Climate Change

Florida has a new program called "Elevate Florida" and it's not about raising the state's image or profile. It's about raising its houses in areas that are prone to flooding. 

Florida’s emergency management director announced the program this week. It offers grants and low-interest loans to assist with home elevation, which is expected to reduce future insurance claims and legal disputes as flooding and storms become more frequent.

Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Division of Emergency Management, said the program will integrate existing federal and state resources for the first time.

Homeowners impacted by recent storms can apply for grants to elevate their homes above the base flood level, though they must contribute 25% of the total cost.

A new idea?

“This has never been done before,” Guthrie said. “When we presented this, the mitigation and resiliency guys at FEMA said that no one has thought of that before.”

To cover this down payment, homeowners can access Small Business Administration (SBA) loans up to $500,000, with favorable terms (no interest for the first year and a 2.8% interest rate thereafter), he said.

The funding for the grants is essentially federal. Some $2 billion in federal disaster relief funds were made available after Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton hit Florida this fall. Most of that can be used to assist stricken homeowners, but some of it can also go to elevation and mitigation programs, Guthrie said. 

The federal government has allocated $2 billion in disaster relief funds for Florida, which can be used for elevation and mitigation projects. Additionally, homeowners may use the SBA loans to refinance existing mortgages, often at lower interest rates.

Quick, do you know which La Niña is which? Most people don't but the weather experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center do, and they predict a 60% chance that a weak La Niña will form this fall and could last until March.

What would that mean? It could mean that southern areas of the U.S. and parts of Mexico could be drier. The northern U.S. and southern Canada might see wetter conditions.

La Niña is part of a natural climate cycle that can lead to extreme weather around the world, though its effects vary by region.

La Niña is the cooler phase of a global climate pattern called El Niño-Southern Oscillation. It involves changes in wind and ocean temperatures in the Pacific, which can impact weather worldwide.

El Niño, the warmer phase, happens when trade winds weaken, causing warm water to pile up near South America. During La Niña, the opposite occurs—the winds get stronger, and cooler water rises to the surface, cooling the eastern Pacific.

These changes in ocean temperatures affect the jet stream, a fast-moving band of air that influences storm patterns and rainfall. During La Niña, the jet stream shifts northward, affecting storm paths and increasing precipitation in certain areas.

A rare "triple-dip"

Recently, Earth went through a rare "triple-dip" La Niña from 2020 to 2023, where La Niña conditions occurred three winters in a row, something that had only happened once before in the 1970s. Climate scientist Michelle L’Heureux from NOAA explained that La Niñas tend to last longer and recur more often than El Niño events.

Ben Cook, a climate scientist at NASA, said that while another La Niña this year would be unusual, it’s not impossible. He added that frequent La Niñas can be tough for regions already dealing with drought, like East Africa, as it could worsen dry conditions.

In the U.S., areas like the Northeast and Ohio Valley are often wetter during La Niña, with more storms due to the jet stream’s position. The central U.S. may experience more cold outbreaks, and regions like New England and the Great Lakes often see more snow, though this isn’t guaranteed. In contrast, the southern U.S. tends to be drier and warmer.

Scientists are still uncertain about how climate change affects La Niña and El Niño. Some models suggest El Niño events may become more frequent, while La Niñas may occur less often, but there’s no consensus. Climate scientist Paul Roundy notes that it’s hard to separate natural climate cycles from the influence of climate change, but the patterns we see now could shift in the future.