During high-stress times on the grid, the reduced reliability of hydropower is already causing problems, says Brian Tarroja, an energy researcher at the University of California, Irvine. … These difficulties are likely to continue, Tarroja says. Climate change is altering rainfall patterns and causing higher temperatures, even if overall precipitation stays constant.

A modest 0.5 degree Celsius rise in average temperatures in India over the last 50 years has led to a nearly 150 percent hike in heatwaves that kill at least 100 people, said researchers at the University of California in Irvine.