During October 2014, The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center added two new threat levels to its weather outlooks, so people aren't surprised by bad storms on days with just a "slight risk" of tornadoes, hail or high winds. Forecasters can say whether slight risk days are "enhanced" or "marginal" or just plain "slight." Other categories remain, including "high" and "moderate." The Norman, Oklahoma-based center traditionally targeted local forecasters and broadcasters across the U.S. with their advisories, known as "convective outlooks," but the Internet makes that data available to anyone with a computer and basic scientific knowledge. There were also concerns from broadcasters fearing that their viewers were interpreting terms such as “slight risk” as “no risk.” The system now mimics scales for tornado damage, hurricane strength and the former Homeland Security terrorist threats.During October 2014, The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center added two new threat levels to its weather outlooks, so people aren't surprised by bad storms on days with just a "slight risk" of tornadoes, hail or high winds. Forecasters can say whether slight risk days are "enhanced" or "marginal" or just plain "slight." Other categories remain, including "high" and "moderate." The Norman, Oklahoma-based center traditionally targeted local forecasters and broadcasters across the U.S. with their advisories, known as "convective outlooks," but the Internet makes that data available to anyone with a computer and basic scientific knowledge. There were also concerns from broadcasters fearing that their viewers were interpreting terms such as “slight risk” as “no risk.” The system now mimics scales for tornado damage, hurricane strength and the former Homeland Security terrorist threats.

Source, National Weather Service

Changes in Extreme Heat and Extreme Cold.  A warmer future is projected to lead to “on the order of thousands to tens of thousands of additional premature deaths per year across the United States by the end of this century” from heat.  Any reduction in cold-related deaths is projected to be smaller than the increase in heat-related deaths in most regions. High temperatures can also lead to a wide range of illnesses. Examples of illnesses associated with extreme heat include cardiovascular, respiratory, and renal illnesses; diabetes; hyperthermia; mental health issues; and preterm births.  Even small differences from seasonal average temperatures result in illness and death.  An increased risk for respiratory and cardiovascular death is observed in older adults during temperature extremes.Changes in Extreme Heat and Extreme Cold.  A warmer future is projected to lead to “on the order of thousands to tens of thousands of additional premature deaths per year across the United States by the end of this century” from heat.  Any reduction in cold-related deaths is projected to be smaller than the increase in heat-related deaths in most regions. High temperatures can also lead to a wide range of illnesses. Examples of illnesses associated with extreme heat include cardiovascular, respiratory, and renal illnesses; diabetes; hyperthermia; mental health issues; and preterm births.  Even small differences from seasonal average temperatures result in illness and death.  An increased risk for respiratory and cardiovascular death is observed in older adults during temperature extremes.Impacts on Air Quality. Changes in the climate affect the levels and location of outdoor air pollutants such as ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter.  These changes in ozone are projected to lead to hundreds to thousands of premature deaths, hospital admissions, and cases of acute respiratory illnesses per year in the United States in 2030.  In addition, the area burned by wildfires in North America is expected to increase dramatically over the 21st century due to climate change.  Air pollution from wildfires can affect people far downwind from the fire location, increasing the risk of premature death and hospital and emergency department visits.  Higher temperatures and increasing carbon dioxide levels also promote the growth of plants that release airborne allergens.

More Frequent and Intense Extreme Events.  Climate change will expose more people to increases in the frequency and/or intensity of drought, wildfires, and flooding related to extreme precipitation and hurricanes.  Many types of extreme events related to climate change cause disruption of critical infrastructure, including power, water, transportation, and communication systems, that are essential to maintaining access to health care and emergency response services and safeguarding human health.  Health risks may also arise long after the event, or in places outside the area where the event took place, particularly if multiple events occur simultaneously or in succession in a given location – this could be the result of damage to property, destruction of assets, loss of infrastructure and public services, social and economic disruption, and environmental degradation. Poverty also is a key risk factor, and the poor are disproportionately affected by extreme events.

Altered Timing and Location of Vector-Borne Disease. Climate change is expected to alter the geographic and seasonal distributions of existing vectors and vector-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease, West Nile virus infections, and other diseases spread by vectors like mosquitoes. Rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and a higher frequency of some extreme weather events associated with climate change will influence the distribution, abundance, and prevalence of infection in the mosquitoes that transmit West Nile virus, the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the United States.  Outdoor workers are at a greater risk for contracting Lyme disease and, if working in areas where there are infected mosquitoes, occupational exposures can also occur for West Nile virus.

