Heat Wipes Out Western Snowpack, Raising Fears of Drought, Wildfire

Thin mountain snowpack quickly vanished during a record-hot March across the West. Now the region is facing a summer of drought and fire. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/c...

How its going:

Trump Administration to Pay $1 Billion to Energy Giant to Cancel Wind Farms

"The deal is an extraordinary transfer of taxpayer dollars to a foreign company for the purposes of boosting the production of fossil fuels, a main driver of climate change, while throttling offshore wind power."

A map of the snowpack across the western United States compared to average snowpack for this time of the year. In nearly all, large swaths of the mountain ranges have less than a third of the normal snowpack for the year. Nearly all of the Colorado River Basin has below-average snow. Snowpack is below average in every western state except for parts of Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Washington.

Record heat is colliding with a snow drought across the Western United States, where snowpack accounts for much of the water supply

🎁 www.nytimes.com/interactive/... w/ @byscottdance.com & @sachimulkey.bsky.social

Trump Wanted to Abolish FEMA. His Own Advisers Disagree.

SCOOP: A council created by Trump has recommended that FEMA should not be eliminated.

Earlier this year, Trump said the agency should "go away." w/ @byscottdance.com www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/c...

Acting FEMA Administrator Is Out, Injecting Uncertainty at Agency in Limbo

As the Trump administration reforms FEMA, acting administrator David Richardson is out and will be replaced by Karen Evans, a political appointee with a background in cybersecurity and IT who has helped lead FEMA cost-cutting. Federal law requires FEMA head to have emergency management background.

Newsom in the Spotlight at the Climate Conference That Trump Decided to Skip

There are no Trump officials at this year's global climate conference. Instead, it was 2028 contender California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaking for the U.S. on Tuesday. And he stressed a desire to recast climate change as a “cost of living issue,” @sominisengupta.bsky.social writes from Brazil:

States That Rely on the Colorado River Miss Deadline to Agree on Cuts

The Colorado River states missed a deadline to agree on permanent and voluntary water use cuts Tuesday. Negotiations will continue as the stakes get higher and river forecasts increasingly dire.

Where the sky keeps bursting A Washington Post investigation shows why one region of the United States is increasingly vulnerable to extreme rainfall and floods.

A @washingtonpost.com analysis of changing global precipitation patterns explains what people in Appalachia already know: The region has become a dangerous hot spot of intensifying rainfall.

Climate change is out. Energy affordability is in. A Washington Post analysis of Democratic lawmakers’ appearances and social media posts show they are going quiet on climate.

“Climate change has fallen into the ‘friend zone’ of voting.” @shannonosaka.bsky.social @kcrowebasspro.bsky.social report that Democrats are hardly talking about climate change anymore, focused on energy affordability instead:

Global Warming Made Hurricane Melissa More Damaging, Researchers Say

Climate change "doesn’t automatically mean all hurricanes will become powerful,” @bmcnoldy.bsky.social said. But it makes it more likely that an average storm will encounter factors that help it intensify.

How climate change made Hurricane Melissa stronger:

Deadly rivers in the sky A new Washington Post investigation reveals where climate change has supercharged the movement of moisture through the skies.

Deadly rivers in the sky: How global warming is amplifying atmospheric moisture and helping to trigger catastrophic floods. Proud of my @washingtonpost.com colleagues for this one:

How Trump cuts may have hindered a key way of preventing future wildfires U.S. Forest Service work to reduce wildfire fuel was down nearly 40 percent from where it’s been on average over the last four years, a new report shows.

U.S. Forest Service staff cuts have translated to a 40% reduction in regular efforts to thin the vegetation that could fuel massive wildfires. Via @washingtonpost.com:

What’s Missing From Your Favorite Chocolate Bar? It May Be Chocolate.

Does it taste like something is missing from your favorite chocolate bar this Halloween? It may be the chocolate.

Nine months later, that body of water down south is still the “Gulf of Mexico” to news outlets Since the start of summer, "Gulf of America" has been losing what little popularity it had in newsrooms.

Since the start of the summer, “Gulf of America” has been losing what little popularity it had as the "Gulf of Mexico" is still in use almost everywhere. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/nine... via @niemanlab.org

Opinion | In 40 Years of Forecasting, I’ve Never Seen a Hurricane Like Melissa

“It is not hyperbole to say that western Jamaica experienced something near to the worst tropical cyclone impacts our planet can produce.”

