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We’re more than halfway through 2025 and we’ve already seen several major weather and natural disaster events this year, including a tsunami in the Pacific, a historic snowstorm in the South, deadly tornadoes and devastating California wildfires.
As the summer continues to heat up, experts from Michigan State University can comment on all things weather, including the following topics:
Robert Wahl is an environmental epidemiologist and assistant professor in the College of Human Medicine’s Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health. His research focuses on asthma surveillance, air pollutants’ effects on asthma and adverse birth outcomes and the health effects of climate change.
Contact: wahlr@msu.edu
“Smoke from the wildfires will likely have greater health effects on people who already experience poor air quality on a daily basis. Air pollutants have additive effects, so wildfire smoke adds to the daily exposure of the most vulnerable people, including children, pregnant women, the elderly, those with chronic health conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, and heart disease, and those living in low-income areas with higher levels of air pollution.”
“As total exposures to air pollutants and smoke increase, the risk for severe health effects increases, and asthma attacks and heart attacks are more likely in those with asthma and heart disease. In addition to increasing numbers of wildfires due to climate change, ozone levels are likely to continue to increase in the summer months. Ozone is an airway irritant and it is added on top of a person’s air pollution and wildfire smoke burden, increasing the number of asthma attacks among people with asthma and COPD.”
Robert Glandon is an instructor in the Master of Public Health Program in the College of Human Medicine. A former local public health director, he is an expert on community and environmental health assessment and improvement, including the examination of the relationships among built environments, health risk behaviors, access to care and health policy.
Contact: glandon@msu.edu
“The air quality index developed by the Environmental Protection Agency is a composite measure of five components of air quality: fine particles, ground-level ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. The website AirNow, shows the air quality for various places several times a day. It also indicates which of the five components is most responsible for the air quality rating. It is very informative, easy to use and accessible for anyone concerned about their local outdoor air quality.”
Kelly Salchow MacArthur is a professor of graphic design at the College of Arts and Letters. MacArthur’s creative research explores environmental issues through the integration of different materials, technology and formats in graphic design. She uses her expertise in visual communications to inspire and support environmental action.
Contact: salchow@msu.edu
“The Canadian wildfires, and the smoke that is blanketing parts of the U.S., present clear evidence of climate change in the air we breathe. As temperatures rise, the many impacts of climate change are more obvious and harder to ignore. It is time for all of humanity to work together creatively, across cultures and disciplines to mobilize, and the communication around it must be clear. Graphic design is the medium through which text and image convey powerful messages to catalyze positive action toward the protection and nourishment of our planet in crisis. Whether through apps, posters, advertisements or information design, visual communication portrays big ideas to society and has the capacity to instigate change.”
Seven Mattes is an assistant professor in the Center for Integrative Studies in the College of Social Science. Their work is focused on the intersection of disaster studies and animal studies.
Contact: bryant22@msu.edu
“As we seek shelter indoors and limit outdoor activities for ourselves and our companion animals, attention might turn to the rest of the breathing world — wildlife. While wildfires are a natural occurrence, and wildlife and plants are adapted to persist, or even thrive, in the aftermath, modern wildfires are burning much more than forests. The smoke that has smothered a multitude of states contains dangerous particles that have the potential to cause damage to bodies, be they human or non-human.”
“The consequences of these fires are illustrative of the non-human impacts of disaster and the unequal resources or strategies available for adaptation across species. Climate change is often discussed in human terms, given its anthropogenic causes, but as the haze traverses spatial and species boundaries, it is an important and stark reminder that climate change alters the lives of all members of our multispecies communities.”
Stephan A. Carey is an associate professor and associate chairperson of small animal internal medicine in the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences. He studies the mechanisms by which airborne pollutants cause respiratory airway injury and repair, the role of airway antioxidants in the repair process and small-animal respiratory diseases, with a focus on canine and feline nasal disease and small airway disease.
Contact: careys@msu.edu
“Exposure of pets to outdoor air of this quality should be kept as low as possible, particularly during peak daylight hours when other air pollutant levels, such as photochemical smog and ambient temperatures, are also at higher levels. For indoor pets, walks should be kept brief to minimize exposure. In situations where ambient air exposure is unavoidable — for example, with working animals — the exposures should be scheduled for early mornings or late evenings when possible, and animals should be afforded longer recovery periods between events.”
Hurricane economic and health impact
Mark Skidmore holds the Morris Chair in State and Local Government Finance and Policy and is a resident fellow at MSU Extension’s Center for Local Government Finance and Policy. He also teaches economics at MSU and specializes in government, economic development and disaster economics.
Contact: mskidmor@msu.edu
“According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the U.S. experienced 363 weather-related disasters over the 1980-2023 period. Estimates indicate that these disasters resulted in $2.59 trillion in damages, of which roughly half are attributable to hurricanes and tropical storms. Though there is significant variability in damages from storm to storm; on average, each storm results in about $1 billion in damages. Hurricane’s result in damages as a result of wind, storm surges and flooding”
“There are several tiers of support that help communities rebuild. As an immediate response, the priority is to provide access to basic needs such as food, water, shelter, fuel and the restoration of electricity and communications. As core needs are met, authorities may focus on rebuilding damaged public infrastructure. Finally, resources flowing in from insurance, private savings and governments help households and businesses regain a foothold and reestablish operations. Longer term, it is often helpful to review weaknesses in infrastructure and make preparations to reduce vulnerability in the future.”
Jason Miller is the interim chairperson of the Department of Supply Chain Management and the Eli Broad Professor in Supply Chain Management in the Broad College of Business. He is an expert on supply chain issues relating to safety, productivity, pricing dynamics, driver turnover and employment, among other areas.
“Hurricanes can negatively impact the supply of goods in the U.S. by affecting manufacturing and distribution activities in the regions where they make landfall. As manufacturing is often geographically concentrated, these effects can be substantial”
Contact: mill2831@broad.msu.edu
David Ortega is a professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, where he is also a faculty laureate. He is an expert on consumer, producer and agribusiness decisions that affect the agricultural and food sectors.
Contact: dlortega@msu.edu
"Hurricanes can wreak havoc on local food systems. In storm-hit areas, agricultural production may be impacted and supply chains disrupted. Port closures and damaged infrastructure can increase transportation costs. These factors can lead to temporary and localized food shortages and price spikes. Infrastructure damage can also make it difficult to get food and supplies to those affected”
Crystal Cederna is an associate professor in the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health in the College of Human Medicine. She is a licensed psychologist with clinical expertise in developmental-behavioral pediatrics, medical education, clinical psychology and pediatric psychology.
Contact: cedernac@msu.edu
“Weather-related disasters are a challenging source of stress for kids (and families) because they are unpredictable, often happen quickly and can leave a variety of lasting impacts for families to respond to. When natural disasters such as hurricanes happen, kids will look to their parents and main caregivers for how to cope, for support and to learn what happens next. Parents — take care of yourself as best as you can so that you are best positioned to problem solve and to support your kids. Pace yourselves and welcome supportive hands, ears and helpers. When able and ready, provide safe spaces to listen to kids’ concerns and answer their questions. Honesty in responses (to their age level and ability to understand) are best. Reassurance that kids are safe with you and that you will navigate the road ahead together as a family is helpful; false reassurance, like ‘everything will be fine’ or ‘the hurricane is over and won’t be back’ is not helpful. As possible, keep pre-hurricane routines (mealtimes, sleep times, rest times, activity times) or create new routines for your family — in times of stress, predictability in what happens next is very helpful to kids and adults alike.”
Joan Rose is the Homer Nowlin Endowed Chair in Water Research and she is the director of the MSU Water Alliance. She is an expert in water microbiology, water quality and public health safety.
Contact: rosejo@msu.edu
“When hurricanes hit, flood waters are going to be contaminated, so care should be taken when wading in those waters. Pipes and treatment plants were washed out, as well Water infrastructure repairs are likely to take weeks, so safe drinking water is not going to be accessible. For example, we know that at least 400,000 gallons of untreated wastewater was spilled due to Hurricane Helene. Also, wells will be contaminated. Finding safe water can be hard to come by after a hurricane. ”
Rising temperatures and hazard mitigation
Tor Tolhurst, an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, joined MSU in fall 2024 by way of the Agricultural Resiliency Program.
Contact: tolhurs2@msu.edu
“Extreme heat is a good example because there’s a lot of research showing that even a few days of very, very high temperatures can cause a lot of damage to a crop like corn. It only takes a couple days of extreme heat for yield to reduce substantially. That can result in farmers needing insurance payments, farmers not doing as well economically and — conversely — some farmers not even being affected based on where the extreme heat occurs. It’s not just looking backwards when these events happen and seeing what they did. It’s also looking forward and thinking about how behavior changes knowing that these events happen. We as humans are naturally risk averse, so we can do things to try and avoid these unlikely scenarios and minimize impact when they take place.”
Seven Mattes is an assistant professor in the Center for Integrative Studies in the College of Social Science. Their work is focused on the intersection of disaster studies and animal studies.
Contact: bryant22@msu.edu
“While hurricanes are a part of life for coastal residents, both the storms and the local populations have increased in number and intensity. As anthropogenic climate change increases the number of storms and human population grows in coastal regions, how we approach preparedness is an ongoing adaptive effort to the new conditions. Thus, while improvements in preparedness have been implemented in coastal states across the U.S., numerous vulnerabilities remain. There are innumerable recommendations for improving hurricane preparedness in the U.S.”
Robert Drost is a specialist in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the Center for Integrative Studies in General Science in the College of Natural Science. He is an expert in the role of science communication and forecasting of hazard information as it relates to public understanding and accountability.
Contact: drostrob@msu.edu
“Science communication plays a crucial role in helping people prepare and make prudent decisions in hazard situations. Natural hazard mitigation is contingent on being informed, taking precautionary measures and heading warning communication and recommendations by local and national organizations (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Hurricane Center and emergency managers). Following these steps will enable the public to take advantage of longer lead times and plan for potential contingencies faced in extreme hazards.”
David Roy is a professor in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences at Michigan State University and serves as Director of the Center for Global Change and Earth Observations. A leader in environmental data science, Roy’s research focuses on using remote sensing and computational tools to monitor and model terrestrial global change.
Contact: roydavi1@msu.edu
“As we see climate and land use changes create new conditions conducive to wildfires, satellite technology will help us make better decisions to guide the rebuilding process after wildfires. It also will help scientists to model and understand the drivers and constraints on fire and, hopefully, prevent future catastrophic damage.”
Lifeng Luo is the director of MSU’s Environmental Science and Policy Program, as well as a professor in the Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences in the College of Social Science. Luo is an expert in the variability and predictability of climate, hydro climatology, and resource management, among other areas.
Contact: lluo@msu.edu
“A number of factors are at play in the formation and intensification of tropical storms, and the most important one is the warm ocean. More specifically, the sea surface temperature needs to be at least 80 degrees for storms to develop. As the ocean has absorbed a large amount of heat due to global warming, the sea surface temperature has been going up gradually over the last century. Trends can be stronger locally in some regions, such as the North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Other factors include circulation patterns and modes of climate variability like El Nino. Additionally, La Nina tends to increase the number of tropical storms in the Atlantic basin due to reduced vertical wind shear. With three La Ninas in a row in the last three years, climate variability may also contribute to the fact that you see consecutive above-normal hurricane seasons.
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