AccuWeather Daily

A La Niña watch has been issued, but what does that really mean for the rest of Atlantic hurricane season and snow this winter in the U.S.? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A strengthening storm system and returning warmth will trigger severe thunderstorms across the U.S. Plains Friday into Saturday, with the primary threats being from damaging winds and large hail. In the East, a stagnant weather pattern will limit rainfall across much of the East, raising fire danger and stressing vegetation as cooler, drier air spreads south into Florida. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cooler air and storms moving into the western US will aid firefighting in some areas but also bring hazards, including flooding on burn scars and gusty winds that could ignite new blazes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Despite their anxieties, many Americans said they don’t feel ready for natural disasters. The poll of 2,500 adults, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Master Lock, found tornadoes ranked as the scariest natural disaster overall (46%), narrowly edging out tsunamis (43%), followed by earthquakes (35%) and hurricanes (33%). Wildfires (30%), flash floods (26%), heat waves and droughts (6%), blizzards (4%) and mudslides (4%) trailed behind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Water scarcity is a huge global issue. More than 2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, a situation set to worsen due to climate change, which fuels longer and more severe drought. As reservoirs shrink, groundwater dries up and rainy seasons become more erratic, some believe one answer to this crisis lies in the reservoirs of moisture in our skies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wildfire concerns remain high across the northwestern United States, and AccuWeather meteorologists warn that the upcoming week will bring both challenges and some relief for residents in the region. Also, Woolly Bear caterpillars are starting to emerge, and according to folklore, their colors can predict what type of winter is ahead. •Black bands: If a woolly bear is mostly black, it indicates a longer, colder and snowier winter is ahead.•Brown bands: If the middle brown band is large, then the upcoming winter will not be as cold or snowy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Leaf-peeping season is almost here. Find out where fall foliage is expected to pop and which regions may have a shorter show this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The start of autumn may feel like an extension of summer across most of the United States, but colder (and snowier) weather is in the forecast. Here's what you can expect in your area this fall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A budding tropical rainstorm is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane and impact the northeast Caribbean by midweek, while other areas across the Atlantic and Gulf are being monitored. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A fast-moving wildfire tore through a historic Gold Rush community in Tuolumne County, California, on Tuesday, forcing evacuations and destroying homes, according to Cal Fire. The blaze, known as the 6-5 Fire, grew quickly to more than 6 square miles and was still uncontained Tuesday night. Sargassum supports biodiversity in the open sea, but when it washes ashore, it decomposes, creating environmental, economic and health problems. Mexico has some ideas of how to put it use rather than just cleaning it up from beaches. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The tropics are becoming more active across the eastern Pacific Ocean, with two named systems in the basin. Tropical Storm Lorena is forecast to affect portions of western Mexico this week and may later influence the weather in the southwestern United States, while Hurricane Kiko is expected to approach Hawaii next week, AccuWeather hurricane experts warn. 85% of world population may see total lunar eclipse Sunday. A "Blood Moon Eclipse" may be seen by billions around the world this weekend, with the moon expected to turn a dark red color for over an hour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

September is peak hurricane season across the Atlantic, and there is a chance that Tropical Storm Gabrielle forms ahead of the upcoming weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fall weather lovers, get ready! A major outbreak of cold air will unfold this week, bringing temperatures more typical of mid- to late October across much of the central and eastern US. At least three-quarters of the population east of the Rockies will experience the chill at some point this week. The main areas likely to avoid it include much of the Florida Peninsula, portions of the immediate Atlantic coast and central and South Texas. Also, over the upcoming week, forecasters have been monitoring the anticipated influx of moisture into the Southwestern states. This pattern will even increase the chances for downpours to impact portions of drought-stricken Southern California. one of the best chances to spot the Aurora Borealis will unfold Monday night across Canada and parts of the US. An eruption on the sun over the weekend blasted charged particles into space, and they are on a collision course with Earth. When the charged particles reach the planet, it will set off a colorful display of the Aurora Borealis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tropical waves are clusters of showers and thunderstorms that are the seedlings of many of the storms that develop throughout the Atlantic hurricane season. "Tropical waves originate over Africa as hot, dry air from the north clashes with moist, cooler air from the jungles in central Africa to create a jet stream of winds over portions of the continent," AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said. They roll off the coast of Africa near the Cabo Verde Islands and track over the Atlantic Ocean every few days, typically from May to November, like a conveyor belt of storms that is most active as the hurricane season approaches its peak in September. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A lull in tropical activity may keep the Atlantic quiet through Labor Day, but AccuWeather meteorologists warn conditions could turn more favorable for storms by mid-September. