Chances are you’ve lived through some severe weather events. Thunderstorms, for example, can awe us with their brilliant lightning shows and deafening booms of thunder. Can you imagine them getting brighter or louder?

Periodic shifts in climate are normal for the Earth. The Earth has endured ice ages, droughts, extreme storms, and flooding. We have learned that global and regional climate changes can affect local weather patterns across the world. Scientists warn that when global warming happens quickly, these weather events could happen more often, be more severe, and last longer.

Wherever it happens, extreme weather can cause illness and death as well as damage to crops, property, animal habitats, and economies. Scientists are studying these effects and looking at ways we can lessen their impact.

Some content courtesy of the National Library of Medicine.