Before a hurricane earns a name and threatens land, it often begins as something smaller and lesser-known: a tropical wave. What exactly is a tropical wave and why does it matter? As AccuWeather reports, tropical waves are clusters of showers and thunderstorms that are the seedlings of many of the storms that develop throughout the […]
Sub-Saharan Africa could split up in a few million years, and scientists believe they might be witnessing the early stages of this geological process. The Kafue Rift As CNN reports, the split would occur along the Kafue Rift, which is part of a roughly 1,500-mile-long (2,500-kilometer) rift line spanning from Tanzania to Namibia. A rift […]
The official start of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season doesn’t start until June 1, but the AccuWeather hurricane experts are already keeping an eye on the potential for tropical development. “A close eye will have to be kept on the far southwestern Atlantic during the first and second weeks of June as atmospheric conditions are expected to become […]
Time is ticking down to the June 1 start of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) first forecast for it is finalized. As CNN Weather reports, NOAA’s team of experts is predicting a below-average hurricane season, similar to other experts’ forecasts in recent weeks. The anticipated return of El Niño — and […]
Here’s another one for the weird science file. As USA Today reports, new research shows that although the world is seeing more rain overall, it’s also getting drier at the same time. How can that be? In simple terms, the world’s rainfall is increasingly packed into bigger storms with longer dry spells in between. And a […]
It’s happened only four times since 1950. But the odds are increasing that a so-called “super El Niño” could strike again in 2026, turbocharging hurricane activity in the Pacific Ocean, saddling the southern half of the United States with a much cooler and wetter winter and ultimately fueling what could turn out to be the […]
It has been a hellish tornado season so far, and this week more violent tornadoes ripped through midwestern states. More than 25 possible tornadoes were reported across Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa Sunday, according to preliminary reports from NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center. Tornadoes can strike certain parts of the U.S. at any time of year, […]
When the new Moon rises, or in the next few nights when the Moon is a slim crescent, go outside and look up. You might see Earth’s reflected light in the dim glow. What is Earthshine? According to NASA, a new Moon occurs when all of the Sun’s light is reflected away from Earth, and […]
We all know the evening sound of a cricket. Did you know the number of cricket chirps report the temperature? It’s true! Here’s how to use the “cricket thermometer” method, according to our tried and true, The Farmer’s Almanac: The Cricket as a Thermometer Crickets are cold-blooded and take on the temperature of their surroundings. Back in […]
It seems like reports of dust devils have been showing up in social media posts all over the U.S. this spring. From Rio Rancho, New Mexico, to Boone County, Iowa, to Fountain Inn, South Carolina, and even Chicago, Illinois. In reality, these short-lived “whirlwinds” are relatively common across the world and typically harmless. They can […]