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Conditions close to the United States are more favorable for tropical depression formation due to the Gulf Stream current and the warm Gulf waters. Also, cool, fall-like weather will have people reaching for jeans and sweatshirts rather than shorts and bathing suits across the Great Lakes and Northeast into the Labor Day weekend, according to AccuWeather meteorologists. Temperatures more common for October will trend as much as 15 degrees below historical averages, with near-record lows at night for many locations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A towering wall of dust, known meteorologically as a haboob, swallowed parts of Phoenix Monday evening, plunging the city into near-zero visibility. That was quickly followed by severe thunderstorms that tore through the city, leaving behind downed trees, wind damage and widespread power outages. At Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, a connector bridge was shredded by 70 mph wind gusts. Also, storms will bring disruptions to the interior West this week, while heavy rainfall and an increased risk of flooding target areas from the eastern Rockies to the Mississippi Valley, according to AccuWeather meteorologists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The unofficial end of summer will feature a little bit of everything, ranging from triple-digit heat in the Southwest, tropical downpours near the Gulf and even sweater weather to millions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Recent dry weather has caused pockets of drought to develop in portions of the southern Plains recently. Despite this, AccuWeather meteorologists warn that enough rain is on the way to raise the risk of flooding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An explosion of color takes place in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, makes it exceptional. Some areas receive only a few millimeters of rain each year, and when it does rain, the landscape can be transformed in just a few weeks. Also, NASA is planning to launch a rocket mission to study the turbulence where Earth's atmosphere ends and outer space begins sometime over the next two weeks. The earliest the agency expects to launch the three sounding rockets is Saturday, with the launch window closing Sept. 3. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hurricane Erin is heading away from the United States, but heavy seas, crushing surf and strong rip currents will pose dangers to swimmers and boaters into this weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A substantial outbreak of cooler air will overtake the Midwest late this week and extend into the Northeast next week, where it could last for several days. Also, as changes in wind intensity continue, Erin’s size will drive dangerous surf and massive seas along much of the United States East Coast, as well as Atlantic Canada and Bermuda waters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tropical moisture sent northward by Hurricane Erin will trigger downpours that can lead to flash flooding in parts of the Appalachians and Northeast from Wednesday into Wednesday night. The heaviest rain will come from a stalled weather front draped across the region, rather than directly from Hurricane Erin. A pocket a dry weather could separate the two areas of rain. While Hurricane Erin continues to generate rough surf and coastal hazards, AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring additional tropical waves near the region where Erin initially formed earlier this month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The growing size of the powerful hurricane's winds and waves will lead to significant flooding and erosion on North Carolina's Outer Banks throughout the week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Sunday, July 27, Tampa, Florida, made history by hitting 100 degrees for the first time since record-keeping began in 1890. A day later, the thermometer at Tampa International Airport topped out at 95 degrees in the afternoon, a narrow miss for a second consecutive day of triple-digit heat. For Northern dwellers who dream of sunshine and beaches in the dead of winter, and even Floridians who boast about their heat hardiness, the fact that a Florida city had never officially reached 100 degrees came as a surprise—and for many, disbelief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hurricane Erin will continue to strengthen as it approaches the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico, where it will threaten with tropical downpours, pounding surf and strong winds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The waters off California have grown quieter, and scientists are listening. New research from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) has found a sharp decline in the number of blue whale songs detected in the California Current Ecosystem following a prolonged marine heat wave. The study, which spanned six years of acoustic monitoring, revealed that blue whale vocalizations dropped significantly during and after the climate event known as “The Blob.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While the most likely track keeps Erin offshore from the U.S. East Coast, shifts in the storm’s path could bring strong winds, heavy rain, and coastal flooding to parts of the eastern United States and Bermuda. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The stretch of dry and hot weather will be put on pause this week in the Northeast as disruptive thunderstorms drench the region on Wednesday. In other news, the Lee Fire rages in Colorado amid severe western wildfire season. Fires fueled by severe drought and gusty winds are rapidly expanding across the West, with major blazes burning in Colorado, California, Utah and the Grand Canyon region. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Erin has formed in the eastern Atlantic and is forecast to be the first hurricane and first major hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season. Erin will be a long-track storm and will eye the United States next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The start of autumn may feel like an extension of summer across most of the United States ,but colder (and snowier) weather is in the forecast. Here's what you can expect in your area this fall. Meteorological fall starts on Monday, Sept. 1, while astronomical autumn starts on the equinox Monday, Sept. 22. But when will it actually feel like fall when you step outside? