Changing extremes—is it real, or just imagined?

Today's electronic and print media are replete with stories about extreme weather and climate events from all over the world. These stories draw our attention because of their immediacy and the devastating impacts of these events, which often result in deaths and are costly in terms of the damage caused.

In the aftermath of such devastation, media raise questions over whether extreme events are more frequent and intense than in the past, whether human activity is a driving force behind long-term changes, and almost inevitably, if the particular event just passed was caused by human influence on the climate. PCIC Director Dr. Francis Zwiers will discuss all three of these questions and will provide an overview on the latest answers that climate science can provide.