Happy Monday and welcome to another edition of Beyond The Forecast!
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is in the middle of its Sixth Assessment Report cycle, which includes three reports on climate change. The first came out in August and has to do with the physical science of climate change and the third, which is about options to curb emissions and manage risks, will come out later this year.
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The second report came out today and focuses on climate change’s impacts on nature and people. The panel’s findings paint a dire picture for our planet and the organisms that live on it. The quote below from IPCC chair Hoesung Lee says it all.
The IPCC says weather and climate-related disasters have increased five-fold since 1970. Those disasters killed 2 million people and caused $3.6 trillion in damage.
3.3 billion people’s daily lives are highly vulnerable to climate change and the impacts are likely to get worse in the coming years, per the report.
The impacts of climate change tend to affect the poorest areas of the world. Millions of people have been exposed to acute food and water insecurity, due to weather extremes.
It won’t take much more warming for the severe impacts of climate change to become irreversible, according to the report.
If you would like to read the full report, it’s available here.
I want to put something on your radar (pardon the pun) for next week! Severe weather season is rapidly approaching and Your Local Weather Authority is preparing you for what to expect with “When Minutes Matter”, our 2022 Severe Weather Awareness Week special.
Mark your calendars as it will air in place of 10 News at 5:30 on Thursday, March 10.
Switching gears to your forecast, we’re seasonably cool and sunny on this final day of February. Temperatures are on the rise into March, though! Meteorologist Chris Michaels tells you what the warmest days will be in our daily forecast article.
You can always get specific forecast details for your zone, whether it’s the Roanoke Valley, Lynchburg area, the New River Valley or elsewhere around Southwest and Central Virginia, anytime at WSLS.com/weather. Know your zone!
If you prefer your weather information delivered by social media, you can follow Your Local Weather Authority on Facebook and Twitter.
You can also keep up with me on social media. I’m on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, follow along!
-- Justin McKee