Increased Risks of Water-Related Illnesses.  Runoff from more frequent and intense extreme precipitation events will increasingly compromise recreational waters, shellfish harvesting waters, and sources of drinking water, increasing the risk that infrastructure for drinking water, wastewater, and storm water will fail due to either damage or exceeding system capacity. Although the United States has one of the safest municipal drinking water supplies in the world, water-related outbreaks still occur—between 1948 and 1994, 68 percent of waterborne disease outbreaks in the United States were preceded by extreme precipitation events. Inequities in exposure to contaminated water disproportionately affects tribes and Alaska Natives, residents of low-income rural subdivisions along the U.S.–Mexico border, migrant farm workers, the homeless, and low-income communities not served by public water utilities—some of which are predominately Hispanic or Latino and African-American communities.

Increased Threats to Food Safety and Nutrition.  As climate change drives changes in environmental variables, such as ambient temperature, precipitation, and weather extremes (particularly flooding and drought), increases in foodborne illnesses are expected. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that there are 48 million cases of foodborne illnesses per year, with approximately 3,000 deaths.  Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can lower the nutritional value of most food crops. Climate-change impacts on food production, food processing and utilization, food prices, and agricultural trade were recently addressed in a separate assessment report on Climate Change, Global Food Security, and the U.S. Food System.

Adverse Impacts on Mental Health.  The cumulative and interactive effects of climate change, as well as the threat and perception of climate change, adversely impact individual and societal physical and mental health and well-being.  Mental health consequences of climate change range from minimal stress and distress symptoms to clinical disorders, such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.  The mental health impacts of extreme events, such as hurricanes, floods, and drought, can be expected to increase as more people experience the stress—and often trauma—of these disasters.  People with mental illness and those using medications to treat a variety of mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events and extreme heat.

Disproportionate Effects on Vulnerable Populations.  Every American is vulnerable to the health impacts associated with climate change.  People at every life stage have varying sensitivity to climate change impacts.  The most vulnerable populations include individuals with low income, some communities of color, individuals with limited English proficiency and immigrant groups, Indigenous peoples, children, pregnant women, older adults, vulnerable occupational groups, persons with disabilities, and persons with preexisting or chronic medical conditions reported most commonly among adults aged 65 and older.  The need to evacuate an area during or after extreme events can pose increased health and safety risks for older adults, especially those who are poor or reside in nursing or assisted-living facilities.  Air pollution can also exacerbate asthma and COPD and can increase the risk of heart attack in older adults, especially those who are also diabetic or obese.

Occupational Groups.  Outdoor workers are often among the first to be exposed to the effects of climate change. Climate change is expected to affect the health of outdoor workers through increases in ambient temperature, degraded air quality, extreme weather, vector-borne diseases, industrial exposures, and changes in the built environment.  An increased need for complex emergency responses will expose rescue and recovery workers to physical and psychological hazards.  The incidence of heat illness among active duty U.S. military personnel is several-fold higher than the summertime incidence in the general U.S. population (147 per 100,000 among the military versus 21.5 per 100,000 in the general population per year).

Persons with Disabilities.  An increase in extreme weather can be expected to disproportionately affect populations with disabilities, who experience higher rates of social risk factors—such as poverty and lower educational attainment—that contribute to poorer health outcomes during extreme events or climate-related emergencies.  Persons with disabilities often rely on medical equipment (such as portable oxygen) that requires an uninterrupted source of electricity.

Persons with Chronic Medical Conditions.  Preexisting medical conditions present risk factors for increased illness and death associated with climate-related stressors, especially exposure to extreme heat.  Hospital admissions and emergency room visits increase during heat waves for people with diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and psychiatric illnesses. Medical conditions like Alzheimer’s disease or mental illnesses can impair judgment and behavioral responses in crisis situations, which can place people with those conditions at greater risk.

Source, U.S. Government

Apparently, sexism isn't just a social problem if you're in the path of a hurricane. Gender bias might be the cause of your demise. A study suggests people prepare differently for hurricanes depending on whether the storm has a male or female name. Feminine-named hurricanes versus masculine-named hurricanes cause significantly more deaths, apparently because they lead to a lower perceived risk and consequently less preparedness according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In other words, a hurricane named "Priscilla" might not make people flee like a hurricane named "Bruno" would.Apparently, sexism isn't just a social problem if you're in the path of a hurricane. Gender bias might be the cause of your demise. A study suggests people prepare differently for hurricanes depending on whether the storm has a male or female name. Feminine-named hurricanes versus masculine-named hurricanes cause significantly more deaths, apparently because they lead to a lower perceived risk and consequently less preparedness according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In other words, a hurricane named "Priscilla" might not make people flee like a hurricane named "Bruno" would.

