Winter is officially here, and it’s starting off with a bang. A blast of Arctic air sent temperatures plummeting across the eastern U.S. over the weekend, and two more cold waves are likely on the way. Meanwhile, a large storm currently affecting the central U.S. is tracking eastward, and the frigid temps could help it […]
Air Force Videos Capture the Eye of Hurricane Melissa as Catastrophic Storm Hits Jamaica
Melissa, now a Category 5 hurricane, made landfall in Jamaica this afternoon as the strongest storm in the nation’s recorded history. At 1:00 p.m. ET, the storm was hammering the island with 185-mile-per-hour (295-kilometer-per-hour) winds and torrential rain as its eye moved over the southwestern coast, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). On Monday, […]
Neighborhoods Devastated by LA Wildfires Now Brace for Deadly Flash Floods
A powerful rainstorm moving down the California coast could dump more than an inch of rain over multiple burn scar areas in Los Angeles County today, including those of the Eaton and Palisades fires. County officials have issued evacuation warnings and orders for these areas due to the risk of flash flooding, mudslides, and debris […]
Zombie Fires and Historic Hurricanes: The 8 Wildest Weather Events of Summer 2025
This year has produced some really wild weather. And when I say wild, I mean truly unexpected, record-breaking, extreme events that defied our understanding of Earth’s climate system. To be fair to the scientists who spend their lives trying to predict the weather, it’s hard to understand something that’s undergoing rapid, unprecedented, human-driven change. To […]
FEMA Staffers Warned of Looming ‘Katrina-Level’ Disaster, Then Got Suspended
It’s been 20 years since Hurricane Katrina slammed into the U.S. Gulf Coast, killing nearly 1,400 people and displacing up to 1.2 million more. The storm’s impact overwhelmed the Federal Emergency Management Agency, revealing fatal flaws in its disaster response. The agency’s failure prompted Congress to overhaul FEMA largely through the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform […]
Hurricane Swarms Are a Thing We Have to Worry About Now
In early October 2024, hurricanes Milton, Kirk, and Leslie churned in the Atlantic Basin—the first time on record that three Atlantic hurricanes were simultaneously active after September, according to NOAA. New research warns that tropical cyclone “clusters” are becoming more common in this part of the world, compounding the hazards of hurricane season. Tropical cyclone […]
Astonishing ‘Megaflash’ Sets World Record for Longest Lightning Strike
A lightning flash tore across the sky above the Great Plains, stretching across a staggering 515 miles (829 kilometers) from eastern Texas to Kansas City. That “megaflash” shattered the previous record for longest lightning flash of 477 miles (768 kilometers), set in 2023. An international team of researchers documented the record-breaking flash in a new […]
Federal Forecasters Lose Access to Critical Tool as Hurricane Season Begins
As Atlantic hurricane season surges to life, federal forecasters must say goodbye to one of their most valuable tools—Saildrones. These uncrewed ships sail into the hearts of tropical storms to collect real-time data that scientists use to predict their strength and path. For the past four years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has […]
A Gigantic Cloud of Saharan Dust Is Barreling Toward Florida
An enormous cloud of dust from the Sahara is floating westward over the Atlantic Ocean, heading straight for Florida. The densest part of the African dust plume has already reached the Caribbean and could blow into the Sunshine State by midweek, according to the National Weather Service office in Miami. When the dust rolls in, […]
Deadly Kentucky Tornadoes Ignite Fears Over U.S. Weather Warning Systems
Sandra Anderson didn’t think the storm would be too bad. When her grandchildren asked if the dogs should be brought in, Anderson demurred, saying they’d be fine. But later that night, an alert on her phone warned her of a tornado tearing through her hometown of London, Kentucky. Seconds later, it hit her neighborhood. “I […]