Tom Di Liberto
@tdiliberto.bsky.social
Climate scientist and science communicator who dabbles in comedy. Creator of NOAA's Teek and Tom cartoon series focused on weather, climate and ocean science. If in Washington DC, come check out my science improv troupe at Washington Improv theater
Great example of why El Nino doesn't guarantee outcomes, especially outside the tropics. (Also why seasonal forecasting is so tough!)
Andrew B. Watkins@windjunky.bsky.social · 2d agoThe tropics vs the poles connundrum.... We currently have a near record El Nino = Dry Eastern Australia in Spring We currently have a near record ozone hole/polar vortex = Wet Eastern Australia in Spring
Pretty damning report on all the things LA city and county officials did wrong during the early hours of the Palisades and Eaton fires — confirming a lot of @latimes.com reporting. Speaks to need for huge investment in disaster response as climate change intensifies. www.latimes.com/environment/...
Botched Altadena evacuations, dysfunction in Pacific Palisades: Long-awaited fire investigation identifies missteps
The report provides the most frank and in-depth review of the Eaton and Palisades fires, and points out multiple shortcomings in governmental planning and response.
latimes.com
October outlook: No part of the U.S. is favored to have a cooler-than-average month. Meanwhile, nearly 80% of the contiguous U.S. entered October abnormally dry or in drought. See NOAA’s temperature, precipitation & drought outlooks: buff.ly/i7Blwc7 #ClimateChange
Spent some time with BBC's The Global Story podcast talking about El Nino. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou5w...
Why El Niño 2026 has scientists worried | The Global Story
YouTube video by BBC News
youtube.com
Another Op-ed/story on El Nino that doesn't bring up climate change. And another op-ed using this "we need to be prepared!" framing that doesn't give examples of anyone under-preparing. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/27/o...
Opinion | The Super El Niño Comes Bearing One Gift: Time to Prepare
There’s still time to prepare.
nytimes.com
In 2024, dam demolition on the Klamath was completed, letting long-controlled stretches of the river flow free. Now, the first stats for how many salmon are returning are in. It's good news: Thousands migrated upriver in '24 and '25. But recovery is not guaranteed. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/c...
Salmon Are Thriving After Klamath Dam Removals, Study Finds (Gift Article)
The first fall runs of chinook salmon since the project in California and Oregon was completed have surpassed researchers’ expectations.
nytimes.com
The strength of El Nino is not measured on a daily time scale. The strength of El Nino is not measured on a daily time scale. The strength of El Nino is not measured on a daily time scale. The strength of El Nino is not measured on a daily time scale.
Seems not great
Shel Winkley@shelwinkleywx.bsky.social · 2w ago#Polo was a tropical storm yesterday. Today it is a Cat 5 hurricane. 110 mph gained in just 24 hours. Almost doubling the threshold of Extreme Rapid Intensification. Fueling it: ocean warmth ~3-3.5°F above average, made up to 200x more likely by heat-trapping pollution.
No this is not the preferred method for measuring the strength of El Nino. And any scientist saying otherwise hasn't been paying attention. This event is huge enough as is! www.theguardian.com/environment/...
🌍 More than 1.5 billion people experienced at least 30 days of risky heat added by climate change this summer. Wondering where climate change was felt the most strongly this summer? Explore the analysis from #ClimateCentral: https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/risky-summer-heat
A few weekends ago I went to Miami and attended 9 open houses in extremely high-risk flood areas to see what agents are telling prospective buyers about them. Here is my journey
The open houses at the edge of disaster
What are buyers being told about climate risk in Miami? I posed as one to find out.
heated.world
Going forward, the US National Science Foundation research budget for all atmospheric, ocean, and Earth sciences is $110 million per year. Trump's illegal war with Iran cost the Department of Defense (i.e., the American taxpayers) $38 billion in the first 5 months, or $220 million per day.
Estimating the Cost of Combat Operations Against Iran
CBO assesses the Department of Defense's costs for the current armed conflict against Iran, as well as the conflict's economic and budgetary effects.
cbo.gov
The White House plans to amend the National Climate Assessment to question RCP8.5. Last week, I, @jsmankin.bsky.social, and @vsrikrish.bsky.social commented that this proposal is "scientifically unsupported and procedurally deficient". You can see our comment here: essopenarchive.org/doi/full/10....
Comment on Proposed Amendment to the Fifth National Climate Assessment | ESS Open Archive
This document is a public comment regarding the proposed amendment to the fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5). The amendment directs any NCA5 results that are “dependent on RCP8.5, SSP5-8.5, or e...
essopenarchive.org
It's a story like this that makes Korey Stringer Institute's Doug Casa's prediction that in 30 years high school football will be a spring sport not seem so wild. (Said on a recent episode of Curiously Climate @climatecentral.org) www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-ul...
