Coastal Desk

Could Climate Change Cause More Weather-Related Music? One Scientist Hopes So

WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio | By Travis Lux

Published December 22, 2017 at 7:00 AM CST

Bob Dylan wrote more about about the weather than any other musician in the sample group.

People love talking about the weather. And we did a lot of talking during this year's busy hurricane season. Turns out the weather has a way of showing up in music — but less now than it used to.

WWNO’s Travis Lux talked with Paul Williams, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Reading in the UK, who studies how musicians write about the weather. He hopes climate change will inspire more weather-related music.

Support for the Coastal Desk comes from the Walton Family Foundation, the Greater New Orleans Foundation, and local listeners.

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Travis Lux

As Coastal Reporter, Travis Lux covers flood protection, coastal restoration, infrastructure, the energy and seafood industries, and the environment. In this role he's reported on everything from pipeline protests in the Atchafalaya swamp, to how shrimpers cope with low prices. He had a big hand in producing the series, New Orleans: Ready Or Not?, which examined how prepared New Orleans is for a future with more extreme weather. In 2017, Travis co-produced two episodes of TriPod: New Orleans at 300 examining New Orleans' historic efforts at flood protection. One episode, NOLA vs Nature: The Other Biggest Flood in New Orleans History, was recognized with awards from the Public Radio News Directors and the New Orleans Press Club. His stories often find a wider audience on national programs, too, like NPR's Morning Edition, WBUR's Here and Now, and WHYY's The Pulse.

See stories by Travis Lux

Could Climate Change Cause More Weather-Related Music? One Scientist Hopes So

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