logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
42m 34s

Extreme weather special

Bbc World Service
About this episode

We find out about the extreme weather events that are happening around the world. We speak to experts from the weather, climate, tech, and disinformation teams to ask how we can better predict and possibly prevent them.

Image: A table and chair burns as a home catches fire from the Palisades wildfire in Pacific Palisades, California, USA, 7 January 2025 (Credit: Alison Dinner/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Up next
Yesterday
Kenya's president denounces anti-government unrest
Kenya’s President denounces anti-government unrest, saying protesters who use violence should be shot in the legs. Also, Nvidia becomes world's first company valued at 4 trillion dollars, and a new Barbie with diabetes. 
25m 14s
Yesterday
Russia launches major attack on Ukraine after Trump criticism of Putin
After President Trump's criticism of Putin, Russia launches major attack on Ukraine, in heaviest single bombardment of the war. Also: Taiwan begins biggest war games, and what do emojis say about us? 
28m 19s
Yesterday
Trump and Netanyahu meet again in push for Gaza ceasefire
President Trump and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have met for a 2nd time to discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. Also: King Charles and president Macron toast “ever closer” UK-France ties. 
27m 27s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2020
Get Wired: The Science of Fire Tornadoes
California’s catastrophic 2020 wildfire season kicked off midway through the hottest August on record with a dry thunderstorm in which 12,000 lighting strikes ignited hundreds of fires over the course of a week. America’s best fire researchers have been trying to learn more about ... Show More
30m 4s
Jan 2025
The L.A. Fires: How They Happened, Climate Change’s Role, and What the City Must Do Now
With so many confusing narratives unfolding around a fire that is still raging out of control, I wanted to talk to somebody I knew and trusted to get stories like this right. Robinson Meyer is the founder and editor of Heatmap News and a former staff writer at The Atlantic, where ... Show More
1h 6m
Jan 2025
Des incendies ravageurs en plein hiver: Los Angeles, une ville bientôt inhabitable?
Los Angeles ravagée par les flammes. Depuis le 7 janvier, la ville connaît ce qui pourrait être la catastrophe naturelle la plus destructrice de son histoire. Sécheresse, canicules, feux... Ces phénomènes, intensifiés par le réchauffement climatique, menacent de plus en plus la C ... Show More
14m 28s
Jan 2025
LA is burning. Could Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane be next?
At least 24 people have been killed and more than 10,000 properties destroyed in the Los Angeles wildfires.  Australia’s bushfire season puts the country on edge every year – especially across our regions - but could major cities here also be at risk?  In this episode of The Brie ... Show More
14m 52s
Aug 2024
The Costs of More Extreme Weather: Your Questions Answered
More extreme weather events are affecting everything from power grids to insurance. But how are individuals and companies reacting to these changes? WSJ science reporter Eric Niiler explains why we are seeing increasingly intense weather events and Journal climate finance reporte ... Show More
15m 5s
Apr 2024
Is extreme weather the new normal?
There’s been massive flooding in Dubai, with twice the annual amount of rain in a single day. Roads, runways and shopping malls were flooded. Meanwhile, West Africa has been dealing with one of its worst heatwaves. Late March and early April saw consistent temperatures above 40 d ... Show More
14m 59s
Jan 2025
Los Angeles is burning
Early Tuesday, wildfires started burning across Los Angeles County. The scale of the destruction is massive; entire neighborhoods are in flames, with longtime businesses, schools and houses of worship burnt to the ground.Today, guest host Rachel Siegel speaks with extreme weather ... Show More
19m 59s
Jun 6
Is the National Weather Service Ready for an Extreme Summer?
The dedicated staff of the National Weather Service are responsible for the data that underpin your weather forecast and emergency alerts. DOGE Service cuts to the NWS are putting the collection and communication of those data at risk right as we enter a dangerous season of hurri ... Show More
14m 21s
Jun 6
Is the National Weather Service Ready for an Extreme Summer?
The dedicated staff of the National Weather Service are responsible for the data that underpin your weather forecast and emergency alerts. DOGE Service cuts to the NWS are putting the collection and communication of those data at risk right as we enter a dangerous season of hurri ... Show More
14m 21s
Jan 2025
L.A. on Fire
Over the past 48 hours, wildfires have consumed acre after acre and building after building across greater Los Angeles. More than 100,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, and at least five people have died.The Times’s L.A. bureau chief, Corina Knoll, and our staff meteorolog ... Show More
22m 23s