Kelly Hereid
@kellyhereid.bsky.social
Climate scientist, geologist, and catastrophe modeler, Liberty Mutual. Posts on all things hurricane, wildfire, flood, earthquake, tornado. Sassy takes are mine not employer's.
📍Oakland, CA
Website: hereidk.strikingly.com
📍Oakland, CA
Website: hereidk.strikingly.com
Pinned
Kelly Hereid
@kellyhereid.bsky.social
· Jun 17
Really excited to share a project we've been working on with Swiss Re, examining challenges to implementing landscape-scale wildfire mitigation and where the insurance industry needs to get creative to crack some roadblocks: www.libertymutualgroup.com/documents/wi... 1/🧵
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
Arizona has paused development of hundreds of thousands of homes on the far Phoenix fringes due to insufficient groundwater supplies, @highcountrynews.org finds: www.hcn.org/issues/57-10...
The dried-out subdivisions of Phoenix - High Country News
A groundwater crisis halted the construction of thousands of homes and pitted affordability against environmental concerns.
www.hcn.org
November 10, 2025 at 5:25 AM
Arizona has paused development of hundreds of thousands of homes on the far Phoenix fringes due to insufficient groundwater supplies, @highcountrynews.org finds: www.hcn.org/issues/57-10...
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
“The elites are ecstatic about imagining a vast, uneducated, and unproductive population forced to pay companies like OpenAI to access the written word and to approximate thought.”
Must read piece by Noah McCormack with too many quotaboe lines to select one! thebaffler.com/salvos/we-us...
Must read piece by Noah McCormack with too many quotaboe lines to select one! thebaffler.com/salvos/we-us...
We Used to Read Things in This Country | Noah McCormack
Technology changes us—and it is currently changing us for the worse.
thebaffler.com
November 2, 2025 at 5:12 PM
“The elites are ecstatic about imagining a vast, uneducated, and unproductive population forced to pay companies like OpenAI to access the written word and to approximate thought.”
Must read piece by Noah McCormack with too many quotaboe lines to select one! thebaffler.com/salvos/we-us...
Must read piece by Noah McCormack with too many quotaboe lines to select one! thebaffler.com/salvos/we-us...
Going to put the news of extreme drought coming out of Tehran up with this map of emerging water scarcity risk from www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 9, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Going to put the news of extreme drought coming out of Tehran up with this map of emerging water scarcity risk from www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
Oil is the most Lovecraftian thing that actually exists.
You're telling me that there's a black ichor under the earth made from the ancient dead, whose burning can realize all the dreams of man, but only at the price of slowly returning the earth to its primordial state?
You're telling me that there's a black ichor under the earth made from the ancient dead, whose burning can realize all the dreams of man, but only at the price of slowly returning the earth to its primordial state?
November 6, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Oil is the most Lovecraftian thing that actually exists.
You're telling me that there's a black ichor under the earth made from the ancient dead, whose burning can realize all the dreams of man, but only at the price of slowly returning the earth to its primordial state?
You're telling me that there's a black ichor under the earth made from the ancient dead, whose burning can realize all the dreams of man, but only at the price of slowly returning the earth to its primordial state?
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
~100,000 years of rainfall… 💦
November 8, 2025 at 5:02 PM
~100,000 years of rainfall… 💦
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
New article alert 🚨 for the #FireEcology Journal! "Near real-time indicators of burn severity in the western U.S. from active fire tracking" #SNFECO 🔥
Read it here: ow.ly/hNYs50X7UqS
Read it here: ow.ly/hNYs50X7UqS
October 14, 2025 at 2:47 PM
New article alert 🚨 for the #FireEcology Journal! "Near real-time indicators of burn severity in the western U.S. from active fire tracking" #SNFECO 🔥
Read it here: ow.ly/hNYs50X7UqS
Read it here: ow.ly/hNYs50X7UqS
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
"Rooftop solar is spreading fast in Jamaica, and people with panels got their power back almost immediately. The ‘entire neighborhood benefits,’ one resident said."
Jamaicans Have Been Turning to Solar Power. It Paid Off After the Storm.
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:06 PM
"Rooftop solar is spreading fast in Jamaica, and people with panels got their power back almost immediately. The ‘entire neighborhood benefits,’ one resident said."
