Texas Panhandle Fires Burn Structures, Close Nuclear Facility
Fueled by winds gusting at more than 60 mph and dry conditions, wildfires tore through the Texas Panhandle, destroying homes and forcing a nuclear weapons facility to shut down. Here’s the latest as of Wednesday morning: -The largest fire is called the Smokehouse Creek Fire. It has burned more than 400 square miles, according to […]
100 Days Until Hurricane Season: What The Titans Of Seasonal Forecasting Tell Us
An active hurricane season is likely ahead according to the two titans of the pre-season forecasting: warmer than average water temperatures and the arrival of La Niña. Those two are likely to work in tandem to create a busy season. While it is too early to determine the exact number of tropical storms or hurricanes […]
What Is A Nor’easter?
A nor’easter is a strong area of low pressure along the East Coast of the United States that typically features winds from the northeast off the Atlantic Ocean – hence the term “nor’easter.” The heavily-populated Interstate 95 Northeast Megalopolis, including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C., is especially vulnerable to this type of storm due […]
The Earth’s tectonic plates made the Himalayas — and could rip them apart
Researchers theorize that the Indian plate is plunging under the Eurasian plate, but as that process plays out, part of it is splitting apart under Tibet. In the heart of Asia, deep underground, two huge tectonic plates are crashing into each other — a violent but slow-motion bout of geological bumper cars that over time has sculpted […]
Groundhog Day Forecast 2024: Will Punxsutawney Phil See His Shadow?..
All eyes will be on Punxsutawney Phil this Friday morning for Groundhog Day in Pennsylvania where, according to legend, we will find out if an early spring is around the corner or if we have to slog through six more weeks of winter. Phil will make his prediction around sunrise: The groundhog will emerge near the […]
America’s Northernmost Town, Utqiagvik, Alaska, Will See Its First Sunrise in More Than Two Months Tuesday
The sun will finally rise for the first time this year on Tuesday in America’s northernmost town, Utqiagvik, Alaska, after a roughly two-month stretch without seeing the sun north of the Arctic Circle. Tuesday afternoon, the sun will peek above the horizon along Alaska’s North Slope around 1:09 p.m. AKST, 66 days after it set […]
New Winter Storm Brings More Snow, Ice To Northwest Before Spreading East
Just days after Winter Storm Heather brought widespread power outages, gusty winds and heavy ice accumulation to Oregon, another system is set to bring damaging ice conditions back to the Northwest. This storm could also produce snowfall in the northern Rockies, Midwest and East in the coming days. The storm has been named Winter Storm Indigo by […]
Central US Walloped By Blizzard Conditions, Closing Highways, Schools and Government Offices
A sprawling storm that pelted much of the nation’s midsection with more than a half a foot of snow and gusty winds created whiteout conditions that closed parts of two interstate highways and prompted officials to close schools and government offices in several states Tuesday. Up to 12 inches (20 to 30 centimeters) of snow […]
How Does Fog Form?
Fog is a visible mass of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air near the ground. It forms when the air becomes saturated with moisture and the water vapor condenses into small water droplets. Several factors contribute to the formation of fog: Humidity: Fog forms when the air becomes saturated with moisture. This […]
Twelve days of AOML research
Happy Holidays to all! As we close out 2023, join us as we look back at some of our top research highlights this year! From responding to heat waves to setting records and launching new tech, our dedicated team continues to push the boundary in an effort to support NOAA’s mission to build a climate-ready […]