tropical storms

Irma Weakens to a Tropical Storm, But Danger Persists

Irma, which made landfall in the Florida Keys yesterday afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane, has now been downgraded to a tropical storm. The system, which is now 400 miles wide, may have lost some strength, but it’s continuing to produce heavy winds and rain as it marches northwards towards Georgia. As of 8:00 am local…

Hurricane Harvey Expected to Bring Catastrophic Flooding to Texas [Updated]

Tropical Storm Harvey is continuing to gain strength in the Gulf of Mexico, and meteorologists are now expecting this weather system to assume hurricane status by Friday. Texans are now battening down the hatches in preparation for high winds, extreme rains, and an unusually high risk of flooding. Harvey is currently a few hundred miles…

Stop Reading Into Tropical Storms Don and Hilary

Meteorologists are currently tracking a pair of weather systems, a tropical storm named Don that appears to be on its way out, and an emerging system that will be dubbed Hilary should it continue to gain strength. While the names given to these storms might seem deliberate, they’re actually the product of a naming convention…

How Do You Pronounce Tropical Storm Hermine?

Hermine has an identity problem, shifting from hurricane to tropical storm to “post-tropical cyclone.” Whatever the heck it is it’s already caused damage in Florida and power outages in Georgia, and South and North Carolina, and is expected to produce life threatening storm surges in New Jersey and New York over the course of today…

Your Labor Day Beach Plans May Be Rained Out

Millions of Americans are preparing for a wet and wild Labor Day weekend as Tropical Storm Hermine bears down on the southeast, threatening to dump up to ten inches of rain over portions of northwest Florida and southern Georgia through Friday. The storm, which NOAA’s National Hurricane Center upgraded from a tropical depression late yesterday,…

Why This Weekend’s Record Flooding in Louisiana Was So Extreme

Historic, record flooding gripped southeastern Louisiana this weekend after neighborhoods from Baton Rouge to Livingston were swamped under an absolute torrent of rainfall. As of this morning, 20,000 people have been rescued from their homes, and the danger is far from over. Meteorologically speaking, this event has been unfolding for more than a week, thanks…

Thanks to El Niño, Rare Tropical Storms Signal a Wacky Start to 2016

For the first time since records began, two tropical storms—one in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific—have appeared at the same time in January. Named Alex and Pali, these storms are being fueled by unusually warm surface waters. On their own, these early storms are rare occurrences. But the fact that they’re appearing at…

We’ve Never Seen This Many Massive Storms on the Pacific at Once

It was a historic moment in meteorology late last week, when three Category 4 storms were simultaneously spotted marching across the Pacific. As if that wasn’t ominous enough, a tropical depression has just added itself to the mix. Yesterday, NASA’s GOES satellite captured this beautifully ominous image (below) of one typhoon (Kilo), one hurricane (Jimena),…

Do Giant Plumes of Saharan Dust Explain Why We’re Having Such a Quiet Storm Season?

NASA’s Terra satellite recently captured this stunning photo of Saharan dust wafting over the Atlantic ocean. It’s one of several outbreaks this summer that some speculate may be contributing to this year’s relatively peaceful storm season. As noted by Kimberly Miller at the Palm Beach Post, Saharan dust is the strongest it has been in…

No, this isn’t the stormy surface of a remote gas giant, but rather a swirling vortex atop a heated soap bubble. Shot by a high-speed camera, the image is helping scientists understand how these spinning complex structures form, whether they be in a bubble, a tropical storm or Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. Image: Hamid Kellay.

A Tropical Storm Making Ripples in the Ocean Like a Pebble in a Pond

Normally, we see storms as clouds and rain, but there’s invisible power lurking inside. This amazing satellite shot shows that hidden chaos in the form of gravity waves, blasting out from a storm’s center like ripples in a pond. Tropical Cyclone Mahasen, which you can see off to the right there, is heading through the…

How Hurricane Sandy Might Become a Snowpocalyptic Frankenstorm

Meteorologists are forecasting what could be the worst storm to hit the eastern United States in more than 70 years. Dubbed the “Frankenstorm” by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the system could potentially pummel the Mid-Atlantic and northeast with gale-force winds and snow at the same time. Yes, that sounds like a scene from…