Harry Stevens

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 13:22 UTC

If you subscribe to The Washington Post, follow me to get cool climate graphics and analysis in your inbox whenever I publish something new: www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/...

0 replies 0 reposts 7 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 13:22 UTC

As always, I've put our code and data on Observable. Check our work...
- Map: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...
- Lookup: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...
- Chart: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...

1 replies 0 reposts 10 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 13:22 UTC

Weather forecasts have gotten a lot better. Today's 7-day high temperature forecast is as accurate as the 3-day forecasts of the 90s.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

1 replies 4 reposts 22 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 13:21 UTC

We made a tool that lets you look up the accuracy of the temperature forecast in your town.

Interestingly, forecast accuracy varies depending on whether it's hot or cold outside, so we included a comparison of warm vs. cool months.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

1 replies 3 reposts 19 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Jul 02, 2024 at 13:21 UTC

How accurate is the weather forecast in your city?

Niko Kommenda and I learned that NWS just began doing gridded assessments of forecast accuracy. We got the data and mapped of how many days into the future they get within 3°F of the observed high temp.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

29 replies 144 reposts 446 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 07, 2024 at 14:14 UTC

If you like graphics exploring climate change data, you can subscribe to get Climate Lab in your inbox twice a month: www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/...

5/5

0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 07, 2024 at 14:14 UTC

As always, I've made my code and data available for your perusal on Observable, although the article has much nicer versions.

- Map notebook: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...
- History of dangerous days: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...
- Lookup tool: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...

4/5

1 replies 1 reposts 3 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 07, 2024 at 14:13 UTC

As I've written before, cold kills more people than heat. Less dangerous cold is good.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

But in hotter, poorer countries — where people can least afford AC, where water is scarcer and the power grid shakier — summer heat will grow more dangerous.

3/5

1 replies 1 reposts 2 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 07, 2024 at 14:13 UTC

I made a tool that lets you look up a city to see how many days the heat index was in the danger zone. If you're not a subscriber, you can use this gift link for a couple weeks to explore the data yourself: wapo.st/3x50Jts

2/5

2 replies 3 reposts 9 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Jun 07, 2024 at 14:12 UTC

It was the hottest spring on record. I decided to see how many people live in a city where the heat index broke 103°F — the threshold considered dangerous for humans.

The answer? Over 1.5 billion people, nearly a fifth of the planet’s population.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

1/5

1 replies 5 reposts 18 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] May 22, 2024 at 13:59 UTC

To get an email when new Climate Lab columns come out, sign up here: www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/...

Gift link here: wapo.st/4bKwnuQ

4/4

1 replies 1 reposts 0 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] May 22, 2024 at 13:59 UTC

The new research is by ICF Climate Center.

As with all Climate Lab columns, I put the data and code to produce these figures on Observable.

Map: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...

Scatterplot: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...

3/4

1 replies 1 reposts 2 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] May 22, 2024 at 13:59 UTC

The research does not account for high temperatures drive electricity usage, which puts further stress on the electrical grid.

In New York and Phoenix, energy usage is more than twice as high on the hottest days of the year compared to mild days.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

2/4

2 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] May 22, 2024 at 13:58 UTC

⚡ Will future heat waves cause power outages?

New research shows where mid-century temperatures will be high enough for long enough to compromise power transformers, critical components of the grid.

Latest Climate Lab: www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

🤓 Scenario: CMIP6 SSP2-4.5

1/4

5 replies 29 reposts 56 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] May 11, 2024 at 16:57 UTC

To get Climate Lab in your inbox every time a new one publishes, sign up here: www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/...

And if you made it to the end of the thread, have a gift link to the article: wapo.st/4dDItaQ

0 replies 0 reposts 2 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] May 11, 2024 at 16:57 UTC

The data and code to produce these figures can be found on Observable. The data are from NOAA Fisheries and Global Fishing Watch.

- Map animation (might kill a mobile browser): observablehq.com/@climatelab/...

- Population chart: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...

1 replies 0 reposts 4 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] May 11, 2024 at 16:56 UTC

By 1935, these whales had been hunted nearly to extinction. Their population rebounded after an international ban on right whale hunting.

Then, about a decade ago, the happy trend suddenly reversed. Their numbers are now falling by about 10 per year.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

1 replies 0 reposts 4 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] May 11, 2024 at 16:56 UTC

The Biden administration has proposed expanding the boundaries of the speed limit zone to protect right whales.

Scientists say it could save the species from extinction, but the rule is still being reviewed by the White House.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

1 replies 1 reposts 5 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] May 11, 2024 at 16:55 UTC

🐋 There are only about 350 North Atlantic right whales left alive.

For Climate Lab, we followed the migration of Bishop, aged 1, as he passed 100s of speeding vessels.

