Tag: Extreme Weather

A car drives through a snowstorm in Broomfield, Colorado, in 2024. (Image credit: Bob Hyatt/NOAA)

El Nino looms large over U.S. Winter Outlook

10/17/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. NOAA’s U.S. Winter Outlook, released today, shows how El Nino will likely influence the upcoming winter months (December 2026 to February 2027), with warmer-than-average temperatures expected across the northern U.S.; wetter-than-average conditions likely across the southern U.S., from California to Florida, and along the Eastern Seaboard; and drought improving… SEE MORE

Map showing sea surface height anomalies using Darker reds to show sea levels higher than normal, while darker blues show heights below normal

Kelvin Waves, Explained

10/11/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. You may be hearing a lot about Kelvin waves in the news. What are Kelvin waves, and how are they related to El Niño? We asked oceanographer Michael Jacox, from the Southwest Fisheries Science Center and NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory, to explain the phenomenon. What is a Kelvin wave and… SEE MORE

Southern Resident killer whales swim just off Seattle’s shore. NOAA experts anticipate that the West Coast and the Pacific Islands will feel the effects of the 2026–2027 El Niño event most directly. Credit: NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center; taken under NOAA permit #781-1824

How Will El Niño Affect Your Local Fisheries?

10/10/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. What does El Niño mean for U.S. fisheries and marine life? What can fishermen and coastal communities expect to observe and experience as this event continues and potentially intensifies? And what are scientists at NOAA Fisheries doing to track this natural phenomenon? The El Niño-Southern Oscillation is a powerful… SEE MORE

NOAA's flood inundation map (left) depicting the forecast for flooding extent in New London, Wisconsin, and a photo of flooded streets in New London (right), dated April 17, 2026. (Image credit: NOAA NWS)

NOAA’s flood mapping tool now covers nearly 100% of U.S.

10/7/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. NOAA’s National Weather Service announced today that Flood Inundation Mapping (FIM), a revolutionary tool for predicting river flooding, is now available on an experimental basis to nearly 100% of the U.S. population. This is a massive expansion from FIM’s prior coverage of 60% of the country. FIM… SEE MORE

Hurricane tracks on a map, compared to another map with no tracks

A Hurricane Season Without Hurricanes, So Far

Weather & Tides

9/29/2026 - By US Harbors Every Atlantic hurricane season from 1915 through 2025 produced at least one hurricane by September 21, and most produced about four. This year has produced none. Tropical Storm Hanna, the season's eighth named storm, formed this week far east of Bermuda and is expected to stay a… SEE MORE

Large waves crash over a jetty as a large coastal storm bears down on the region on March 2, 2018 in Scituate, Massachusetts. A powerful nor'easter is bringing snow, rain and high wind to much of the U.S. Northeast. (Image credit: Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

Weekend nor’easter likely to bring damaging winds, coastal flooding

9/26/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. Forecasters at NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) are monitoring a powerful nor’easter bringing damaging wind gusts and dangerous coastal flooding to the Northeast this weekend. The New York City metro area and New Jersey may be especially impacted by this storm. A rapidly deepening storm along the… SEE MORE

Coastally-trapped Kelvin waves, a signature of El Niño, traveled north along the West Coast during the 1997/1998 El Niño, as shown in a map of sea surface height anomalies. Darker reds show sea levels higher than normal, while darker blues show heights below normal. Scientists are now watching for similar waves to move up the West Coast this fall. Credit: Dillon Amaya/North Carolina State University

Ocean Indicators Help Track El Niño’s Arrival on the West Coast

9/5/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. Has El Niño reached the West Coast? You might think it has. After all, the ocean off Southern and Central California is unusually warm. But that is from a recent marine heatwave predates the current El Niño. Much of the Pacific Coast is experiencing relatively normal conditions while still… SEE MORE

NOAA's GOES West satellite captured this image of three tropical cyclones — Hurricanes Fausto and Genevieve and Typhoon Dolphin — swirling simultaneously in the Pacific Ocean. The image was taken on Tuesday, July 27, at 3:30 PM PDT/ 22:30 UTC. None of the three tropical cyclones made landfall in the United States. Fausto contributed to high surf conditions in Hawaii, and Genevieve also brought high surf to southern California. Typhoon Dolphin continued its track west toward Asia. (Image credit: NOAA Satellites)

Pacific Hurricanes Fausto and Genevieve actually had origins near Africa

Weather & Tides

8/13/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. It may be surprising, but two of the hurricanes that swirled in the Pacific last week began their journeys thousands of miles away off the western coast of Africa. Both Hurricanes Fausto and Genevieve developed from tropical waves, which are areas of disturbed weather that rolled off… SEE MORE

Sudden Danger: The Science And Stakes of Flash Flood Forecasting

7/2/2026 - By research.noaa.gov, research.noaa.gov. Though not as feared as tornadoes, hail, or lightning, flash floods are one of the deadliest weather hazards in the United States. While the number of fatalities can vary dramatically from year to year, the national average for flood deaths is 88. Lightning accounts for an average of… SEE MORE

El Nino Forms, Expected To Strengthen, Say NOAA Forecasters

7/1/2026 - By noaa.gov, noaa.gov. NOAA’s National Weather Service announced today that El Nino has developed in the tropical Pacific, and issued an El Nino Advisory. El Nino, the warm phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), is predicted to intensify to a moderate or strong level this fall. Forecasters predict… SEE MORE