Climate and environment updates: As climate gets warmer, sleep may suffer, study says

If you've been losing sleep because of anxiety about our changing climate, you can now blame global warming for literally keeping you awake. A new study in Nature Communications suggests rising temperatures can make it harder for people to get a good night's sleep.

Researchers analyzed 23 million sleep records from more than 214,000 adults living in mainland China. They found that when the average daily temperature increased by 18 degrees Fahrenheit, people were 20.1% more likely to get insufficient sleep. In addition, total sleep time dropped by nearly 10 minutes per night. Deep sleep, essential for physical and mental recovery, was the most affected, declining by 2.82%.

The study also suggests that by the end of the century, climate change-related sleep deprivation could increase by an average of 10.5%. If true, that would result in the average person losing more than 33 hours of sleep each year.

Light sleep and dream sleep also declined by over 2%. People older than 45, women, those with a BMI greater than 25 and people living in humid climates such as South, Central and Eastern China were at greater risk.

Participants wore a smart device for the study to monitor their heart rate, exercise and sleep patterns. And while the study looked at a large number of people, it didn't include anyone from outside of China. It also assumed that outdoor temperatures reflected the actual sleep conditions without considering whether the person had an air conditioner.

According to the National Weather Service, extreme heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the United States, and children and adults over 65 are among the most vulnerable to heat-related illnesses and death.

-ABC News climate unit's Matthew Glasser and ABC News medical unit's Heya Batah, MD

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is out with its spring weather outlook, calling for above-average temperatures in the East and Gulf Coast regions and drought conditions in the Southwest.

From April to June, NOAA says warmer-than-average temperatures are likely for the southern part of the U.S. and across the Eastern seaboard. Central and south Florida, along with the areas stretching from the Texas and Louisiana coasts to southern Utah and eastern Nevada, have the highest chance of seeing a warmer-than-normal springtime.

Moderate to exceptional drought conditions will likely continue in much of the Southwest and the Rocky Mountains. NOAA also predicts that much of the western U.S. will get less rain than average, adding to their water woes.

There's good news on the flooding front, however. NOAA's National Water Center does not anticipate widespread flooding across the country. The agency says above-average temperatures and snowpacks far below normal significantly reduce the risk of major flooding.

As spring is typically the busiest time for tornadoes, NOAA is encouraging people in tornado zones to prepare for the upcoming season by reading up on how to stay safe during these extreme weather events.

-ABC News climate unit's Matthew Glasser

The pilots and scientists who fly into hurricanes face a storm that has nothing to do with the weather. Called "hurricane hunters," these crews fly into tropical cyclones and winter storms to collect data essential for forecasting a storm’s path, timing and strength.

Operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the United States Air Force, these crews are now facing staffing and maintenance issues, according to a newly released report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The report’s release comes as NOAA and the National Weather Service (part of NOAA) are facing staff reductions that have impacted various offices nationwide.

The GAO report details the critical role that the program plays in weather forecasting and storm preparation and says staffing and maintenance issues are forcing the cancellation of necessary missions.

Staffing shortages have impeded the completion of mission objectives, as hurricane hunter personnel face growing workloads, NOAA officials said, explaining that “the agency is often one illness or injury away from having to cancel missions.” The GAO also identified an aging aircraft fleet and an inadequate number of maintenance technicians as problems for the agency.

In 2023, all three of NOAA’s Hurricane Hunter aircraft were grounded due to maintenance issues as Hurricane Idalia threatened Florida in late August.

However, the report found that these issues weren't the only reason flights were being canceled. Demand for hurricane hunter reconnaissance flights has increased in recent years, primarily due to the addition of atmospheric river missions on the West Coast, which were added in 2019. Very active Atlantic hurricane seasons in recent years is also a contributing factor.

The GAO published a list of recommendations aimed at improving operations. It suggested developing a process to better track personnel and manage maintenance requests and issues. The report also recommended that organizations perform staffing assessments to identify their current needs. Additionally, it noted that poor communication between NOAA and Air Force senior leadership has hindered the availability of reliable aircraft. NOAA and the Air Force said they agreed with the recommendations.

-ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck

The Trump administration may no longer be supporting renewable energy, but in 2024, the United States made significant strides with its energy source shift.

Last year, the U.S. generated a record amount of energy from solar and wind sources, enough to power the equivalent of more than 70 million average American homes, according to a new analysis of U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data by Climate Central, a nonprofit climate research group.

In 2024, 756,621 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity came from solar and wind, triple the amount generated a decade ago. Solar and wind combined accounted for about 17% of the country’s electricity generation.

In the United States, solar is now the fastest-growing source of electricity, with increases in solar generation reported across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., over the past decade, according to the analysis. California was the biggest solar energy producer in 2024, with Texas and Florida rounding out the top 3. Between 2023 and 2024, U.S. solar generation increased 27%.

Currently, 42 states produce electricity from wind, with 39 reporting an increase in wind generation over the past decade. Texas is the largest wind energy producer, accounting for about 28% of all wind generation in the United States last year. The next largest wind energy-producing state is Iowa. While the total amount of wind generation is significantly lower than in Texas, wind accounts for nearly two-thirds of all the electricity produced in the Hawkeye state.

-ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck