North America

Climate change is reducing early wet season rainfall in Puerto Rico and Jamaica

Cracked earth at a farm in Puerto Rico. Photo: USDA Forest Service photo by Preston Keres

Since May 2026 Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and smaller islands including St Lucia, St Vincent, the US Virgin Islands, Grenada and St Kitts have experienced increasingly severe drought conditions, following a wetter-than-normal late winter and early spring (Drought.gov, 23 July, 2026). Persistent rainfall deficits and near-record temperatures have driven critically low river flows, declining reservoir and … Continue reading “Climate change is reducing early wet season rainfall in Puerto Rico and Jamaica”

Climate change means extreme fire seasons in Canada are here to stay

More than 3 million hectares have burned to date  (Natural Resources Canada, 2026), prompting a Level 4 National Preparedness response (GoC, 2026, ciffc). Although the season began with below-average wildfire activity, prolonged hot, dry weather through July has driven a rapid escalation in fire activity across the country  (CBC, 2026). At the time of writing, … Continue reading “Climate change means extreme fire seasons in Canada are here to stay”

Fossil fuels are heating America’s 250th birthday  

Washington DC on a hot and humid day

A widespread heat wave is forecast to affect much of the central and eastern United States over the Fourth of July weekend, driven by a strong “heat dome”, a high pressure system sitting over the US, bringing moisture and warm air from the Gulf of Mexico  (Al Jazeera, 2026). Daytime high temperatures are expected to … Continue reading “Fossil fuels are heating America’s 250th birthday  “

Record-shattering March temperatures in Western North America virtually impossible without climate change

Sunset over downtown Los Angeles

An unusually early spring heatwave is developing across the southwestern United States (US), with temperatures that are more typical of summer than mid-March (AccuWeather, 16 March 2026). Driven by a strong, slow-moving high pressure system, called a ‘heat dome’, the event is causing temperatures to rise 11-17℃ (20-30℉) above average across parts of California, Nevada … Continue reading “Record-shattering March temperatures in Western North America virtually impossible without climate change”