North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies

Increasing Heat is Super-Charging Arctic Climate and Weather Extremes A “pushing and triggering” mechanism has has driven the Arctic climate system to a new state, which will likely see consistently increased frequency and intensity of extreme events across the…

The Arctic is experiencing more rare extreme events, including heat waves and loss of sea ice. A new paper led by NCICS’s Xiangdong Zhang explores the reasons why—and warns that as Earth continues to warm, such events "will become the new norm."
news.ncsu.edu/2025/10/incr...

Hurricane Helene Series with Dr. Carl Schreck Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

Check out our video series exploring Hurricane Helene and its impacts on western North Carolina, hosted by Dr. Carl Schreck.

The seventh and final video in our series on Hurricane Helene explores the role of efforts to enhance resilience to extreme weather events and the value of climate data for informing resilience… Hurricane Helene Series with Dr. Carl Schreck | Resilience

In the 7th and final video in our series on Hurricane Helene, Dr. Carl Schreck examines the value of climate data in building resilience to extreme weather.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJm8...

The sixth video in our series on Hurricane Helene explores the storm’s winds and its impacts on trees across the region. After making landfall in Florida, Hurricane Helene sped northward through… Hurricane Helene Series with Dr. Carl Schreck | Wind and Trees

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne5K...

The fifth video in our series on Hurricane Helene examines the predecessor rain event (PRE) that affected the region prior to the arrival of Helene itself. The rain and flooding were forecast… Hurricane Helene Series with Dr. Carl Schreck | Predecessor Rainfall Event (PRE)

Episodes 5 and 6 of Dr. Carl Schreck's series on Hurricane Helene are now available. No. 5 examines the predecessor rain event (PRE) that soaked the region before the arrival of Helene, while No. 6 explores how the storm’s winds uprooted trees across the region.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dngt...

The fourth video in our series on Hurricane Helene explains what caused the extreme flooding caused by the storm. The southern Appalachian Mountains are a key feature of western North Carolina and… Hurricane Helene Series with Dr. Carl Schreck | The Role of Mountains

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bm2...

The third video in our series on Hurricane Helene examines the large-scale climate factors that contributed to the storm’s development and evolution. The Atlantic Ocean had record warmth in… Hurricane Helene Series with Dr. Carl Schreck | Climate Factors

Episodes 3 and 4 of Dr. Carl Schreck's series on Hurricane Helene are now available. No. 3 examines the large-scale climate factors that contributed to the storm, while No. 4 looks at the role of mountains in causing the extreme precipitation and flooding.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CohB...

NCICS Helps Prepare for Wildfire Risks Western NC wildfires may increase.

ICYMI: Hurricane Helene felled millions of trees in western North Carolina, boosting the chances of dangerous wildfires this year and for many years to come. Learn how NCICS is helping reduce today’s risks—and prepare for future storms.

NCICS Helps Prepare for Wildfire Risks Western NC wildfires may increase.

Hurricane Helene felled millions of trees in western North Carolina, boosting the chances of dangerous wildfires this year and for many years to come. Learn how NCICS is helping reduce today’s risks—and prepare for future storms.
news.ncsu.edu/2025/10/wild...

The second video in our series on Hurricane Helene discusses the history of tropical storms in western North Carolina. Before Helene, the floods of record for the region were July 1916 and… Hurricane Helene Series with Dr. Carl Schreck | Historical Perspectives

Episode 2 of Dr. Carl Schreck's series on Hurricane Helene is now available. In this video, Carl provides historical perspectives on Helene and its impacts, both regionally and nationally. www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDOD...

In this first video, Dr. Carl Schreck describes his personal experiences with Hurricane Helene and what motivated him to study hurricanes and gives an overview of this video series. Watch for the remaining videos in the coming days. go.ncsu.edu/schreck-hele...

The series offers historical perspectives, details on the climate and other factors that produced the storm, its effects across the Southeast, and the role of resilience efforts. Although focused on western North Carolina, much of the series applies to other areas affected by Helene.

As we mark the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene's destructive arrival in western North Carolina, we are pleased to share a series of videos on Helene by NCICS' Dr. Carl Schreck.

Here at NCICS, we are also proud to be contributing to many of the forward-looking efforts mentioned in the story, including updates to NOAA's Atlas 15, the NOAA Open Data Dissemination project, and the NOAA Center for Artificial Intelligence.

The words, images, and interactive tools combine to tell a powerful story about an event that continues to affect all of us located in western North Carolina and in the other areas affected by Helene.

The project was led former NCICS/current NOAA scientist @jjrennie.bsky.social and features contributions from several current NCICS staff and numerous collaborators from NOAA, state climate offices, and others in the Southeast region.

Helene in Southern Appalachia One year later: An event analysis and how we move forward.

