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A summer of extremes: Weathering a hotter world
August 16, 2026 / 9:16 AM EDT / CBS News
TL;DR
- July was the hottest month ever recorded in the Lower 48 states, with extreme weather events like floods and wildfires also increasing in frequency and intensity.
- Climate journalist Jeff Goodell states that these extreme weather events are connected and represent a step towards a hotter, more dangerous planet.
- Heat waves now occur three times as often as in the 1960s, and wildfires burn twice as much land each year compared to the 1990s.
- Europe experienced deadly fires and record heat, with heat waves estimated to have claimed over 10,000 lives and forced more than a quarter million people to flee their homes.
- Human civilization has evolved within a specific temperature range, and current warming trends are pushing us outside of that established 'Goldilocks Zone'.
- Adapting to a changing climate requires evolving our understanding of where and how we build, with federal government support being crucial.
- Maria Molina, an atmospheric scientist, is using AI to model future seasons and assess how gradual warming affects the likelihood of extreme events.