Eric Zerkel - Extreme Weather Editor
Eric Zerkel
Extreme Weather Editor
Eric Zerkel is an editor on CNN's climate team covering extreme weather and its intersection with the climate crisis.
Latest
Unwieldy wildfires scorch Canada and threaten a community scarred by past catastrophe
May 15, 2024
Improving winds and a storm moving into western Canada are providing a temporary boost to firefighters battling massive wildfires, but the danger remains heightened as they burn close to three communities.
Rapidly-spreading fires are threatening to burn through Canadian towns and degrading air quality
May 15, 2024
Dangerous wildfires have scorched tens of thousands of acres and are closing in on multiple Canadian towns, forcing thousands of evacuations and degrading air quality.
Dozens of blazes burning in Canada are sending smoke to the US. Several major fires have forced hundreds of evacuations
May 14, 2024
More than 100 blazes are burning across Canada Monday, with several major wildfires prompting evacuations for hundreds of residents and threatening to swallow up communities.
The US is in the middle of an exceptional tornado streak. Here’s what it looks like
May 9, 2024
It started in Utah, of all places. A whirling tendril of air descended from a roiling sky above a southwest suburb of Salt Lake City, punctuating the horizon. It was a tornado – the first of many over the course of weeks.
Aerial photos before and after tornadoes show how much was destroyed
Apr 29, 2024
A devastating, multi-day tornado outbreak leveled entire neighborhoods and businesses starting Friday, upending lives across several states in the American Heartland.
A plant that’s everywhere is fueling a growing risk of wildfire disaster
Apr 26, 2024
A ubiquitous, resilient and seemingly harmless plant is fueling an increase in large, fast-moving and destructive wildfires in the United States.
Deadly Nor’easter cuts off power to hundreds of thousands across the Northeast as many roads remain impassable
Apr 5, 2024
At least three people are dead and hundreds of thousands are without power Friday after a nor’easter brought heavy snow and strong winds to parts of the Northeast.
Winter is over, and it was the warmest on record. Here’s what the US missed out on this season
Mar 8, 2024
The final chapter of winter has been written and it’s the story of a season that didn’t live up to its name.
Back-to-back winter storms begin a punishing week of extreme weather to come in the US
Jan 6, 2024
A winter storm is plowing through the mid-Atlantic and Northeast Saturday, and there’s another stronger one nipping at its heels that will affect a much wider area of the US.
Winter in the US is about to explode into action with two winter storms and Arctic cold coming
Jan 5, 2024
Winter is about to kick into overdrive in the US. A one-two punch of winter storms and the first Arctic cold outbreak of the season are poised to affect millions of Americans through next week.
Who will see snow this weekend? First big winter storm of the season targets Northeast and mid-Atlantic
Jan 4, 2024
A substantial storm is poised to smack the Northeast and parts of the mid-Atlantic with winter’s first dose of big snow and dangerous ice this weekend.
Winter’s first major storm set to hit the eastern US with heavy rain and significant snow
Jan 4, 2024
A major winter storm is setting up to thrash much of the eastern US this weekend with heavy rain, strong winds and the first significant snow of the season.
New maps show where snowfall is disappearing
Nov 25, 2023
Snowfall is declining across the globe, which also illustrates an alarming trend for global freshwater supply, as temperatures rise because of human-caused climate change.
Before-and-afters show devastation from Category 5 Hurricane Otis in Mexico
Oct 27, 2023
New satellite images capture the scale of destruction Category 5 Hurricane Otis wrought in Acapulco and southern Mexico.
Florida tornadoes damage homes, businesses and cars on both coasts
Oct 12, 2023
At least one tornado damaged homes, cars and businesses in Florida as severe weather hit the state Thursday.
The Mississippi River has dropped to a historic low for the second consecutive year
Oct 11, 2023
Mississippi River water levels are plummeting to an all-time low this week at Memphis in the wake of a sweltering summer and ongoing drought – setting a record for the second consecutive year, new data shows.
About
Eric Zerkel is an editor on CNN’s climate team covering extreme weather and its intersection with the climate crisis.
He joined CNN from The Weather channel where he served in various roles during his decade with the company, including his last position as head of subscription content. There he also assigned and edited text stories, videos and podcasts for weather.com, covered weather and climate science and developed and launched subscription weather content, newsletters and alerts. Prior to The Weather Channel, he reported for the New York Daily News, The Wall Street Journal and Esquire.
Originally from Florida, Zerkel has a BS in Political Science and English from Florida State University and a master’s degree in journalism from New York University.