This year alone, 3 dead right whales have been discovered w/ vessel strike injuries.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

2 replies 92 reposts 237 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 12:04 UTC

I went on the Stats + Stories podcast to talk about Climate Lab.

Listen for hot takes on why interactive graphics are actually good & why humans are more adaptable than other creatures: statsandstories.net/environment1...

0 replies 0 reposts 2 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 10, 2024 at 12:52 UTC

To sign up for Climate Lab and get cool nature graphics in your inbox every two weeks, sign up here: www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/...

6/6

0 replies 0 reposts 2 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 10, 2024 at 12:52 UTC

I put the code for my data analysis and charts on Observable. Check my work here:

- Cities and density: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...

- Tracts and other variables: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...

5/6

1 replies 0 reposts 2 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 10, 2024 at 12:51 UTC

In cities, differences in access to nature are as stark as other forms of inequality. I compared NatureScore with education, race, and income. Who are you and how much money you make have a big impact on how much nature you live near.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

4/6

1 replies 0 reposts 2 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 10, 2024 at 12:51 UTC

I got these data from NatureQuant. Using satellite imagery and data on dozens of factors, they've distilled the elements of health-supporting nature into a single variable called NatureScore.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

2/6

1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 10, 2024 at 12:50 UTC

For my Climate Lab column, I made a map of how much nature is in every neighborhood in America. Spending time in nature is positively correlated with living longer & healthier.

🌳 Search the map and look up your neighborhood here: www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

1/6

8 replies 25 reposts 67 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 22, 2024 at 13:18 UTC

New Climate Lab columns come out every two weeks. To join our exploration of how global warming is changing the environment, sign up: www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/...

0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 22, 2024 at 13:18 UTC

As always, the code to produce our datasets and create our charts is on Observable.

The anomaly chart is here: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...

The comparison of peak bloom and temperature is here: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...

1 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 22, 2024 at 13:17 UTC

It wasn't just this year. We compared long-term trends in peak bloom dates with the temperature in DC at the start of each year. The trend lines are about the same.

Temperature drives plants’ seasonal cycles. As temperatures rise, seasons will shift.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

1 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 22, 2024 at 13:17 UTC

Repeatedly high temperatures drove the cherry trees to an early bloom.

DC has been abnormally warm this year. Jan. 26 was the hottest January day on record, and 65 of the 77 days leading up to peak bloom were hotter than the 1951-1980 daily average.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

1 replies 1 reposts 2 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 22, 2024 at 13:16 UTC

2 weeks ago, we started photographing cherry trees by DC's Tidal Basin, thinking we had lots of time to capture the buds gradually unfold.

Instead, we wound up capturing the 2nd earliest peak bloom on record.

New Climate Lab column w/ @niko_tinius: www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

1 replies 0 reposts 2 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 13, 2024 at 13:32 UTC

To get Climate Lab in your inbox every time I publish a new one, sign up here: www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/...

0 replies 1 reposts 6 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 13, 2024 at 13:32 UTC

🌿 As usual, I put the code to produce the graphics on Observable:
- Map: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...
- Gap chart: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...
- Historical trend: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...

1 replies 0 reposts 8 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 13, 2024 at 13:32 UTC

🪴 Is global warming involved?

It's still impossible to forecast when leaves will arrive in any given year. But the long term trend shows that leaves’ average arrival date roughly matches the average temperature at the start of each year.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

2 replies 3 reposts 21 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 13, 2024 at 13:31 UTC

🌱 You’re not crazy. In much of the U.S., spring really is getting earlier.

For my Climate Lab column, I built a tool that lets you look up how the timing of spring leaves has shifted where you live since 1981.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

47 replies 190 reposts 472 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 01, 2024 at 14:58 UTC

That's it for Climate Lab #13. To get it in your inbox every other week, sign up here: www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/...

0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 01, 2024 at 14:58 UTC

As usual, I've put my code for making the graphics on Observable.

- Map: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...
- Trend chart: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...
- Wartplot: observablehq.com/@climatelab/...

Find something wrong? Let me know.

1 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 01, 2024 at 14:58 UTC

I also made this "wartplot" to show winter temperature trends in cities in different regions.

In New England, winters have warmed by more than 1°F per decade in many cities. But in much of the West, the trend is weaker, and it's even cooled in some places.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

1 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 01, 2024 at 14:57 UTC

In 86% of the lower 48 states, winter is warming. Why is 14% cooling? Is it random variation? The elongated polar vortex?

More here: www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

1 replies 0 reposts 2 likes

Harry Stevens @harrystevens.bsky.social [ View ] Mar 01, 2024 at 14:56 UTC

❄️ Is winter getting warmer?

For my Climate Lab column, I analyzed high-resolution temperature data and built an app to let you search for your city and see the winter temperature trend.

Check it out here: www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

1 replies 4 reposts 5 likes