Are hurricanes strengthening more rapidly?
Hurricanes Harvey, Michael and now Laura all had rapid intensification, but is it really becoming more common?
Aug. 28, 2020 • ~6 min
climate-change hurricanes meteorology natural-disasters atmospheric-science oceans wind
Curious Kids: How much does a cloud weigh?
It's a lot more than you might think.
July 24, 2020 • ~5 min
rainfall meteorology curious-kids clouds
What is a derecho? An atmospheric scientist explains these rare but dangerous storm systems
Hurricane and tornado winds spin in circles, but there's another, equally dangerous storm type where winds barrel straight ahead. They're called derechos, and are most common in summer.
June 15, 2020 • ~9 min
hurricane storms meteorology natural-disasters weather-forecasting weather tornado thunderstorm great-plains
Cold war nuclear tests changed rainfall thousands of miles away
Finding could be useful for attempts to manipulate the weather using technology.
May 14, 2020 • ~5 min
rainfall meteorology weather nuclear-tests
Grounded aircraft could make weather forecasts less reliable
More than one million weather observations were made by aircraft each day in 2019. Since the pandemic started, these have dropped by 90%.
May 13, 2020 • ~6 min
covid-19 coronavirus extreme-weather meteorology weather-forecasting aviation aeroplanes flights natural-hazards
Tornadoes that strike at night are more deadly and require more effective warning systems
In the Southeast US, tornadoes strike at night more often than in other regions. This poses special challenges for getting early warnings to the public.
March 5, 2020 • ~8 min
social-media storms meteorology natural-disasters weather-forecasting early-warning-systems tornado tennessee disaster-preparedness
Atmospheric river storms can drive costly flooding – and climate change is making them stronger
Earth's biggest rivers are streams of warm water vapor in the atmosphere that can cause huge rain and snowfall over land. Climate change is making them longer, wetter and stronger.
Jan. 27, 2020 • ~8 min
climate-change flooding storms meteorology natural-disasters rain snow weather-forecasting atmospheric-science global-perspectives
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