El Niño typically raises the risk of drought in Central America, Southeast Asia, the Sahel and Southern Africa, while increasing the threat of floods in East Africa and South America, according to the UN. As AccuWeather reports, there is a growing chance of a super El Niño this year, which will have numerous weather-related impacts […]
Category: Weather Nerd
Your Official Summer Forecast is Here
This summer, orange and red are the colors of the season. As USA Today reports, the forecast released May 21 by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center shows that widespread above-average temperatures are expected across much of the U.S., with the exception of the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest. According to the forecast from NOAA, the June-July-August temperature outlook “favors […]
Hurricane Forecasters have their Eyes on the Eastern Pacific and Atlantic for Early Development
AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring areas in the Gulf and waters off the west coasts of Central America and Mexico for possible tropical development during the start of the new month. The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins on June 1, while the eastern Pacific hurricane season began on May 15. Atlantic Basin is Under Close Watch “Whenever there […]
What is a Tropical Wave and How do they Become Hurricanes?
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 […]
Scientists Have Found Clues that a New Tectonic Plate Boundary is Forming
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 […]
Hurricane Season Hasn’t Even Begun, but This Area is Already on a Watch List
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 […]
NOAA Predicts a Below-Normal 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season, and You Can Thank El Niño
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 […]
The Rain Paradox
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 […]
The Strongest El Niño in Decades is Looming
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 […]
Why April, May And June Are The Most Active Months For Tornadoes, Especially For Intense to Violent Twisters
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, […]