Scott Dance

NEW: More than half the U.S. is in drought. But few places are dealing with the kind of crisis facing Corpus Christi, Tex., which could see water demand outstrip supply w/in a year. One official told me: "This is actually the canary in the coal mine. 🎁: www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/u...

In President Trump’s second term, the disaster declarations that unlock money are taking longer to get approved and getting denied more often, especially for blue states 🎁 www.nytimes.com/2026/05/01/c... from @byscottdance.com and Ashley Cai

Thin mountain snowpack quickly vanished during a record-hot March across the West. Now the region is facing a summer of drought and fire. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/c...

How its going:

"The deal is an extraordinary transfer of taxpayer dollars to a foreign company for the purposes of boosting the production of fossil fuels, a main driver of climate change, while throttling offshore wind power."

Record heat is colliding with a snow drought across the Western United States, where snowpack accounts for much of the water supply 🎁 www.nytimes.com/interactive/... w/ @byscottdance.com & @sachimulkey.bsky.social

SCOOP: A council created by Trump has recommended that FEMA should not be eliminated. Earlier this year, Trump said the agency should "go away." w/ @byscottdance.com www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/c...

As the Trump administration reforms FEMA, acting administrator David Richardson is out and will be replaced by Karen Evans, a political appointee with a background in cybersecurity and IT who has helped lead FEMA cost-cutting. Federal law requires FEMA head to have emergency management background.

There are no Trump officials at this year's global climate conference. Instead, it was 2028 contender California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaking for the U.S. on Tuesday. And he stressed a desire to recast climate change as a “cost of living issue,” @sominisengupta.bsky.social writes from Brazil:

The Colorado River states missed a deadline to agree on permanent and voluntary water use cuts Tuesday. Negotiations will continue as the stakes get higher and river forecasts increasingly dire.

A @washingtonpost.com analysis of changing global precipitation patterns explains what people in Appalachia already know: The region has become a dangerous hot spot of intensifying rainfall.

“Climate change has fallen into the ‘friend zone’ of voting.” @shannonosaka.bsky.social @kcrowebasspro.bsky.social report that Democrats are hardly talking about climate change anymore, focused on energy affordability instead:

Climate change "doesn’t automatically mean all hurricanes will become powerful,” @bmcnoldy.bsky.social said. But it makes it more likely that an average storm will encounter factors that help it intensify. How climate change made Hurricane Melissa stronger:

Deadly rivers in the sky: How global warming is amplifying atmospheric moisture and helping to trigger catastrophic floods. Proud of my @washingtonpost.com colleagues for this one:

U.S. Forest Service staff cuts have translated to a 40% reduction in regular efforts to thin the vegetation that could fuel massive wildfires. Via @washingtonpost.com:

Does it taste like something is missing from your favorite chocolate bar this Halloween? It may be the chocolate.

Since the start of the summer, “Gulf of America” has been losing what little popularity it had as the "Gulf of Mexico" is still in use almost everywhere. www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/nine... via @niemanlab.org

“It is not hyperbole to say that western Jamaica experienced something near to the worst tropical cyclone impacts our planet can produce.” @wxmanms1.bsky.social on Melissa and the warning it brings:

After staff cuts earlier this year, some veteran NOAA hurricane researchers are working on a volunteer basis to help collect data from Melissa and other storms. “With the losses, we have a very young remaining staff and not a lot of experience flying in hurricanes."

MacKenzie Scott is giving $60 million to a nonprofit focused on disaster recovery in marginalized and overlooked communities. It follows recent investments she made in HBCUs and preservation of Black history, and counters the Trump administration's pullback from DEI and changes to disaster aid.

NOAA isn't tracking billion-dollar disasters anymore. But the cost of such catastrophes continues to escalate, according to a revived disaster database from @climatecentral.org:

North Carolina counties that spent millions on Hurricane Helene recovery are still waiting for FEMA disaster aid that they thought would have been paid out by now. Via @washingtonpost.com:

Early retirement withdrawals for hardship have tripled since 2020, as disasters strike and insurance fails — leaving workers on their own in old age.

