logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2023
12m 20s

What Made Hilary Such A Weird Storm

NPR
About this episode
One name has been on millions of minds — and all over the news — in the past week: Hilary.

It's been decades since a storm like this has hit Southern California, so even some scientists were shocked when they heard it was coming. In today's episode, Regina Barber talks to Jill Trepanier, who studies extreme climatic events — like hurricanes and climate change — at Louisiana State University. She tells us how we use science to predict events like this, and what Hilary and future storms may or may not tell us about the changing climate.

Have an interesting science story to share? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
The neuroscience of cracking under pressure
The 2026 Winter Olympics are unfolding in Milan and Cortina, and we can’t look away: We’re watching athletes fly down mountains on skis and glide — sometimes slipping and falling — on the ice. Vikram Chib studies performance and how the brain responds to rewards at Johns Hopkins ... Show More
12m 48s
Feb 17
Tea time... with an ape?
Picture this: You’re at a pretend tea party, but instead of sitting across from toddlers in tiaras, you’re clinking cups with Kanzi—an ape with the incredible ability to communicate with humans. NPR science correspondent Nate Rott talked to some scientists who did exactly that. B ... Show More
11m 13s
Feb 16
Could this vaccine trial mean a future without HIV?
Early last year, a hundred researchers, clinicians and other experts on HIV discussed the development of an innovative vaccine that could prevent the disease. But just as the meeting was about to wrap up, the mood darkened. A new executive order signed by President Trump on Inaug ... Show More
11m 57s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
Climate emergency
Category 5 hurricane Otis, which devastated Acapulco, was supercharged by global warming; hurricane expert Kerry Emanual tells Science in Action. Also, Brazilian ecologist Erika Berenguer has witnessed the destruction caused by the prolonged drought in Amazonia, where the rivers ... Show More
26m 28s
May 2024
How Changing Ocean Temperatures Could Upend Life on Earth
<p>While many of the effects of climate change, including heat waves, droughts and wildfires, are already with us, some of the most alarming consequences are hiding beneath the surface of the ocean.</p><p>David Gelles and Raymond Zhong, who both cover climate for The New York Tim ... Show More
26m 45s
Nov 2022
What peat can tell us about our future
The Congo Basin is home to the world’s largest peatland. Simon Lewis, Professor of Global Change Science at UCL and the University of Leeds, tells Roland how peatlands all around the world are showing early alarm bells of change. From the boreal Arctic forests to the Amazon, Simo ... Show More
53m 36s
Apr 2023
Special Report: Landslides exacerbated by climate change
How can the most vulnerable countries protect against climate change if they’re drowning in debt? A major international aid agency revealed this week that 93% of the world’s worst-affected countries can’t afford to safeguard against natural disasters. Some are being forced to sla ... Show More
56m 30s
Jan 2023
The California Floods
<p>For weeks, a string of major storms have hit California, causing extreme flooding. While it might seem as if rain should have a silver lining for a state stuck in a historic drought, the reality is far more complicated.</p><p>Today, how California’s water management in the pas ... Show More
26m 49s
May 2022
The online boom in climate doom
It is hard not to feel anxious about climate change. After all, the world is already experiencing the effects of global warming - and scientists tell us much worse could still be on its way.For some, tackling climate change feels like a lost cause: a job so big and complex, that ... Show More
19m 49s