Source, NOAA

A sinkhole is any natural depression or hole in the Earth’s surface. One of the natural processes that can contribute to their formation is erosion where soluble bedrock is gradually removed, often from percolating water. Another process is referred to as suffusion where material sitting on top of limestone gradually washes away through cracks and fissures in the limestone beneath it. Anything sitting on top of sinkholes when they collapse such as roads and buildings fall in as well. Some of the manmade processes that contribute to sinkhole formation include mines that collapse and water mains that burst underground. But could climate change be playing a part? The answer is maybe. Record-level rainfall could trigger sinkholes. It also turns out that certain events such as hurricanes following periods of drought can trigger a series of sinkholes to occur. States most vulnerable to sinkholes are Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Pennsylvania, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. So, although natural processes create these geological processes, direct effects from climate change such as an increase in droughts, floods and hurricanes can also be contributing.A sinkhole is any natural depression or hole in the Earth’s surface. One of the natural processes that can contribute to their formation is erosion where soluble bedrock is gradually removed, often from percolating water. Another process is referred to as suffusion where material sitting on top of limestone gradually washes away through cracks and fissures in the limestone beneath it. Anything sitting on top of sinkholes when they collapse such as roads and buildings fall in as well. Some of the manmade processes that contribute to sinkhole formation include mines that collapse and water mains that burst underground. But could climate change be playing a part? The answer is maybe. Record-level rainfall could trigger sinkholes. It also turns out that certain events such as hurricanes following periods of drought can trigger a series of sinkholes to occur. States most vulnerable to sinkholes are Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Pennsylvania, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. So, although natural processes create these geological processes, direct effects from climate change such as an increase in droughts, floods and hurricanes can also be contributing.

Source, National Weather Service

Even before the sun starts to rise over this megalopolis of 21 million people, you can sense a miserable lung day approaching, the lights from nearby skyscrapers enveloped in a gray cloud. China has many challenges, but air pollution is one that, if left unaddressed, will surely trip up its economic growth, kill its people and derail the Communist Party’s policy of “opening up” to the world. Tourism in Beijing has dropped from a year ago, at least partly because of worldwide publicity about smog. A recent study estimated that the average life expectancy in North China had dropped by 5.5 years because of air pollution generated by coal power production. The smog spread across the eastern and northern parts of the country, smothering cities such as Shanghai whose residents thought they were immune. Wealthy Chinese now regularly schedule “lung-cleaning trips,” with Thailand’s Phuket Island and Indonesia’s Bali as top destinations, according to Chinese tourism authorities. To combat this pernicious plague, the Chinese government states that it will spend $1.7 trillion yuan ($281 billion) by 2017 to tackle air pollution. In the interim, local governments have closed factories, fined polluters and even closed freeways on days when the smog is dangerous or “beyond index.” The Chinese say that the problem is caused primarily by weather inversions, auto emissions and industrial coal burning. Yet China has no comprehensive system of monitoring, permitting and regulating sources of air pollution. Unlike most environmental agencies in the United States, it can’t track a pollution problem back to its source or sources and correct it.Even before the sun starts to rise over this megalopolis of 21 million people, you can sense a miserable lung day approaching, the lights from nearby skyscrapers enveloped in a gray cloud. China has many challenges, but air pollution is one that, if left unaddressed, will surely trip up its economic growth, kill its people and derail the Communist Party’s policy of “opening up” to the world. Tourism in Beijing has dropped from a year ago, at least partly because of worldwide publicity about smog. A recent study estimated that the average life expectancy in North China had dropped by 5.5 years because of air pollution generated by coal power production. The smog spread across the eastern and northern parts of the country, smothering cities such as Shanghai whose residents thought they were immune. Wealthy Chinese now regularly schedule “lung-cleaning trips,” with Thailand’s Phuket Island and Indonesia’s Bali as top destinations, according to Chinese tourism authorities. To combat this pernicious plague, the Chinese government states that it will spend $1.7 trillion yuan ($281 billion) by 2017 to tackle air pollution. In the interim, local governments have closed factories, fined polluters and even closed freeways on days when the smog is dangerous or “beyond index.” The Chinese say that the problem is caused primarily by weather inversions, auto emissions and industrial coal burning. Yet China has no comprehensive system of monitoring, permitting and regulating sources of air pollution. Unlike most environmental agencies in the United States, it can’t track a pollution problem back to its source or sources and correct it.

