Discusses various extreme severe weather from all around the world.

It's a nuisance when it rains on a picnic. It's a tragedy when a tornado destroys a neighbourhood. But our planet would be very different place if it didn't have extremes of weather. Weather has shaped the world we live in, and humans have learned to live in almost every climate that can be found on Earth.

This high-interest informational text will help students gain science content knowledge while building their literacy skills and nonfiction reading comprehension. This appropriately leveled nonfiction science reader features hands-on, simple science experiments. Third grade students will learn all about extreme weather through this engaging text that is aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards and supports STEM education.

As climate has warmed over recent years, a new pattern of more frequent and more intense weather events has unfolded across the globe. Climate models simulate such changes in extreme events, and some of the reasons for the changes are well understood. Warming increases the likelihood of extremely hot days and nights, favors increased atmospheric moisture that may result in more frequent heavy rainfall and snowfall, and leads to evaporation that can exacerbate droughts. Even with evidence of these broad trends, scientists cautioned in the past that individual weather events couldn't be attributed to climate change. Now, with advances in understanding the climate science behind extreme events and the science of extreme event attribution, such blanket statements may not be accurate. The relatively young science of extreme event attribution seeks to tease out the influence of human-cause climate change from other factors, such as natural sources of variability like El Niño, as contributors to individual extreme events. Event attribution can answer questions about how much climate change influenced the probability or intensity of a specific type of weather event. As event attribution capabilities improve, they could help inform choices about assessing and managing risk, and in guiding climate adaptation strategies. This report examines the current state of science of extreme weather attribution, and identifies ways to move the science forward to improve attribution capabilities.

Fast facts and practical advice to keep you prepared, whether you’re dealing with mud or flood, drought or derecho. This valuable, comprehensive guide is full of life-saving information for virtually any extreme weather event—blizzard, hurricane, firestorm, tornado, heatwave, and beyond. Weather reporter Dennis Mersereau, working with the editors of Outdoor Life magazine, debunks common myths, provides hands-on survival tips (some of them literally hands-on—as in, don’t lose your fingers to frostbite), and shares some fascinating historical facts and world records. Learn how to: Read a weather map Survive in a snowbound car Stay oriented in a whiteout Make waterproof matches Avoid lightning hot spots Rescue someone caught in a flood Know your monsoons Survive a sandstorm Make peace with the polar vortex Drought-proof your home and much more “Don’t mess with the Mersereau. He will find your weather fables and he will crush them…We need more Dennises. In fact, the National Weather Service itself should be run by Dennis, with each local office headed by a Dennis-like weather blogger tasked with explaining the relevant weather news of the day, and entertaining us when the weather is boring.”—Slate

We could not live without water. Almost two-thirds of our body weight is water. We rely on it to keep ourselves clean, to keep our bodies nourished, and to get rid of waste. But water can also carry deadly germs and poisons. One of the greatest challenges for scientists and governments today is to make sure that everyone has access to the clean, safe water that they need. You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Clean Water! is part of a brand-new science and technology strand within the internationally acclaimed You Wouldn’t Want to Be series. The clear, engaging text and humorous illustrations bring the subject to life and stimulate young readers' curiosity about the world around them. Specially commissioned cartoon-style illustrations in full colour make these books attractive and accessible even to reluctant readers. Information is conveyed through captions, labels and humorous speech bubbles in addition to the main text. Illustrated sidebars headed ‘How It Works’, ‘Top Tip’ or ‘You Can Do It’ supply more facts, describe simple, safe experiments, or steps that readers can take to help make the world a better place. Each volume includes a timeline and a list of ‘Did You Know?’ facts.