Stories by Andrea Thompson

From Phoenix, Ariz., to China to Spain, heat records are being set all over the world

Preliminary analyses show that this July is virtually certain to be the hottest month on record for the planet by a wide margin, largely because of global warming

Climate change made heat waves in the U.S. Southwest, Europe and China hotter and more likely

It’s not just the soaring temperatures of day that make heat waves dangerous. High nighttime temperatures add to the stress on human bodies

The temperature in Death Valley could rise above 130 degrees Fahrenheit this weekend. If it does, it would set a record for the hottest temperature ever reliably measured on Earth

Yet another heat dome will send temperatures skyrocketing across the U.S. Southwest just after the planet saw its hottest week on record

The famous climate pattern El Niño could usher in a new hottest year on record and will have domino effects on the world’s weather.

A “heat dome” is parked over Texas and Mexico and is sending temperatures soaring to record—and potentially deadly—levels

El Niño has arrived, bringing potentially major effects on weather around the world, such as drought and flooding, and possibly setting a new record for the hottest year

Along with an expert, we take you into some of nature's most monstrous storms. 

Where is it coming from? How long will it last? What's in the smoke? Whose health is at risk? How do you clean your own air?

Smoke from record-setting wildfires in Canada has blanketed parts of the eastern U.S., but shifting summer weather patterns should bring relief

From North America to South Asia, summer heat waves are becoming longer, stronger and more frequent with climate change.

A potentially record-setting heat wave is headed for the Pacific Northwest and western Canada, a sign of the shift to hotter—and earlier—summers

A severe drought that has led to near-famine conditions in the Horn of Africa would not have happened without the influence of climate change, a new analysis finds

Renewable energy has seen considerable growth in recent years, but there is a long way to go to achieve a clean energy future that averts the worst effects of the climate crisis

To get people to shift to more climate-friendly behavior, what works best? Education? Payments? Peer pressure?

Some countries have used up far more of the world’s carbon budget—the amount we can emit and still avoid more extreme climate disruption—than others

To keep warming below levels that scientists say will bring extreme climate impacts, nations must act quickly to make deep cuts in carbon emissions, according to the final installment of the IPCC’s latest climate report

The EPA has proposed the first nationwide limits for toxic chemicals called PFASs in the U.S. water supply

A massive storm shocks southern California with cold temperatures, strong winds and abundant moisture, causing extremely rare blizzard conditions and potentially unprecedented snowfalls

Though deadly quakes can’t be prevented, science does have some ways to protect buildings—and the people inside them

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey is a rare occurrence and underscores the importance of setting and enforcing building codes

This year we learned why dogs come in so many sizes, that puppy dog eyes are a real thing and that cats don’t deserve their aloof rap