Category: Climate

May Brought Storms and Heavy Rain from the South to the Northeast; Spring was the Second Warmest on Record

6/13/2025 - By ncei.noaa.gov. Key Points: Thirteen states experienced one of their five wettest Mays on record, while dry conditions persisted across much of the Northwest. Two significant severe weather outbreaks on May 15–16 and May 18–20 resulted in over 200 tornado reports, very large hail and damaging winds. Alaska had its… SEE MORE

Lane Simmons of the U.S. Geological Survey collects a water-quality sample at the Mississippi River at Baton Rouge, Louisiana (USGS 07374000). Credit: Scott Dennis, USGS.

NOAA Forecasts an Average Summer ‘Dead Zone’ in Gulf

6/11/2025 - By oceanservice.noaa.gov. Low-oxygen conditions expected to impact 5,574-square-mile area NOAA is forecasting this summer’s Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) “dead zone” to be average-sized, covering approximately 5,574 square miles — an area roughly three times the size of Delaware. The dead zone, or hypoxic zone, is an area of… SEE MORE

Hail Camera Invention will Help Improve Hail Forecasts

6/7/2025 - By research.noaa.gov. High speed cameras encased in bullet-resistant polycarbonate. LED lights 30 percent brighter than the sun. All mounted to the back of a diesel pick up truck wrapped in a metal cage. That’s the latest innovation in hail storm science from the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL). Each… SEE MORE

Unmasking the Complicated Chemistry of Wildfire Smoke: How far have Scientists Come?

6/5/2025 - By Amber Liggett. Each time Lisa Patel stepped out of her apartment, a burning sensation stung her eyes and nose. The thick, toxic air made it difficult to breathe, tightening her chest as she moved through the streets of New Delhi. With asthma, every breath felt like a struggle. Amid… SEE MORE

Satellite image of Tropical Storm Hone from NOAA's GOES-18 satellite on August 24, 2024, as it approached the Big Island of Hawaii and shortly before the storm intensified to hurricane strength.

NOAA Predicts Less Active 2025 Central Pacific Hurricane Season

5/19/2025 - By noaa.gov. Forecasters urge public to prepare well ahead of upcoming season Today, forecasters with NOAA’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center and Climate Prediction Center announced a 30% chance of below-normal tropical cyclone activity for the upcoming central Pacific Hurricane Season. The 2025 outlook also indicates a 50% chance of a near-normal hurricane season and… SEE MORE

Assessing the U.S. Climate in April 2025

5/13/2025 - By ncei.noaa.gov. April brought widespread rainfall and severe storms to the central U.S., and much of the West, South and East remained dry and unseasonably warm Key Points: A slow-moving storm system in early April brought widespread flooding and over 150 tornadoes to the South and Midwest, resulting in numerous… SEE MORE

US will Stop Tracking the Costs of Extreme Weather Fueled by Climate Change

5/11/2025 - By Alexa St. John. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will no longer track the cost of climate change-fueled weather disasters, including floods, heat waves, wildfires and more. It is the latest example of changes to the agency and the Trump administration limiting federal government resources on climate change. NOAA… SEE MORE

An X9 flare, which can be seen in the lower half of the sun, captured by GOES-19’s Solar Ultraviolet Imager (SUVI) instrument on Oct. 3, 2024. (Image credit: NOAA)

Five Historically Huge Solar Events

4/21/2025 - By noaa.gov. Space weather impacts numerous facets of everyday life, including power grids, communications, airline operations, global positioning systems (GPS), and satellites. In addition, there are a large variety of phenomena that are driven by the variability of the sun over periods ranging from hours to years. Solar flares are… SEE MORE

Don’t Drain the Swamps: Tidal Wetlands Store Huge Amounts of Carbon

4/19/2025 - By tula.org. Research just published by the American Geophysical Union digs deeper into the carbon-storing power of wetlands along North America’s Pacific coast. A new paper featuring Hakai Institute researchers and led by Oregon State University reveals that the forested tidal swamps of the Pacific Northwest, alongside mangroves in Mexico, stash away… SEE MORE

Assessing the Global Climate in March 2025

4/13/2025 - By ncei.noaa.gov. Above-average temperatures cover much of the globe; lowest sea ice extent March Highlights: Temperatures were above average over much of the globe, particularly in the Arctic, but much below average over central Canada and eastern Asia. Global sea ice extent ranked second lowest on record for March; Arctic… SEE MORE