@wxmanms1.bsky.social on Melissa and the warning it brings:

Volunteers Step In to Help Understaffed NOAA Track Hurricane Melissa

After staff cuts earlier this year, some veteran NOAA hurricane researchers are working on a volunteer basis to help collect data from Melissa and other storms. “With the losses, we have a very young remaining staff and not a lot of experience flying in hurricanes."

MacKenzie Scott Backs Disaster Recovery in Marginalized Communities

MacKenzie Scott is giving $60 million to a nonprofit focused on disaster recovery in marginalized and overlooked communities. It follows recent investments she made in HBCUs and preservation of Black history, and counters the Trump administration's pullback from DEI and changes to disaster aid.

NOAA Isn’t Tracking Disaster Damages Anymore. These Scientists Are.

NOAA isn't tracking billion-dollar disasters anymore. But the cost of such catastrophes continues to escalate, according to a revived disaster database from @climatecentral.org:

N.C. counties that busted budgets after Helene still waiting for FEMA to pay them back A year after Hurricane Helene, FEMA hasn’t reimbursed millions of dollars spent on cleanup and recovery, upending local budgets and hindering reconstruction.

North Carolina counties that spent millions on Hurricane Helene recovery are still waiting for FEMA disaster aid that they thought would have been paid out by now. Via @washingtonpost.com:

Climate Disasters Are Destroying Black Retirements and the American Dream Early retirement withdrawals for hardship have tripled since 2020, as disasters strike and insurance fails — leaving workers on their own in old age.

Early retirement withdrawals for hardship have tripled since 2020, as disasters strike and insurance fails — leaving workers on their own in old age.

The hidden cost of saving the Chesapeake Bay: millions for private waterfronts Virtually all of the Chesapeake Bay’s shoreline is privately owned, which means taxpayer-funded waterfront improvements go to properties with limited public access.

Millions of taxpayer dollars go toward restoring Chesapeake Bay beaches to their natural marshy state and cleaning the water. Signs on those shorelines also read: "RESIDENTS ONLY." Important story by @alexmann.bsky.social @leeosanderlin.bsky.social @adampwillis.bsky.social @thebaltimorebanner.com:

Fed Rescinds Mandate That Banks Plan for Climate Risks

Under President Biden, the Federal Reserve and FDIC began pushing big banks to account for climate risks. The rules have now been eliminated. Reported w/ @stacycowley.bsky.social:

FEMA denied or didn’t advance most Kerr County flood requests Advocates are questioning why so many applicants from the flood-ravaged county have not received federal disaster help. Nonprofits are trying to fill in the gaps.

Three months after the deadly floods in Texas Hill Country, FEMA disaster aid applications are moving slowly and being denied at elevated rates, @texastribune.org reports:

What New York Can Do to Survive Flooding Adaptation is a matter of survival, and the city may have to throw every solution available at a worsening situation.

Absorb, fortify and retreat: Here's a look at what New York City is doing, and must do, to adapt to the rising threats of tidal flooding, intense rainfall and storm surge.

How FEMA Is Pushing Communities to Fend for Themselves

President Trump has said he wants to eventually shift the burden of disaster relief and recovery onto states. It’s already happening.

Communities across the country are adjusting as FEMA slows down disaster reimbursements and cuts back programs that help them prepare for emergencies.

Before Alaska Flooding, E.P.A. Canceled $20 Million Flood Protection Grant

Before catastrophic floods swept through the Alaska Native village of Kipnuk on Sunday, the EPA canceled a $20 million grant intended to protect the community from extreme flooding. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/c...

Dozens Rescued in Remote Alaskan Villages in Storm That Swept Away Homes The Coast Guard and the Alaska National Guard were conducting search-and-rescue operations in two villages along the Bering Sea on Sunday.

Emergency crews rescued dozens of people in western Alaska on Sunday as flooding from the remnants of Typhoon Halong battered remote coastal communities and tore houses off their foundations, officials said.

Senate Confirms ‘Sharpiegate’ Meteorologist to Lead NOAA

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a new leader. Read what he has said about climate change, the dismantling of climate research and U.S. weather forecasting models: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/u...

How Shutdown Gridlock Could Impede Disaster Preparedness

The looming government shutdown is converging with key deadlines to fund disaster preparedness and federal flood insurance, threatening to expose thousands of Americans to flood losses and stall thousands of real estate sales.

First byline for @nytimes.com: