Climate Change, Driving Extreme <br />Weather Disasters, Around the World.<br />Climate Change, Driving Extreme <br />Weather Disasters, Around the World.<br />NPR's climate team recently broke down how <br />global warming is responsible for the recent <br />uptick in global extreme weather events.<br />This past June was the hottest recorded in the U.S. in over a century.<br />This past June was the hottest recorded in the U.S. in over a century.<br />Recent heat waves have made many cities <br />aware of just how underprepared they are <br />to deal with extreme weather.<br />Recent heat waves have made many cities <br />aware of just how underprepared they are <br />to deal with extreme weather.<br />So far, the world's temperature has <br />risen two degrees Fahrenheit.<br />Dr. Radley Horton, a climate scientist at Columbia University, says that while that number sounds small, it can , "profoundly shift the statistics of extreme heat events.".<br />He says that these, "dangerous thresholds of really high temperature and high humidity", now have the potential to occur twice as often as they did before. .<br />He says that these, "dangerous thresholds of really high temperature and high humidity", now have the potential to occur twice as often as they did before. .<br />Approximately 95% of the West<br />is currently experiencing drought.<br />Approximately 95% of the West<br />is currently experiencing drought.<br />As a result, when wildfires do occur, they burn hotter and even create their own weather systems.<br />As a result, when wildfires do occur, they burn hotter and even create their own weather systems.<br />These huge pyrocumulus clouds can increase lightning strikes, consequently causing even more fires.<br />In the past few weeks, extreme rain resulted in deadly flash flood disasters in Central China, western Europe, Mumbai and Arizona.<br />In the past few weeks, extreme rain resulted in deadly flash flood disasters in Central China, western Europe, Mumbai and Arizona.<br />As the Earth gets warmer, these extreme <br />rain events are becoming more common.<br />NPR points out that scientists are still working <br />to determine just how common these disasters <br />will be in the years to come
