WEATHER

NASA captures a high altitude view of Alaska's Icy Bay in the Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness. Just a century ago, this body of water was covered in ice.

Climate Change vs. Global Warming: What's the Difference?

While global warming is a specific function of trapped greenhouse gases, climate change is more complicated.

23 Vintage Photos of People Having Fun in the Snow

Get cozy and enjoy these historical photos of snow day shenanigans. Who knows—maybe they'll inspire you to bundle up, venture out, and have some fun.

How Many Words Do "Eskimos" Really Have for Snow?

There are three answers: A heck of a lot, not that many, and a whole heck of a lot. Or, if you want specifics: 5, 2, and at least 99.

11 Acts of Kindness in the Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

SHANNON STAPLETON/Reuters/Landov Between election bad blood and ongoing hurricane horror stories, there's no shortage of negative news right now. Take heart—good things are happening out there. These stories from 11 Sandy Samaritans are sure to give your

When Did We Start Naming Winter Storms?

Don’t be surprised if you hear a meteorologist refer to the nor'easter that’s about to hit the East Coast as “Athena.” They’re just following the example of The Weather Channel, which recently announced that it will name “noteworthy winter storms,” just a

5 U.S. Cities That Were Destroyed—and Completely Rebuilt

As recovery efforts begin in areas ravaged by Hurricane Sandy, rebuilding may seem like an impossible task right now. But rebuilding will happen. We’ve talked about historic disasters like the Great Chicago Fire and the 1906 earthquake that devastated San

Running The NYC Marathon: Bad Idea Or Worst Idea?

Shortly after this was posted, there was an UPDATE, 5:26 PM: The NYC Marathon has been canceled.

Hurricane Sandy's Aftermath: Will Rats Take Over Manhattan?

Wikimedia Commons "The 8-million-strong human population of New York City is matched, if not exceeded, by the city's number of rodent dwellers," says Lynne Peeples at The Huffington Post. And lots more rats lost their homes — subway tunnels and sewers —

What Were They Thinking?: The Psychology of Riding Out the Storm

Last night we put the call out for readers’ nagging hurricane questions. @BrothaDom and @michellesipics both asked for a peek into the minds of people who defy evacuation orders “in the face of everything that is sane.”Just hours before Hurricane Sandy ma

Australian Toilets Don't Flush Backwards Because of the Coriolis Effect

Toilet image via Shutterstock File under "News to Me": you know that old story about how northern hemisphere toilets flush counter-clockwise, and southern hemisphere toilets (and buckets, drains, and such) flush clockwise, due to the Coriolis effect? I

10 iPhone Apps to Help You Survive the Holidays

As you settle down with family and friends this holiday season, be prepared: load up your iPhone (or iPod Touch) with applications to get through common holiday disasters. We've got a complete roundup here -- from fun photo moments to actual medical eme

5 Weather Events Worth Chatting About

Usually, the weather is a subject for polite, uneventful conversation with people you don't know very well. But sometimes the weather is weird, or even downright scary. Here are a few examples of weather events that gave neighbors more than enough to awkw

How Climate Change is Messing with Sports

We've all heard about the dangers of global warming and climate change. It's going to make the oceans rise, drown our cities, kill plants, cause hurricanes and ruin the Earth for our grandkids. But that's all secondary to the real effects of global warmin

Life Before Air Conditioning

How in the world did people deal with the summer heat without air conditioning? Lots of ways, both time-tested and experimental.