Ocean Warming Predicted to Amplify Tropical Rainfall Extremes
Ocean warming predicted to cause a twofold increase in amplitude of rainfall fluctuations over the tropical Pacific. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the most…
Weather News
Monster Saharan Dust Plume Heading for Europe
A substantial dust plume drifted over the Atlantic Ocean, with some of the airborne grains steering toward the northeast. Each year more than 180 million…
Satellite View: Extreme Winter Weather Causes U.S. Blackouts
A potent arctic weather system chilled much of the United States with frigid weather in mid-February 2021, shattering low-temperature records in the middle of the…
Bolts of Blue: International Space Station Helps Scientists Characterize Elusive “Blue Jets”
Cameras and sensors on the International Space Station have been helping scientists to characterize the natural light shows produced at the tops of thunderstorms. What…
Trading Surfboards for Snowboards: Storms Have Left Abundant Snow Atop Hawaii’s Tallest Volcanic Mountains
Three storms in three weeks have left abundant snow atop Hawaii’s tallest volcanic mountains. Snow is not as rare as you might think in the…
Aeolus Mission Shines a Light on Complex Phenomenon of the Polar Vortex
As this winter’s polar vortex currently sends extreme icy blasts of Arctic weather to some parts of the northern hemisphere such as the northeast of…
Genesis of Bizarre Blue Lightning Jetting Into the Stratosphere Detected From International Space Station
Dark clouds, the smell of rain on a hot sidewalk, the flashes of intense light followed by a loud crackling and then a low, rolling…
Mysterious Hovering Clouds Spotted Over the Transantarctic Mountains
Smooth, stationary clouds are occasionally reported by the public as sightings of “unidentified flying objects.” But these clouds are not as mysterious as they might…
NASA Analysis Shows 2020 Tied for Warmest Year on Record
Earth’s global average surface temperature in 2020 tied with 2016 as the warmest year on record, according to an analysis by NASA. Continuing the planet’s…
Elves Seen From Space [Video]
Dark clouds, the smell of rain on a hot sidewalk, the flashes of intense light followed by a loud crackling and then a low, rolling…
Potent Atmospheric Rivers Soak the Pacific Northwest
In mid-January 2021, the Pacific Northwest of North America was soaked by several episodes of heavy rainfall, leading to widespread flooding and landslides. In mid-January…
Spain’s chilly blanket – Spain Heavy Snowfall Satellite Image
The heavy snowfall that hit Spain a few days ago still lies heavy across much of the country as this Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite image shows….
Madrid Snowbound – Stunning Satellite Image Captures Heaviest Snowfall in 50 Years
Captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission on January 11, 2021, at 12:14 CET, this image of Madrid in Spain appears to have been taken in…
Massive Snowfall Blankets Spain – Heaviest Snowfall in the Region in 50 Years
Meteorologists declared it the largest snowfall in the region since 1971. Between January 7–9, 2021, a moist, low-pressure weather system over the ocean collided with…
Sudden Stratospheric Warming May Trigger “Beast From the East”
A new study led by researchers at the Universities of Bristol, Exeter, and Bath helps to shed light on the winter weather we may soon…
Will Global Warming Bring a Change in the Winds? Dust From Ancient, Deep Sea Sediments Provides a Clue
Westerlies moved poleward in the past, as they are doing now. The westerlies — or westerly winds — play an important role in weather and…
Scientists Discover How Aerosols From Pollution, Desert Storms, and Forest Fires Can Intensify Thunderstorms
Researchers identify a mechanism by which small particles in the atmosphere can generate more frequent thunderstorms. Observations of Earth’s atmosphere show that thunderstorms are often…
NASA’s AIM Mission Spots First Night-Shining Clouds of Antarctic Summer
Summer in Antarctica is marked by days in which the Sun never sets, balmy temperatures that hover as high as freezing, and electric-blue clouds of…