The number of extreme rainstorms – deluges that dump 3 inches or more in a day – doubled in the U.S. Midwest over the last half-century, causing billions of dollars in flood damage in a trend climate advocates link to a rise in greenhouse gas emissions.

As the climate changes over the next century, the ranges of nearly 90 percent of mammal species will shrink- in many cases because animals won’t be able to get to areas where the climate is going to become suitable for them, says new research.

Unseasonable weather pushed last month to the fifth warmest April on record worldwide, federal weather statistics show.

The mild winter and early spring in the US this year led to some incredible sights: magnolia trees near me blooming in March a full month ahead of 2011, migratory birds returning much earlier than usual, and sun-starved Midwesterners breaking out t-shirts and shorts in February. This strange weather illustrated, to an extreme, one of the most obvious effects of climate change: as temperatures warm, spring breaks through earlier, and these annual spectacles shift along with it.

Early warm weather in March, followed by sudden flash freezes, has caused devastating losses to tender fruit and apple growers in a large part of southern Ontario, industry insiders said Wednesday. Read more.

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The previous 12 months were the warmest in the U.S. since record keeping began in 1895, government scientists reported Tuesday, with the period averaging 55.7 degrees Fahrenheit — nearly three degrees warmer than the average May-April. Read more.

Tom Rogers is usually $15,000 to $20,000 in a hole this time of year, having laid out that much cash to stock supplies for his oceanfront food court in New Jersey. But not this year. The unseasonably warm winter and spring thus far has boosted his business 30 percent over a normal year. And that puts him in excellent shape for the summer season. Read more.

A rare tornado has ripped through the Japanese city of Tsukuba causing widespread damage and destruction. Read more.

As we kick off May, the weather pattern over much of the central and eastern U.S. resembles June. Read more.

Illinois climate experts say the state had a rare phenomenon this year: April’s weather was cooler than March. Read more.