Powerful forces are colliding.
Weather is one of the most dynamic forces shaping our planet, but now it's more extreme and complex than ever. Extreme Weather takes us to the frontlines where few have gone. Travel to the edge of 300-foot tall glaciers collapsing, to the front lines of massive wildfires, directly in the path of deadly, yet mesmerizing tornadoes. Follow researchers and everyday heroes as they uncover surprising connections to help us understand and adapt to our ever-changing weather, while discovering the surprising connections among these powerful forces.
Among the melting tidewater glaciers of Alaska, National Geographic Emerging Explorer Dr. Erin Pettit leads a young team of researchers into the splash zone at the face of Dawes Glacier aboard a boat custom-designed to get as close as possible to the calving ice. Using a variety of instruments, her team works to measure the rate of melting to help build a more accurate model of global ocean level rise.