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Friday

India's plan to reroute rivers could have unintended consequences on rainfall

Once completed, India's National River Linking Project will transfer an estimated 200 billion cubic meters of water around the country each year. STRDEL / Stringer/Getty Images hide caption

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STRDEL / Stringer/Getty Images

Short Wave

India's plan to reroute rivers could have unintended consequences on rainfall

More than a hundred years ago, a British engineer proposed linking two rivers in India to better irrigate the area and cheaply move goods. The link never happened, but the idea survived. Today, due to extreme flooding in some parts of the country mirrored by debilitating drought in others, India's National Water Development Agency plans to dig thirty links between rivers across the country. It's the largest project of its kind and will take decades to complete. But scientists are worried what moving that much water could do to the land, the people — and even the weather. Host Emily Kwong talks to journalist Sushmita Pathak about her recent story on the project.

India's plan to reroute rivers could have unintended consequences on rainfall

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Thursday

A car is crushed by the fallen building that hosted the Gansevoort mural that was struck by a tornado, in Rome, N.Y., on Tuesday. Much of the U.S. and Canada is cleaning up or still dealing with a new wave of severe storms that have caused deaths and damage this week from the Plains to New England.

A car is crushed by a fallen building that hosted the Gansevoort mural that was struck by a tornado, in Rome, N.Y., on Tuesday. Much of the U.S. and Canada is cleaning up or still dealing with a new wave of severe storms that have caused deaths and damage this week from the Plains to New England. John Clifford/The Daily Sentinel/AP hide caption

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John Clifford/The Daily Sentinel/AP

Swath of storms flood the Ozarks and ravage an upstate New York community

The relentless series of storms caused deaths or damage from the Plains to Canada to New England. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power and air conditioning during days of sweltering heat.

Wednesday

Tourists shelter from the sun in front of the Sforzesco Castle in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday. Weather alerts, forest fires, melting pavement in cities: A sizzling heat wave has sent temperatures in parts of central and southern Europe soaring toward 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in some places.

Tourists shelter from the sun in front of the Sforzesco Castle in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday. Weather alerts, forest fires, melting pavement in cities: A sizzling heat wave has sent temperatures in parts of central and southern Europe soaring toward 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in some places. Luca Bruno/AP hide caption

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Luca Bruno/AP

'Hellishly hot' southern Europe bakes under temperatures topping 104 F

Temperatures were in the triple-digits in much of the area on Tuesday and authorities warn that they could top 110 degrees F in southern Spain in the coming days.

Tuesday

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Saturday

A worker adjusts his helmet on a construction site under the sun as southern California faces a heat wave, in Los Angeles, on Wednesday.

A worker adjusts his helmet on a construction site under the sun as southern California faces a heat wave, in Los Angeles, on Wednesday. Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images

Temperature records are shattered as extreme heat grips the West and East coasts

The heat wave in the U.S. is far from over. Parts of both coasts are bearing the brunt of the heat with record-breaking temperatures. The heat will continue its grip over the next few days.

Friday

Thursday

Marvin Cox, community outreach director with the Metropolitan Action Commission on June 25, in Nashville. As temperatures reached into the upper 90s, the Metro Action Commission was offering free window AC units to seniors, families with young children and people with medical conditions.

Marvin Cox, community outreach director with the Metropolitan Action Commission on June 25, in Nashville. As temperatures reached into the upper 90s, the Metro Action Commission was offering free window AC units to seniors, families with young children and people with medical conditions. Mark Humphrey/AP hide caption

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Mark Humphrey/AP

National

As heat waves intensify, more public housing residents may get help with AC bills

For decades, public housing providers could subsidize heating bills but not air-conditioning. New Biden administration guidance changes that, but critics say it doesn’t go far enough.

Public housing buildings can now pay for residents' ACs, providing relief to many

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Wednesday

Tuesday

Monday

Hurricane Beryl loomed toward St. Vincent — and grew in power — as it brought threats of catastrophic winds and dangerous storm surges to Windward Islands. The storm is seen here in a satellite image just after sunrise Monday morning.

Hurricane Beryl loomed toward St. Vincent — and grew in power — as it brought threats of catastrophic winds and dangerous storm surges to the Windward Islands. The storm is seen here in a satellite image just after sunrise on Monday. NOAA/NESDIS/STAR GOES-East hide caption

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NOAA/NESDIS/STAR GOES-East

Hurricane Beryl grows to Category 5 strength in the southeast Caribbean

Hurricane Beryl upgraded to a "potentially catastrophic" Category 5 storm late Monday night, the National Hurricane Center said, as it crossed islands in the southeastern Caribbean.