Millions of taxpayer dollars go toward restoring Chesapeake Bay beaches to their natural marshy state and cleaning the water. Signs on those shorelines also read: "RESIDENTS ONLY." Important story by @alexmann.bsky.social @leeosanderlin.bsky.social @adampwillis.bsky.social @thebaltimorebanner.com:

Under President Biden, the Federal Reserve and FDIC began pushing big banks to account for climate risks. The rules have now been eliminated. Reported w/ @stacycowley.bsky.social:

Three months after the deadly floods in Texas Hill Country, FEMA disaster aid applications are moving slowly and being denied at elevated rates, @texastribune.org reports:

Absorb, fortify and retreat: Here's a look at what New York City is doing, and must do, to adapt to the rising threats of tidal flooding, intense rainfall and storm surge.

President Trump has said he wants to eventually shift the burden of disaster relief and recovery onto states. It’s already happening. Communities across the country are adjusting as FEMA slows down disaster reimbursements and cuts back programs that help them prepare for emergencies.

Before catastrophic floods swept through the Alaska Native village of Kipnuk on Sunday, the EPA canceled a $20 million grant intended to protect the community from extreme flooding. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/c...

Emergency crews rescued dozens of people in western Alaska on Sunday as flooding from the remnants of Typhoon Halong battered remote coastal communities and tore houses off their foundations, officials said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a new leader. Read what he has said about climate change, the dismantling of climate research and U.S. weather forecasting models: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/u...

The looming government shutdown is converging with key deadlines to fund disaster preparedness and federal flood insurance, threatening to expose thousands of Americans to flood losses and stall thousands of real estate sales. First byline for @nytimes.com:

If you're worried about the energy demands of your ChatGPT queries, you should think more about your daily commute and whether to throw those burgers on the grill. From the Post's Climate Coach:

Nearly half the planet has experienced record or near-record high daily minimum temperatures this summer, according to a Washington Post analysis. Most of those areas also endured record or near-record levels of humidity since June. How surging summer humidity is making nights hotter:

For journalism: Do you have a memory of the Presidential physical fitness test? My team is reporting an article about the test — and its lasting legacy, with stories from those who participated. If you have a story to share, email -- teddy.amenabar@washpost.com

A new Trump administration report promised a "critical review" of climate science. Experts say it cherry-picks data to downplay the realities of global warming. Here is our fact check:

The emergency manager in the Texas county where 108 people died in July 4 floods slept through the disaster, saying he knew of no flood risks. “The situation evolved faster than anyone could have predicted,” he said, adding, “We cannot rely on forecasting alone. We need systems on the ground.”

Why didn't one of the world’s biggest earthquakes trigger a monster tsunami? Scientists explained a few reasons to @kashapatel.bsky.social and I:

An enlightening display of tsunami waves from NOAA:

“Welcome to hell” We spoke to 16 Venezuelans the U.S. sent to a mega-prison in El Salvador. This is the most complete view yet of the conditions they faced — which, some experts said, may violate conventions against torture. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Chemtrails and cloud seeding conspiracy theories are increasingly moving from the fringe into GOP-sponsored laws. Latest from me: www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

The Trump administration has suspended work on a research tool designed to better predict extreme rainfall and prepare for floods like the ones that just hit Texas, New Mexico, North Carolina and New Jersey. via @sarahkaplan48.bsky.social:

In the week and a half since floods killed at least 130 people in Central Texas, deadly floods struck New Jersey and New Mexico. A subway station filled with water in NYC and high water stranded drivers near D.C. This is why there’s been so much extreme rainfall and flooding in the U.S.:

Through Thursday afternoon and evening, weather forecasting data showed Texas’s risk of torrential rain was rising, and gave reason to warn of higher flood risks as the Hill Country readied for Independence Day. But the forecast didn’t change.

There was no immediate sign the staffing shortages that have wracked the National Weather Service this year contributed to the tragedy in Texas. There are a handful of vacancies at two central Texas forecasting offices, according to a union representing meteorologists.

President Trump’s efforts to freeze climate research spending have sparked warnings of rippling consequences in years ahead. For many climate scientists, the consequences are already here. How the Trump administration is already cutting off climate research (gift link):

A flash flood watch had been issued across central Texas out of an abundance of caution, for a low-probability, high-risk flood event. Then, four months' worth of rain fell in just a few hours. Why the Texas floods were so severe (gift link):

Here comes the summer solstice! The days are about to start getting shorter again, but don’t worry — there’s plenty summer left. More at cwg.live