As we near the one-year anniversary of Hurricane #Helene, a new Story Map developed by a team at @noaa.gov National Centers for Environmental Information explores the meteorology, forecast, and impacts of Helene as well as the ongoing recovery efforts. arcg.is/aqCD4

Atlantic Basin begins to stir with activity | Latest Weather Clips | FOX Weather Research Scientist at the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies, John Uehling, joins FOX Weather to discuss the latest stir in activity in the Atlantic

NCICS' John Uehling joined Fox Weather recently to discuss the Atlantic tropical cyclone season so far, the key factors that can encourage or hinder tropical cyclone activity, and what to expect over the next few weeks.

The State of the Climate in 2024 :: North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies

NCICS experts played key roles in the BAMS State of the Climate in 2024 report, released today. Laura Stevens and Carl Schreck were editors, John Uehling and Garrett Graham were authors, and Jessicca Allen worked on the report’s complex graphics. Read more: ncics.org/cics-news/th...
@ametsoc.org

A New Approach to Measuring Extreme Heat :: North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies By Mark Essig A black globe thermometer (center) and a humidity and temperature probe (left) at the NC State Climate Office’s ECONet station at Jockeys Ridge State Park. Photo courtesy of the North…

It's wet-bulb Wednesday! Read a news story from NCICS and a blog post from the NC State Climate Office—they celebrate a journal article on wet-bulb globe temperature from researchers at both institutions. bit.ly/ncicswbgt2025 climate.ncsu.edu/blog/2025/07... @ncsco.bsky.social

A photo of Lejeune High School football players practicing on a sunny day. (Photo by Sgt. Bryan Peterson/Marine Corps Installations East)

The heat is on this week, and that means more stress during outdoor activities. Together with @ncstate-ncics.bsky.social, we're looking at what historical trends and recent extremes in Wet Bulb Globe Temperatures tell us about heat risk in North Carolina. #ncwx

📰: climate.ncsu.edu/blog/2025/07...

A New Approach to Measuring Extreme Heat :: North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies By Mark Essig A black globe thermometer (center) and a humidity and temperature probe (left) at the NC State Climate Office’s ECONet station at Jockeys Ridge State Park. Photo courtesy of the North…

Wet-bulb globe temperature offers the best metric for heat stress but requires specialized instruments. NCICS’s Kyle Wodzicki and colleagues offer a fresh approach—and find alarming evidence of extreme heat trends in the Southeast US. @ncsco.bsky.social @kathiedello.bsky.social bit.ly/ncicswbgt2025

Extreme Weather and Lessons for More Resilient Communities: Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate 2025 Spring Meeting Register for this event from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Ken Kunkel of NCICS will discuss extreme rainfall and flooding from Hurricane Helene on Tuesday May 6 at the spring meeting of the @nationalacademies.org Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate. Details and registration links at: events.nationalacademies.org/44902_05-202...

NCICS’s Douglas Rao and Carl Schreck will participate in “Engaging with Communities Impacted by Natural Hazard: Learning from Hurricane Helene,” 11–12 (ET) tomorrow, Thursday, Jan. 30, hosted by the AAAS Local Science Engagement Network in Western NC. Register: http://bit.ly/LSEN-WNC

NCICS’s Douglas Rao and Carl Schreck will participate in “Engaging with Communities Impacted by Natural Hazard: Learning from Hurricane Helene,” 11–12 (ET) Thursday, Jan. 30, hosted by the AAAS Local Science Engagement Network in Western NC. Register: http://bit.ly/LSEN-WNC

NCICS at AMS 2025 :: North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies

At #AMS2025 today, Nicholas Shanahan will present “Recognizing Appalachia: Rural Engagement to Empower Climate Resilience in a Vital Yet Overlooked Region.” Details and full list of NCICS participants: https://buff.ly/4afgfBT

NCICS at AMS 2025 :: North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies

At #AMS2025 today, Jenny Dissen will present “Supply Chain, Transportation, and Climate Change Variability: Co-Developing Products with the Retail Sector through the Industry Proving Grounds.” Details and full list of NCICS participants:

NCICS at AMS 2025 :: North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies

At #AMS2025 today, Carl Schreck will present “Updates on NOAA’s Rapid Attribution Capability: The July 2024 California Heat Wave.” Details and full list of NCICS participants:

NCICS at AMS 2025 :: North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies

At #AMS2025 today, Ken Kunkel will present “Science Challenges for Constructing Future Projections of Heavy Rainfall Values in NOAA Atlas 15.” Details and full list of NCICS participants:

NCICS at AMS 2025 :: North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies

Nearly two dozen NCICS staff members are presenting their research this week at the 105th American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Check out the full list of participating staff and their sessions. #AMS2025