Source, USA Today

Polar vortex is a system of strong, upper-level winds that normally surround the North Pole in a counterclockwise direction. These winds normally affect Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere but sometimes they become distorted and dip much farther south, causing cold air to spill southward. The result is a jet stream effect that plunges deep into southern latitudes, bringing the cold, dense Arctic air spilling down with it. Serious cold snaps happen several times a year, though in different regions of the world and with different severities. Last March saw a significant decrease in temperature because of the polar vortex pushing into much of Europe. Many locations experienced an Easter holiday that was much colder than their Christmas holiday. The United Kingdom, for instance, had its coldest March in 50 years. Generally, people were not prepared for The Polar Vortex that struck the United States in early January 2014. 178 million people in all 50 states experienced temperatures below 32 degrees — even Hawaii. The huge dose of polar air caused 21 deaths and the majority succumbed due to below zero temperatures. So, what’s it like dying from freezing temperatures? Hypothermia is a condition in which the body's core temperature drops below the required level for normal metabolism and body functions. It causes slurred speech, sluggishness, incoherent and irrational behavior, amnesia, the inability to use hands and stumbling. Also, the exposed skin becomes blue and puffy.  An apparent self-protective behavior known as terminal burrowing occurs in the final stages of hypothermia. The afflicted will find small, enclosed spaces such as underneath beds or in closets. Researchers claim this is an autonomous process of the brain stem, which is triggered in the final state of hypothermia and produces a primitive and burrowing-like behavior of protection, as seen in hibernating animals such as bears, squirrels, crocodiles, bats, bees and several species of fish.Polar vortex is a system of strong, upper-level winds that normally surround the North Pole in a counterclockwise direction. These winds normally affect Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere but sometimes they become distorted and dip much farther south, causing cold air to spill southward. The result is a jet stream effect that plunges deep into southern latitudes, bringing the cold, dense Arctic air spilling down with it. Serious cold snaps happen several times a year, though in different regions of the world and with different severities. Last March saw a significant decrease in temperature because of the polar vortex pushing into much of Europe. Many locations experienced an Easter holiday that was much colder than their Christmas holiday. The United Kingdom, for instance, had its coldest March in 50 years. Generally, people were not prepared for The Polar Vortex that struck the United States in early January 2014. 178 million people in all 50 states experienced temperatures below 32 degrees — even Hawaii. The huge dose of polar air caused 21 deaths and the majority succumbed due to below zero temperatures. So, what’s it like dying from freezing temperatures? Hypothermia is a condition in which the body's core temperature drops below the required level for normal metabolism and body functions. It causes slurred speech, sluggishness, incoherent and irrational behavior, amnesia, the inability to use hands and stumbling. Also, the exposed skin becomes blue and puffy.  An apparent self-protective behavior known as terminal burrowing occurs in the final stages of hypothermia. The afflicted will find small, enclosed spaces such as underneath beds or in closets. Researchers claim this is an autonomous process of the brain stem, which is triggered in the final state of hypothermia and produces a primitive and burrowing-like behavior of protection, as seen in hibernating animals such as bears, squirrels, crocodiles, bats, bees and several species of fish.

Source, Wikipedia

With satellites, scientists have measured fluctuations in the sun's energy and found that these recent variations have been small in comparison to human influences in the last several centuries. In fact, there has been no increase in solar energy in the past 50 years. Thus, changes in the sun's energy cannot explain the warming we have seen over the past several decades. In contrast, the warming we are observing is consistent with the warming properties of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases that humans are adding to the atmosphere.With satellites, scientists have measured fluctuations in the sun's energy and found that these recent variations have been small in comparison to human influences in the last several centuries. In fact, there has been no increase in solar energy in the past 50 years. Thus, changes in the sun's energy cannot explain the warming we have seen over the past several decades. In contrast, the warming we are observing is consistent with the warming properties of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases that humans are adding to the atmosphere.

Source, NASA

135.8 below zero degrees Fahrenheit in East Antarctica. The temperature was recorded by a NASA satellite in August 2010. However, the record temperature won’t be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records because it was measured by satellite, not a thermometer.135.8 below zero degrees Fahrenheit in East Antarctica. The temperature was recorded by a NASA satellite in August 2010. However, the record temperature won’t be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records because it was measured by satellite, not a thermometer.

Source, NASA

Water is the most important nutrient for the body, and while a human can survive without food for weeks, you can only survive without water for a few days, depending on the temp and how much you are sweating. So, pack plenty of water in your kit just in case you are stranded from a weather disaster for several days.Water is the most important nutrient for the body, and while a human can survive without food for weeks, you can only survive without water for a few days, depending on the temp and how much you are sweating. So, pack plenty of water in your kit just in case you are stranded from a weather disaster for several days.

Source, American Red Cross

The strongest hurricane ever to hit the U.S. is The Great Labor Day Storm on September 2, 1935 in Florida. One of just three Category 5 Hurricanes to make landfall in the U.S., the Great Labor Day Storm reached sustained winds of 200 miles per hour and a 15-foot storm surge, causing 423 deaths in Florida.The strongest hurricane ever to hit the U.S. is The Great Labor Day Storm on September 2, 1935 in Florida. One of just three Category 5 Hurricanes to make landfall in the U.S., the Great Labor Day Storm reached sustained winds of 200 miles per hour and a 15-foot storm surge, causing 423 deaths in Florida.

Source, National Weather Service