Human-caused climate change increased the likelihood and intensity of the heavy rainfall that helped cause the devastating floods in Europe in July, an international team of 39 climate scientists stated Monday.
Why it matters: The study, released Monday, demonstrates how global warming is already influencing extreme weather events in ways that ramp up disaster risks.
Storm Henri dumped heavy rain across the Northeastern U.S. on Sunday, causing considerable flash, urban and other minor flooding over the Tri-State Area and New England.
The latest: The storm is expected to continue to drench the region through Monday night. More than 60,000 customers throughout the Northeast were without power as of Monday morning, according to Poweroutage.us.
Science Moms, a nonpartisan group of climate scientists and mothers, is launching a $4 million digital ad campaign targeting suburban moms in several key swing states.
Why it matters: The three ads, which focus on how this summer's extreme weather events are affecting families around the country, will target suburban moms in metro areas that proved pivotal in the 2020 election.
Nobody said the transition to electric vehicles would be seamless, and the General Motors recall of every Chevy Bolt is the latest example of why it won't be.
Driving the news: GM's expanding Bolt recall over battery fire risks to include 2020-2022 models, and 2019 models that weren't covered by previous rounds.
This week I'm test-driving the 2022 all-electric Chevrolet Bolt EUV. Four days into the loan, it was recalled by General Motors.
Why it matters: The car's batteries may catch fire.
What's happening: GM isn't messing around. The company is telling all Bolt owners to park their vehicle outside and away from structures and to not charge the car overnight. And it gave owners special instructions for charging in the meantime to avoid extreme charging cycles.
Since I had a Bolt EUV from the media test fleet, GM advised me to follow the same instructions as any Bolt owner.
What I did: With help from a video on GM's dedicated Bolt recall page, I hit a few buttons on the car's touchscreen to limit the charging capacity to 90%.
This was pretty simple, but GM says anyone who feels uncomfortable making the change should ask a dealer to do it right away.
Following GM's instructions, I also recharged the battery more frequently rather than waiting until the battery was almost run down.
Those deep charging cycles can put thermal strain on a battery, causing a short.
I also parked the car outside my garage and per GM's advice, did not leave it charging overnight.
The root cause of the problem, per GM and its battery supplier, LG Chem, is a rare manufacturing defect in battery modules that can cause a short in a cell and trigger a fire.
GM says it is working with LG to increase battery production, and owners will be notified when replacement modules are ready.
What's next: This isn't the car review I expected to write about the Bolt EUV (electric utility vehicle), a slightly roomier version of the Bolt EV hatchback. I really enjoyed driving it, and I plan to share some of the highlights — including its hands-free highway-driving option — in the coming days.
But right now, the focus is on avoiding catastrophe.
Severe flooding in parts of middle Tennessee has left at least 22 people dead and dozens of others unaccounted for, local authorities said on Sunday.
The latest: Waverly Chief of Public Safety Grant Gillespie told reporters search-and-rescue were working into the night to find those missing from Saturday's flooding, driven by heavy rainfall.
Tropical Storm Henri made landfall in Rhode Island on Sunday afternoon, bringing damaging winds, storm surge flooding and torrential rainfall, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The latest: Speaking from the White House later Sunday, President Biden said the administration has been monitoring the storm's movements and making preparations for recovery efforts. "This storm has the potential for widespread consequences across the region," Biden said
Eight days since its ignition, Northern California's Caldor Fire has grown to 98,149 acres and remains 0% contained, according to an update from Cal Fire on Sunday.
Driving the news: El Dorado National Forest supervisor Jeff Marsolais said at a briefing Saturday that firefighters are seeing fuel conditions that even those who have "spent their whole careers fighting fire have never seen before."
Tropical Storm Henri was barreling toward the Northeast coastline Sunday morning, on track to make landfall in Long Island or southern New England later in the day.
The latest: The storm is packing maximum sustained winds near 70 mph with higher gusts, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its 8 a.m. ET advisory. "Some slight weakening will be possible this morning, but Henri is still forecast to be a strong tropical storm when it reaches the coasts of southern New England and Long island," it added.