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
Yesterday we counted +900 flight cancellations across the US: tinyurl.com/3sddyscd –One of the most affected was Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) with 17% of its flights cancelled ✈️
November 8, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Yesterday we counted +900 flight cancellations across the US: tinyurl.com/3sddyscd –One of the most affected was Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) with 17% of its flights cancelled ✈️
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
Exactly! Which makes the real climate shift way scarier. Like shown by the data from svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5452/
November 7, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Exactly! Which makes the real climate shift way scarier. Like shown by the data from svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5452/
Hurricane Harvey's peak storm total rainfall was about 60 inches. Vietnam just saw this total and threw in an extra 8 inches of rain - and in one day??
The Vietnamese Bach Ma Mountain Peak station recorded one-day rainfall of 1,739 mm - close to the global one-day record and perhaps a new record for the northern hemisphere. It is part of a deluge Viet Nam has seen in October, shattering 35 precip records. e.vnexpress.net/news/news/en...
Vietnam sees 35 rainfall records broken in October - VnExpress International
Vietnam's northern and central regions saw a total of 35 rain records broken in October alone as two storms, Matmo and Fengshen, caused unprecedented downpours.
e.vnexpress.net
November 8, 2025 at 6:12 AM
Hurricane Harvey's peak storm total rainfall was about 60 inches. Vietnam just saw this total and threw in an extra 8 inches of rain - and in one day??
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
Following Hurricane Melissa, Jamaica will receive a $150 million payout in connection with a catastrophe bond purchased last year from the World Bank.
The parameters in the contract rely on measurements and reporting from NOAA's National Hurricane Center.
www.worldbank.org/en/news/pres...
The parameters in the contract rely on measurements and reporting from NOAA's National Hurricane Center.
www.worldbank.org/en/news/pres...
Hurricane Melissa triggers 100% payout of $150 million World Bank Catastrophe Bond for Jamaica
Hurricane Melissa triggers 100% payout of $150 million World Bank Catastrophe Bond for Jamaica
www.worldbank.org
November 7, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Following Hurricane Melissa, Jamaica will receive a $150 million payout in connection with a catastrophe bond purchased last year from the World Bank.
The parameters in the contract rely on measurements and reporting from NOAA's National Hurricane Center.
www.worldbank.org/en/news/pres...
The parameters in the contract rely on measurements and reporting from NOAA's National Hurricane Center.
www.worldbank.org/en/news/pres...
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
Huge paper for the Arctic Ocean published today in @science.org - a new 30,000 year history of Arctic Ocean sea-ice cover reconstructed from the accumulation of cosmic dust-derived helium-3! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... (1/n)
Cosmic dust reveals dynamic shifts in central Arctic sea-ice coverage over the past 30,000 years
Arctic sea-ice loss affects biological productivity, sustenance in coastal communities, and geopolitics. Forecasting these impacts requires mechanistic understanding of how Arctic sea ice responds to ...
www.science.org
November 7, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Huge paper for the Arctic Ocean published today in @science.org - a new 30,000 year history of Arctic Ocean sea-ice cover reconstructed from the accumulation of cosmic dust-derived helium-3! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... (1/n)
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
“Why are you banging your head against the wall?” asked Frog.
“I hope that if I bang my head against the wall, it will help me to think of a story,” said Toad.
“I hope that if I bang my head against the wall, it will help me to think of a story,” said Toad.
November 7, 2025 at 8:37 AM
“Why are you banging your head against the wall?” asked Frog.
“I hope that if I bang my head against the wall, it will help me to think of a story,” said Toad.
“I hope that if I bang my head against the wall, it will help me to think of a story,” said Toad.
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
Important new research published last month in Nature Sustainability shows that the oil and gas industry has only a 1.42% share of global renewable energy.
Only 20% of the 250 largest oil and gas companies operate any renewable energy projects.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#COP30
Only 20% of the 250 largest oil and gas companies operate any renewable energy projects.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#COP30
Oil and gas industry’s marginal share of global renewable energy - Nature Sustainability
The decarbonization of oil and gas companies may not be as speedy or robust as advertised. This analysis finds that renewable energies make up just a minor fraction of the total energy production by t...
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Important new research published last month in Nature Sustainability shows that the oil and gas industry has only a 1.42% share of global renewable energy.
Only 20% of the 250 largest oil and gas companies operate any renewable energy projects.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#COP30
Only 20% of the 250 largest oil and gas companies operate any renewable energy projects.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#COP30
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
I wonder if they saw that coming
November 7, 2025 at 1:35 PM
I wonder if they saw that coming
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
This is a fantastic article on the reliability compromises that are being created by wildfire safety interventions in rural California. A must read. www.hcn.org/issues/57-11...
For rural Californians, unreliable power has become the norm - High Country News
Years ago, the state’s largest utility rolled out a power outage program designed to reduce wildfires. Customers now experience thousands of outages a year.
www.hcn.org
November 7, 2025 at 5:44 AM
This is a fantastic article on the reliability compromises that are being created by wildfire safety interventions in rural California. A must read. www.hcn.org/issues/57-11...
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
Cool use of a clumped isotopologue in wood! - Isotopic evidence for elevated photorespiration during the last glacial period www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Isotopic evidence for elevated photorespiration during the last glacial period - Nature Geoscience
Low carbon dioxide levels during the last glacial period enhanced photorespiration in trees across North America, indicating a decline in land plant productivity, according to measurements of clumped ...
www.nature.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Cool use of a clumped isotopologue in wood! - Isotopic evidence for elevated photorespiration during the last glacial period www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Oh good. Underestimating La Niña in climate models also means we'll underestimate rapid intensification potential (not that climate models are great at top-category storms anyway)
Other highlights:
- Prior estimates of intensification trends were overconfident
- A new storm metric called lifetime maximum 24-h intensification which shows upward trends in its top quantiles and broad increases during La Niña
- 24-h intensification also increases during La Niña conditions
- Prior estimates of intensification trends were overconfident
- A new storm metric called lifetime maximum 24-h intensification which shows upward trends in its top quantiles and broad increases during La Niña
- 24-h intensification also increases during La Niña conditions
November 6, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Oh good. Underestimating La Niña in climate models also means we'll underestimate rapid intensification potential (not that climate models are great at top-category storms anyway)
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
Have you wondered about trends & ENSO variability in Atlantic TC intensity/intensification? @scamargo.bsky.social and I did.
journals.ametsoc.org/view/journal...
journals.ametsoc.org/view/journal...
journals.ametsoc.org
November 5, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Have you wondered about trends & ENSO variability in Atlantic TC intensity/intensification? @scamargo.bsky.social and I did.
journals.ametsoc.org/view/journal...
journals.ametsoc.org/view/journal...
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
Hat tip @wilsonar.bsky.social for this! 🤣
November 6, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Hat tip @wilsonar.bsky.social for this! 🤣
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
![4-panel comic. (1) PERSON 1: We haven’t checked in on the geology department for a while. I wonder if they’re doing okay. (2) PERSON 2 with ponytail: I’ll go see what they’re up to. (3) [Person 2 opens door to room where a person is gesturing at a projector screen and explaining to two other people] PERSON 3: 49 million years ago, Heart Mountain, Wyoming slid sideways 15 miles like a giant stone hovercraft. (4) PERSON 2 [returning to Person 1]: ...They’re not okay. OFF-PANEL PERSON: Hey, *you* come up with a better explanation!](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreigkmmwkcyhpp7flvvqlj5dwg26hn4rssqln4c3zrtidabl4y3efvy@jpeg)
November 4, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
A great article by the @washingtonpost.com which I’m excited to have contributed to!💦💨
It has really powerful interactive visualisations of how a warming planet is also a moistening planet on which more precipitation-induced disasters strike regions all around the globe🌎
wapo.st/4oklfvh
It has really powerful interactive visualisations of how a warming planet is also a moistening planet on which more precipitation-induced disasters strike regions all around the globe🌎
wapo.st/4oklfvh
Deadly rivers in the sky
A new Washington Post investigation reveals where climate change has supercharged the movement of moisture through the skies.
wapo.st
November 5, 2025 at 1:37 PM
A great article by the @washingtonpost.com which I’m excited to have contributed to!💦💨
It has really powerful interactive visualisations of how a warming planet is also a moistening planet on which more precipitation-induced disasters strike regions all around the globe🌎
wapo.st/4oklfvh
It has really powerful interactive visualisations of how a warming planet is also a moistening planet on which more precipitation-induced disasters strike regions all around the globe🌎
wapo.st/4oklfvh
Reposted by Kelly Hereid
New paper! Heat-pump water heaters could cut energy costs and pollution, but installs often require 💰 electrical work to accommodate backup resistance heat. My student Levi Premer developed prediction and control software to eliminate the need for backup heat and ⬆️ efficiency and flexibility. 🧵1/
November 4, 2025 at 4:28 PM
New paper! Heat-pump water heaters could cut energy costs and pollution, but installs often require 💰 electrical work to accommodate backup resistance heat. My student Levi Premer developed prediction and control software to eliminate the need for backup heat and ⬆️ efficiency and flexibility. 🧵1/