Extreme Weather
latest news & developments
Africa faces tens of thousands of additional heat deaths as El Niño intensifies
A report from the Climate Impact Lab warns that an intensifying El Niño could cause tens of thousands of additional heat-related deaths across Africa's Sahel, with Nigeria and…
Can flood survivors’ stories make climate science better?
Across four African countries, the Wema project uses digital storytelling to empower flood and cyclone survivors to turn their traumatic experiences into vital evidence, bridging…
Cape Town storm floods 26 informal settlements and damages more than 10 000 structures
More than 41 000 people have been affected by severe flooding in Cape Town as South Africa declares a national disaster after storms, heavy rain and wind batter multiple provinces
Study: Linking climate change to health doubles support for public action
New research shows that health-based climate messaging significantly increases public support for government action, especially in South Africa where concern over children and…
Ramaphosa pledges green growth, energy reform
The focus is on manufacturing green products for global markets and modernising the country’s power system, the president says
Climate change and La Niña drove deadly southern Africa floods, analysis finds
The intensity of heavy downpours has increased by 40% since pre-industrial times, with some areas receiving more than a year’s rain in just days
Heavy weather and the mind of the West African farmer
A growing body of evidence suggests that unpredictable weather linked to climate change has the potential to injure people’s minds, leading to an increase in the development of…
Heat and humidity is a lethal mix for SA’s small birds
Scientists have warned that humidity, not just temperature, could determine which species survive in an era of escalating heatwaves
Africa’s floods and droughts are messing with our minds. Researchers are trying to figure out how
As climate change intensifies, experts say our health and healthcare systems are going to suffer. But mental health often takes a back seat
South Africa’s major climate threats — from drought to deadly heatwaves
From collapsing maize yields to a possible cyclone hitting Richards Bay, a Wits expert warns that South Africa’s climate future is fast becoming hotter, drier and more dangerous
The falling down place
While the scars left by the April 2022 flash floods aren’t obvious to visitors to Inanda, the township just northwest of Durban, the collective and individual trauma, often left…
People back climate policy when weather events feel personal, new study finds
People in South America are most likely to say that climate change is behind extreme weather, while people in Africa and North America are less likely to agree
Climate-induced extreme weather events contribute to mental health problems
The marginalised bear a disproportionately high burden of mental health problems
UN forecasts La Nina could help lower temperatures this year
In many locations, especially in the tropics, La Nina produces the opposite climate impacts to El Nino, which heats up the surface of the oceans
Cape Town transport infrastructure at high risk of flooding, fires
With severe weather events brought on by climate change, new analysis shows that 80% of Capetonians live in high risk area