The largest fire currently burning in the United States continues to produce enormous plumes of smoke. The Dixie fire in Northern California has surpassed the…
In 2000, atmospheric scientists from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) first reported that smoke plumes from intense wildfires could spawn towering thunderstorms that channeled smoke as…
Ever-warmer summers are among the challenges confronting athletes competing in the Olympic Games. As the 2021 Olympic Games opened in late July, Tokyo was in…
Skies turned hazy from Pittsburgh to Washington to Boston, as smoke from fires in Canada poured into the U.S. Northeast. While plumes of wildfire smoke…
The first hurricane of the Atlantic season made a series of landfalls and dropped abundant rain from the Caribbean to the U.S. East Coast. Tropical…
Severe thunderstorms can draw plumes of cirrus clouds into the stratosphere, a sign that tornadoes, large hail, or damaging winds may be coming soon. After…
Wide, diagonal avenues radiate from the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., outward through the city. The original layout and design of Washington, D.C., comes to life in…
While record-breaking heat enveloped the Pacific Northwest in June 2021, other parts of the Northern Hemisphere also saw early-summer temperatures climb. While record-breaking heat scorched the…
More than 40 wildfires were burning across the Canadian province by the end of June 2021, including a cluster of substantial blazes located about 200…
Lava flows from the Icelandic volcano were estimated to cover a total area of 3 square kilometers, three months after the eruption began. On March…
In June 2021, all-time temperature records fell in multiple cities in the U.S. and Canada during a “historic and dangerous” heatwave. Extraordinary heat events occur…
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear from satellite observations and human experience that the world’s air grew cleaner. But new research shows that…
Noctilucent clouds form so high in the atmosphere that they continue to reflect sunlight hours after sunset, creating a shimmering nighttime spectacle. Clouds illuminated during…
Precipitation totals and lake levels are among the worst they have been since the 1970s. Just four years after emerging from a severe multi-year drought, California…
The dust storm traveled from Algeria to Italy, spanning roughly 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). On June 22, 2021, the Moderate Resolution imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on…
One of the world’s largest deltas stands as a remarkable example of how water and ice can shape the land. The Yukon-Kuskokswim Delta is one…
Exceptional drought has gripped much of Arizona for months. In June 2021, a potent heat wave sent temperatures soaring above 115°F (46°C) on multiple days. Now extreme fires are raging throughout…
Chocolate mountains and a salty lake highlight this desert landscape. This photo of the Sonoran Desert in Southern California was taken with a camera mounted…
