Category: Climate

Assessing the U.S. Climate in March 2025

4/11/2025 - By ncei.noaa.gov. Tornadoes in March were more than double the monthly average and three separate outbreaks produced more than 200 tornadoes Key Points: A multi-day severe weather outbreak in the middle of March caused significant damage across several states from Texas to Tennessee, resulting in multiple fatalities. Two EF-4 tornadoes… SEE MORE

Image Credits: MARCH 20, 2025: At NOAA's South Pole Atmospheric Baseline Observatory, a wave of snow frames Dark Sector telescopes, giving a final glimpse of sunlight before six months of darkness. (Image credit: Ian Crocker/NOAA)

Last Light at South Pole Brings 6 Months of Darkness

4/5/2025 - By noaa.gov. In the Northern Hemisphere, March 20 signals the start of spring. It's the start of fall in the Southern Hemisphere, where researchers and staff at NOAA’s South Pole Observatory recently witnessed the fading light of the sun and the start of six months of darkness. “As the sun gets low on… SEE MORE

Coastal marsh within the Sandy Hook Bay estuary. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Jessie Murray

Marsh Madness: Protecting Wetlands & Coastal Habitats

3/28/2025 - By fisheries.noaa.gov. While players duel it out on the court, we’re keeping score of all the ways marsh habitat plays an important role in the protection and restoration work we do for communities, fish, and wildlife. Through early April, NOAA is taking a court-side look at how we protect and… SEE MORE

Nesting east Pacific green turtle in Galapagos - sandy head shot. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Boyd Lyon

Most Sea Turtles Rebounding Worldwide as Conservation Efforts Protect Nests and Habitat, Analysis Finds

3/26/2025 - By fisheries.noaa.gov. Turtle populations still face unpredictable effects of climate change. Once hammered by overhunting and habitat loss, sea turtles have persevered with new protections and conservation efforts. Their populations are now rebounding even as oceans change, a new review has found. “Sea turtles are a shining light of marine… SEE MORE

Lassen National Volcanic Park, Warner Valley, California, May 2012. (Image credit: John Cloud/NOAA)

Spring Outlook: Dry in the West, Milder than Average in the South and East

3/22/2025 - By noaa.gov. Drought to develop or persist for Rocky Mountains, Southwest and southern Plains Today, forecasters from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center — part of the National Weather Service — issued the 2025 U.S. Spring Outlook for temperature, precipitation, drought and flooding for the coming months. Forecasters predict above-average temperatures for the East… SEE MORE

Image Credits: A male northern elephant seal. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Mark Lowry.

From Krill to Elephant Seals, Sentinel Species Detect Hidden Ocean Shifts that Forecast Change

3/18/2025 - By fisheries.noaa.gov. New research identifies species that signal changes in ocean ecosystems. Northern elephant seals weigh in at several thousand pounds and quickly put on more weight when catching squid, fish, and other prey. They feed off the California coast in the so-called “twilight zone” of the ocean (200 to… SEE MORE

Image Credits: What the collision that spawned Earth's Moon may have looked like. Collisions between Earth and rocky debris in the early solar system would have kept the surface molten and surface temperatures blistering. Image courtesy NASA.

What’s the Hottest Earth’s Ever Been?

3/12/2025 - By Michon Scott and Rebecca Lindsey. Our 4.54-billion-year-old planet probably experienced its hottest temperatures in its earliest days, when it was still colliding with other rocky debris (planetesimals) careening around the solar system. The heat of these collisions would have kept Earth molten, with top-of-the-atmosphere temperatures upward of 3,600° Fahrenheit.… SEE MORE

Hurricane satellite image, taken Oct 9, 2024 Photo by NOAA

Essential Data for a Changing Coast: NOAA, National Weather Service, National Ocean Service

2/25/2025 - by US Harbors The National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Ocean Service (NOS), both offices of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), provide life-saving weather and tidal forecasting in the U.S.. Weather forecasting from the NWS is used daily to ensure that farmers’ crops are protected, safe travel plans… SEE MORE

Image Credits: The Pacific Palisades Fire near Malibu, California, which started on January 7, 2025. Adobe stock photo.

The Weather and Climate Influences on the January 2025 Fires Around Los Angeles

2/22/2025 - By Rebecca Lindsey. Highlights A trifecta of fire-friendly climate conditions set the stage for the January 2025 fires: back-to-back wet winters that boosted vegetation, a record-dry fall, and an extremely strong Santa Ana wind event. By one estimate, record-low fall precipitation had a bigger influence on the exceptionally low vegetation… SEE MORE

‘Life-Threatening Cold’ Expected as Polar Vortex Stretches Across U.S. After Deadly Weekend Flooding

2/16/2025 - By apnews.com. Harsh weather moved west on Monday as a polar vortex was expected to grip the Rockies and the northern Plains after winter storms pummeled the eastern U.S. over the weekend, killing at least 10 people, including nine victims in Kentucky who died during flooding from heavy rains. The National Weather Service warned… SEE MORE