Category: Weather Nerd

Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano Erupts for the 40th Time in Just Over a Year

fire and smoke erupt from Kilauea volcano

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, designated as one of the world’s most active, began its latest “eruptive episode” on January 12. This will mark the volcano’s 40th eruption since December 23, 2024. According to the USGS, the volcano is currently at a Volcano Alert Level of “Watch” and an Aviation Color Code of “Orange.” This designation indicates […]

Strangely Warm Weather in the Southern U.S. brings Rare Tornado Activity in the Middle of Winter

Tornado funnel and storm clouds over midwestern field

January is the heart of meteorological winter across the Northern Hemisphere, and many associate the month with snowy scenes. However, as AccuWeather reports, two recent outbreaks of severe weather that spawned more than 100 tornadoes across the southern United States prove this month can pack a punch in terms of severe weather. “It is generally […]

Have You Spied that Brilliant Bright “Star” in the Eastern Night Sky?

Jupiter shining brightly behind planet Earth in the night sky

A brilliant “star” rising in the eastern sky after sunset this winter is drawing attention across the Northern Hemisphere. Well, as Forbes reports, it’s not a star at all, but Jupiter, now just a two days from its direct opposition on Jan. 10, 2026, when it becomes the brightest and most visible planet of the […]

Debunking Cold-Weather Myths

A woman bundled up for winter drinks steaming beverage in front of fir tree

“Don’t go out in cold weather with wet hair or you’ll catch a cold!” As AccuWeather reports, many people have heard this sentiment throughout their lifetimes from well-meaning parents or grandparents. Many have passed the advice along to their own children. But just how true are these cold weather warnings? “I call these ‘everybody knows […]

After Record-Breaking Rains, the West Coast is about to get some Much Needed Relief

Cloudy skies and rain over San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge

“It never rains in California,. But girl, don’t they warn ya? It pours, man it pours.” Never has that song by Albert Hammond ever been more true than in the last two weeks across California and the western states. A nearly relentless wet pattern has soaked California and the West for the last fourteen days, […]

Who Will Get a Winter Weather Reprieve to Start the New Year?

A frosty sun glows behind a leafless tree in the middle of a field

Folks sick of winter’s cold should see a reprieve from the icy weather this week, forecasters predict. As USA Today reports, temperatures are likely to be much warmer than average across a wide expanse of the country, the National Weather Service said in an online forecast posted Jan. 2. “Milder air will surge east next week as […]

AccuWeather’s Top 10 Record-Breaking Weather Events of 2025

Trained black search and rescue dog in remnants of Camp Mystic flooding

From extreme winds and heat to unprecedented snow and an unusual hurricane season, 2025 will be remembered as a year that continually rewrote the weather record books. In chronological order, here’s is AccuWeather’s list of the top 10 record-breaking weather events of the year: Jan. 20-22: Historic snowstorm blasts Gulf Coast The year began with […]

James Webb Telescope spots a Jupiter-sized Planet with Atmospheric Soot and Diamonds

James Webb Space Telescope orbiting earth

A distant exoplanet appears to sport a sooty atmosphere that is confusing the scientists who recently spotted it. As LiveScience reports, the Jupiter-size world, detected by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), doesn’t have the familiar helium-hydrogen combination we are used to in atmospheres from our solar system, nor other common molecules, like water, methane or carbon […]

New Year’s Eve Forecasts – Will 2025 Go Out with a Bang or a Whimper?

Times Square New Year's Eve celebration

As the calendar turns from 2025 to 2026, gone will be the record warmth in the Central and Southern states, as well as the deluge of rain that soaked California through Christmas week. The snow and cold that have plagued parts of the Northern and Eastern states, however, could still present issues for those with travel or […]

Quicksand? In Utah? Yes, and it’s more Common than you Think

Zion National Park in winter

Getting trapped in quicksand is a corny peril of old movies and TV shows, but it really did happen to one unfortunate hiker in Utah’s Arches National Park. As CNN reports, the park famous for dozens of natural, sandstone arches gets over 1 million visitors a year, and accidents ranging from falls to heatstroke are common. Quicksand, well, not […]