, which has seen staggeringly low levels of snowpack this year.

“These conditions follow the warmest winter on record and significant drought across much of the Western U.S.”
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