Climate Change

Brutal heat waves are becoming more frequent across the Midwest. The 2027 college football season will start even earlier. With fans and others at risk for heat-related illness, universities will need to find solutions.

A corn infection that farmers dread is also a culinary delicacy in Mexico. Now, farmers, chefs and a secretive vegetable broker are bringing it to one Midwest city.

The majority of tornadoes this year have blasted through states in the Midwest and Southeast, including Illinois, Missouri, Indiana and Iowa. Tornado activity has been increasing east of the Great Plains in recent decades.

Extreme heat combined with high humidity is becoming more common as the climate warms, making it harder for people to cool their bodies.

Tornado warning sirens have been a frequent sound in the Kansas City area so far this year. This month is likely to be much of the same, according to Zachary Leasor, a state climatologist with the University of Missouri.

Severe weather is happening more frequently as the climate changes, adding to an ever-growing list of challenges for U.S. farmers. From sudden temperature swings to floods, these events can have serious consequences for farms and ranches.

Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City is building entire neighborhoods of affordable housing in Kansas. The nonprofit is using a real estate tool known as a community land trust to ensure the homes remain affordable forever. Plus: The USDA's "Climate Hubs" have helped farmers adapt to a changing climate, but their funding may be in jeopardy.

In "Footeprint," out today, Lindsay Metcalf resurrects the history of Eunice Newton Foote, a 19th-century scientist who discovered carbon dioxide’s heat-trapping properties while fighting for women’s place in science.

In 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture created a network of “climate hubs” to understand how climate change affects agriculture and forestry and help farmers adapt to more extreme and unpredictable weather. Now, the future of these hubs is uncertain.

Tumbleweeds have taken over the High Plains. The plant thrives so well in the western part of Kansas that sometimes they can shut down entire neighborhoods or highways. Plus: An inconspicuous insect is changing what survival looks like as climate change remains a threat.

A data center in the Crossroads is one of the first in the country to get a loan for clean energy. Plus: Scientists across the central U.S. say they have experienced a year of change and uncertainty under the second Trump administration.

A team of researchers studied the effects of heat on the survival and reproduction of Missouri treehoppers. "This is more of a story of resilience," says a St. Louis University biology professor.