Curiously Climate: Student Athletes in a Hotter World w/Doug Casa and Rebecca Stearns
Curiously Climate · Episode
open.spotify.com
Capital Weather@capitalweather.com · 4w ago161 degrees!! That was the on-field temperature measured before a college football game on Saturday. The sport is bracing for another dangerously hot weekend, after record heat impacted numerous games this past weekend. Full story: www.capitalweather.com/college-foot...
This is an interesting paper, by Bruce Parker, for those interested in WWII/maritime history and mathematics. physicstoday.aip.org/features/the...
The tide predictions for D-Day
Based on the physics of Newton and Laplace, the big brass tide-predicting machine designed by Lord Kelvin was crucial for the success of the Normandy invasion in World War II.
physicstoday.aip.org
Dr Joanne Williams@jowilliams.bsky.social · 4w agoPart of the D-Day forecasting was a very careful tide forecast - it wouldn't have been much good trying to land at the wrong time! This was calculated by Arthur Doodson at what was then Bidston Observatory (now @noc.ac.uk) tide-and-time.uk/tidal-predic...
Along with the Australia threat highlighted by @climateguyw.bsky.social below, I'm also worried about the health and other impacts from the El Niño-driven, drought-spawned fires and smoke that are already plaguing Southeast Asia: www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09...
Devastating season in Indonesia sees 'water sources dry up'
For three exhausting months, Andri Susanto and his crew have been fighting raging fires on the island of Borneo — and blazes are taking a toll across the region.
abc.net.au
Guy Walton..."The Climate Guy"@climateguyw.bsky.social · 4w agoMain Topic: Australia Braces for Its Own Horrific Fire Season After Sweltering European Summer On The Extreme Temperature Diary TUE 9/08/2026 At: guyonclimate.com + #climate and #weather record temp reports @michaelemann.bsky.social @katharinehayhoe.com @bhensonweather.bsky.social
To whom it may concern, if 2026 or 2027 end up as the hottest year on record, the main reason is climate change. Not El Nino. Mentioning only El Nino would be like covering a gold medal 4x100 relay team and only mentioning the sprinter who went last.
Emily is the best El Nino communicator out there.
Bob Henson@bhensonweather.bsky.social · last mo.Confused about why some folks are calling this the strongest El Niño on record already, while others aren't? Several crackerjack scientist-writers from the old ENSO Blog are now at climate.us. This dandy explainer from Emily Becker lays it all out. www.climate.us/news-feature...
Latest episode of Curiously Climate Podcast is available!! Check it out! @shelwinkleywx.bsky.social and I have a fascinating convo with @jgasspoore.hazardpodcast.com about superfund sites and climate change.
Shel Winkley@shelwinkleywx.bsky.social · last mo.🎧NEW @climatecentral.org Curiously Climate Podcast episode is out! Ever think about superfund sites? Ever think how climate change can amplify their toxic effects? @tdiliberto.bsky.social & I got curious so we had a chat with @jgasspoore.hazardpodcast.com about it. [Find links in the next post]
The Obama Presidential Center is helping bring community solar to low-income and Black Chicago neighborhoods. Super cool. www.canarymedia.com/articles/sol... via @canarymedia.com
Can the Obama Presidential Center help Chicago embrace community…
As an anchor tenant for several off-site arrays in development, the center will help spur investment and educate residents on the benefits of shared solar.
canarymedia.com
This year doesn't look either. And don't go around blaming El Nino. It's human-caused climate change. tos.org/oceanography...
Greenpeace International 🌍@greenpeace.org · last mo.Coral reefs are experiencing bleaching events so frequently that they no longer have time to recover before the next one strikes #climatechange www.reuters.com/business/env...
While we're watching #Edouard, it's a good time to check in on the Gulf as a whole. The basin is once again at RECORD WARMTH heading into September. That excessive warmth is made at least 200x more likely across much of the Gulf by human-caused warming...and in spots, at least 800x more likely.
The disaster is linked to climate change, with experts noting the region's vulnerability to extreme weather. n.pr/4cvl1On
8 dead, hundreds missing as Nepal avalanche triggers flash floods
The disaster is linked to climate change, with experts noting the region's vulnerability to extreme weather.
n.pr
Happening NOW: @zacklabe.com is hosting @climatecentral.org's July Monthly Briefing: We're currently at the peak for when global temperatures occur. Currently, we are at 62F -- one of the hottest of record
Really silly to see people grasping at straws against the reality of global climate change by still using examples from July 1936 (or 1976). The reality is increasingly obvious. Graphics are from slides in a presentation of mine, which use NASA/GISS GISTEMPv4 data (and their 1951-1980 baseline).
