How Helene became a ‘worst case scenario’
What fueled Helene and caused so much devastation in North Carolina
By Simon Ducroquet, John Muyskens, Naema Ahmed, Nicolás Rivero and Niko Kommenda
Britain ditched coal. Here’s what the world can learn from it.
It is one of the first countries, and the largest, to phase out coal by relying heavily on wind and solar.
By Niko Kommenda and Harry Stevens
See how Helene dwarfs other hurricanes that have hit the Gulf Coast
Hurricane Helene is one of the biggest storm systems to hit the U.S. See how it compares to other past hurricanes and tropical storms in the Gulf Coast.
By Scott Dance, Simon Ducroquet and John Muyskens
The disaster no major U.S. city is prepared for
Experts warn this type of catastrophe -- a power outage combined with a heat wave -- could yield a major death toll.
By Niko Kommenda, Shannon Osaka and Simon Ducroquet
The world is burning an alarming amount of plastic, scientists say
Around 12 percent of all plastic waste produced in cities is burned in the open air, creating air pollution and health risks.
By Simon Ducroquet and Shannon Osaka
Where mosquito season is getting longer
The Northeast, which has warmed faster than the rest of the country, saw the biggest jump in mosquito days. Look up how mosquito season has changed in your town.
By Harry Stevens
Summer or winter: Which season is warming faster in your town?
Seasonal temperature trends show how, decade after decade, global warming is unfolding across the planet — from New York to Shanghai to your own backyard.
By Harry Stevens
What you can learn about salmon from its packaging
What do all those labels mean? We examined more than a dozen salmon packages and talked to experts to find out.
By Naema Ahmed and Allyson Chiu
How fracking could unlock a clean energy future
Fracking supporters have long touted it as a green technology. Enhanced geothermal energy is finally making that a reality.
By Harry Stevens
We mapped weather forecast accuracy across the U.S. Look up your city.
Everyone complains about the weather forecast, but some people have more cause to grumble than others. Find out how accurate the forecast is where you live.
By Niko Kommenda and Harry Stevens
Anatomy of a flood
The Post installed cameras to capture how sea level rise worsens high-tide flooding in this N.C. town.
By Brady Dennis, Ray Whitehouse, Niko Kommenda and Emily Wright
The plastics we breathe
Every time you take a breath, you could be inhaling microplastics. See how tiny and dangerously invasive they can be.
By Simon Ducroquet and Shannon Osaka
More than 1.5 billion people have faced dangerous heat this year
A Washington Post analysis of a trove of meteorological records shows the extent of life-threatening heat across the globe.
By Harry Stevens
Schools that never needed AC are now overheating. Fixes will cost billions.
As heat waves creep north, they are baking schools that previously did not need air conditioning. Fixing the problem will be neither cheap, nor easy.
By Anna Phillips and Veronica Penney
Where heat waves might cause blackouts: Look up your area
New research shows that by 2050, large areas in California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas will experience months of temperatures high enough to compromise the grid.
By Harry Stevens
Bishop vanished. His species can still be saved.
This young whale survived a harrowing journey that has killed so many of his species. It wasn’t enough.
By Harry Stevens and Dino Grandoni
Rooftop solar panels are flooding California’s grid. That’s a problem.
As electricity prices go negative, the Golden State is struggling to offload a glut of solar power.
By Shannon Osaka
Mapping America’s access to nature, neighborhood by neighborhood
Spending time in nature is linked to a longer, healthier life. But nature is not distributed fairly across the country.
By Harry Stevens
See one cherry tree’s rush to an early bloom, day by day
Watch a cherry tree bloom over 10 days, and find out how climate change is propelling D.C.’s famous trees to hit peak earlier.
By Niko Kommenda and Harry Stevens
You’re not crazy. Spring is getting earlier. Find out how it’s changed in your town.
Readers told us how spring has changed where they live. Look up your town to see when leaves are sprouting and how spring’s arrival time has changed.
By Harry Stevens