As Sydney experiences its wettest year since records began in 1858, widespread heavy rains left much of eastern Australia on flood alert Thursday.
The big picture: At least 20 people have died in Australia this year because of widespread flooding driven by climate change and the La Niña conditions present for a third-straight year in the Pacific, according to climate scientists.
Human-caused climate change made the drought conditions that gripped large portions of the Northern Hemisphere this past summer far more likely to occur, a new study found.
Why it matters: The study, published Wednesday, found human-caused global warming dramatically upped the odds of drought throughout the hemisphere outside of the tropics — making them at least 20 times more likely compared to the preindustrial era.
The death toll from Hurricane Ian has risen to 84, days after it pummeled Florida's western coast as a major storm before barreling through the Carolinas, according to AP.
The latest: More than 344,000 customers were without power in Florida on Tuesday night as affected states continued with recovery efforts in the aftermath of last week's hurricane. That's down from almost 414,000 customers the day before.
