Across the world, a series of extreme weather events are affecting local conditions in a variety of ways. Some areas are getting drier, and hotter, while others are getting wetter, as floods are becoming more frequent, and more extreme. Formal weather records go back 150 years. While these records indicate wildly varying climates, conditions have never changed as rapidly as they are changing now. The most notably changes due to Global Warming are occurring at the poles, with polar icecaps melting at an almost frightening rate.