In May 2024, a type of windstorm called derecho caused considerable damage to the facades of Houston’s tall buildings, which had been designed to withstand stronger, hurricane-strength winds. In contrast, hurricane Beryl in July 2024 caused only minimal damage to the same buildings. Researchers analyzed the damage from this derecho and used wind-tunnel modeling to simulate its unique wind loading effects on miniature tall buildings. They concluded that besides interference between groups of tall buildings, the unique characteristics of local events like derechos worsened the structural damage. This finding has implications for the design of future tall buildings and urban planning.

Utilizing simulation data from the Weather Research and Forecasting Model for a convection event on 23 August 2021, the study analysis revealed that differences in pre-storm wind fields and thermodynamic conditions impeded the movement and cold pool development of the mountainous thunderstorm cluster, while the plain thunderstorm cluster experienced the opposite effect. Ultimately, the clusters merged at the mountain base, where the enhanced cold pool acted analogously to topographical features, strengthening convergence and vertical motion.

A study performed at Michigan Medicine reveals that the use of less polluting inhaled anesthetic agents reduced harmful emissions by 50% in one year without impacting patient safety or outcomes.