For the third consecutive year, it's the hottest year ever. A climate scientist explains how these predictions are made and why they're completely different from forecasting the weather.
A big part of South Africa’s appeal lies in its good weather. Climate change poses a risk to the tourism industry.
IMAGE REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
South Africa's weather is very attractive to international visitors. Climate change could alter their perceptions unless mitigation strategies are put in place.
NASA Earth Science Division operating missions, including systems managed by NOAA and USGS.
NASA Earth Observing System
A retired rear admiral warns President-elect Trump against cutting NASA's Earth observations, which provide essential data for weather forecasters, businesses, scientists and the armed forces.
Damage from Hurricane Matthew in North Charleston, South Carolina, October 2016.
Ryan Johnson/Flickr
Conservative commentators accused government officials last week of hyping risks from Hurricane Matthew. A meteorologist explains why this is impossible in the internet era.
Data about farms’ financial situation as well as the weather could help identify those most vulnerable to drought.
Bidgee/Wikimedia Commons
January hurricanes are rare events, but two have already formed this month. Atmospheric scientist Adam Sobel explains the conditions that generated Pali and Alex.
Climate models are complicated - and necessarily so if they are to recreate our complex world. But a new, simpler climate model aims to take some of the mystery out of the art of climate modelling.
Moaning about weather forecasts is almost an Australian national pastime. But weather predictions have improved a lot, and with a new satellite and supercomputer, they are about to get even more reliable.
Luckily, we have more to go on now than just knowing the tracks of previous named storms.
Titoxd
We're no longer caught off guard when hurricanes make landfall, the way people were into the early 1900s. Better communications, measurements and observations all feed into better forecasts and more warning.
Hurricane path forecasts are good, but even the ‘cone of uncertainty’ doesn’t fully describe where the hazards could be.
National Hurricane Center
James Franklin, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Forecasting successes can breed complacency in the general public. But all hurricane damage isn't necessarily contained within the "cone of uncertainty."
Whale sharks were one of the warm water species to move south during the 2010-2011 marine heatwave.
Ben Henrich/Flickr
While eastern Australia trembles in the face of an El Niño, Western Australia's oceans could finally see relief from devastating marine heatwaves.
Breaking the ice: while scientists increasingly understand why Antarctic sea ice is growing, it remains tricky to forecast.
Australian Antarctic Division
In 1985, when CSIRO's marine labs were launched, a seven-day weather forecast was little better than chance. Now, thanks to advances in our understanding of the oceans, our predictions are far better.
Recent extreme rains such as those that hit Sydney recently are actually decreasing, but extreme rain in summer is going up.
AAP Image/NEWZULU/LISA HOSKING
Professor of Practice in Meteorology, Professor of International Affairs & Director Center for Solutions to Weather and Climate Risk, Pennsylvania State University
