Attribution Study: Western US Heat Wave and Hawaii Storms 'Virtually Impossible Without Climate Change'
A rapid attribution study by World Weather Attribution found that the recent western US heat wave and severe storms hitting Hawaii would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change, with heat extremes becoming roughly four times more likely over the past decade.
Key Points
- Heat wave and Hawaii storms deemed 'virtually impossible without climate change'
- Heat extremes roughly four times more likely over the past decade due to climate change
- Global warming has reached 1.3°C above pre-industrial levels
- Colorado snowpack has dropped to just 44% of normal levels
Full Details
A new rapid attribution study published by the research group World Weather Attribution has confirmed that the extreme weather events affecting the western United States and Hawaii would have been virtually impossible without climate change. The study used weather records, forecasts, and climate models to compare how these types of heat waves changed under the current rate of global warming, which stands at 1.3 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times. Researchers found that human-caused climate change has made this kind of heat wave approximately four times more likely to occur over the last decade. The Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University reported that the heat has taken a major toll on the state's snowpack, which now sits at just 44 percent of average levels. The study provides scientific attribution for both the western heat wave and the severe storms that pummeled Hawaii.
Why It Matters
This attribution study provides compelling scientific evidence connecting specific extreme weather events to climate change, strengthening the case for climate litigation and policy action. The dramatic reduction in Colorado's snowpack also signals serious implications for water resource management in the western US.
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