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wildfires are intensifying across California and the western United States, fueled by extreme heat, dry fuels and gusty winds pushing several into megafire territory. California is also facing 14 other active fires across the state, including the Gifford Fire raging in the Los Padres National Forest. The Gifford Fire has grown to over 104,000 acres and is 21% contained, as of Saturday morning according to CalFire. Farther east in Arizona, the Dragon Bravo Fire along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon has scorched nearly 135,000 acres since a lightning strike ignited it on July 4. It is the largest wildfire blazing in the lower 48 states and is 36% contained as of Saturday morning. Dozens of fires are active in Nevada, Utah and Arizona. In other news, three people were airlifted from Antarctica in a high-risk rescue mission this week, after medical emergencies at a remote U.S. research base required urgent evacuation through some of the harshest flying conditions on the planet. The mission, conducted by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, involved a non-stop round trip of nearly 20 hours through total darkness, subzero temperatures and highly volatile weather. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Heavy rain from Georgia to North Carolina is triggering flash flood risks in major cities. More flooding could hit coastal areas later this week, with up to a foot of rain possible if a tropical system develops. Two people died after their vehicle was swept off a flooded road and into a ditch in Nash County, North Carolina. Officers attempted a rescue, but both victims were carried away by fast-moving water. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Powerful thunderstorms that erupt over portions of the Plains and Midwest into this weekend pose a significant risk to crops and property. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

AccuWeather meteorologists have more than Dexter on their radar as far as tropical concerns with multiple areas being closely monitored in the Atlantic basin, including close to the United States. Also, even though most playground equipment is no longer metal, AccuWeather found dangerous conditions on a playground using a thermal camera Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As cooler air sprawls in the eastern United States, heat will throttle up in the zone from west of the Rockies to east of the Interstate 5 corridor in the week ahead. The heat and winds will spur new wildfires. Also, Americans may disagree on whether to call them fireflies or lightning bugs, but the weather has made for a great year for the blinking bugs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Days of downpours and flash floods will ruin outdoor plans and create dangers in parts of the southeastern United States into this week, while a wedge of cooler and less humid air over the interior will be brief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A trio of astronomical events will unfold in less than one week throughout August, including the famed Persied meteor shower and a must-see early morning gathering of planets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The quiet time for Atlantic may not last much longer as an area of interest may soon challenge the break. The next tropical storm will be named Dexter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This rare type of storm can cause widespread wind damage for hundreds of miles, and has wind gusts over 100 mph. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A big change in the weather pattern will arrive in the Northeast around the same time the calendar flips to August. But before the shift, millions will contend with high humidity and potentially flooding downpours. Pluse, heads up Hawaii, the first hurricane of the 2025 season, Iona, in the central Pacific basin will increase the wildfire risk for the island chain this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An astronomical doubleheader will light up the summer sky, bringing the best chance to see shooting stars in months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The hottest day of the year, historically speaking, can range from June to September depending on where you are. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The thunderous roar of the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls was silenced for six months in 1969, and photographers captured unique perspectives of the once-in-a-lifetime event. To see the pictures: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/niagara-falls-was-shut-off-in-1969/1797179 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rounds of severe thunderstorms will extend from for more than a thousand miles from the Plains to the Northeast in the coming days. The greatest threats will be from damaging winds and flash flooding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A potential tropical rainstorm will be watched closely for evolution to a tropical depression as it wanders westward over the northern Gulf into this weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A massive heat dome will be long-lasting and unforgiving across large areas of the United States in the coming weeks, with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures occasionally surpassing 110. Also, 'Corn sweat' will make this week's heat wave feel even worse. What is that? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While the Caribbean remains quiet, an area close to the United States bears watching in the coming days for tropical activity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Multiple rounds of thunderstorms will bring risks for severe weather and flash flooding this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A long stretch of blistering heat is on the way for portions of the Plains and southern United States, while breaks from the heat and humidity will become much more frequent in the Northeast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices