Extreme weather

Climate change could make historically rare tropical cyclones more common in Southern California, significantly expanding landslide risk across the region by 2050.

New research finds damage to rice crops has accelerated in recent decades due to rainstorms that increasingly submerge young plants for a week or more. Adoption of flood-resistant rice varieties in vulnerable regions could help avert future losses.

Analysis by Stanford researchers shows how strategic investment in undergrounding power lines could shave hours off some long lasting blackouts tied to extreme weather.

A new global study finds that extreme weather may trap many populations in place even as it increases migrations of other groups. The analysis shows that age and education strongly shape who migrates in response to severe heat, cold, floods, and droughts.

How do extreme weather events and disasters affect communities long term? Solomon Hsiang explains the consequences for economic growth and human health, and how research can inform better emergency management, mitigation planning, and response.

While rising temperatures in California are causing fewer cold-related deaths, new research shows hotter temperatures significantly increase emergency department visits – a previously overlooked consequence of climate change that could place greater burden on the healthcare system.

Stanford-led sustainability research offers tangible benefits for human health. Scientists are developing new techniques to enhance air and water quality, improve disease monitoring, mitigate risks from extreme weather and severe storms, and more.

A Stanford University study shows chaos reigns earlier in midlatitude weather models as temperatures rise. The result? Climate change could be shifting the limits of weather predictability and pushing reliable 10-day forecasts out of reach.