NOAA News

NOAA: 6th Warmest August on Record

August 2022 was the world’s sixth-warmest August in 143 years, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. The warm August wrapped up the Northern Hemisphere’s second-hottest meteorological summer on record. Climate by the numbers August 2022 The …

Galveston Reconsiders Drainage Master Plan

More intense rain and higher sea levels are prompting Galveston officials to deviate from a drainage master plan written in 2003 by rethinking their approach to system improvements and requiring developers to meet more stringent drainage requirements. The Galveston County …

Earth’s Warming Occurring During Odd Times and in Strange Places

Scientists are seeing surprising melting in Earth’s polar regions at times they don’t expect, like winter, and in places they don’t expect, like eastern Antarctica. New studies and reports issued this week at a major Earth sciences conference paint one …

Study: Warm Waters Boosted 2017 Major Hurricane Tally

The Atlantic’s warmer waters triggered the unusual number of major hurricanes last year, according to a new study that predicts the region could see a couple of extra whopper storms each year by the end of the century. Six major …

Study Indicates Texas Will Experience 100-Year Rain Events More Frequently

Decades of additional weather data have led federal officials to reconsider rainfall totals in Texas that define 100-year weather events and caution that extreme rainstorms will strike the state more frequently. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday released …

Hurricane Florence Ranks Second to Harvey in Rainfall Totals

Hurricane Florence was the nation’s second rainiest storm in 70 years, a top rainfall meteorologist calculated. Only last year’s Hurricane Harvey rained more over a 14,000 square mile (36,260 square kilometers) area during a four-day time period, said Ken Kunkel, …

Why the Atlantic Hurricane Season is Quiet so Far

Where are all the big Atlantic storms? A year ago, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas, kicking off a parade of destructive storms that made 2017 the costliest Atlantic season ever. So far in 2018, the region has been oddly …

Improved Radar Coverage in the Works After Deadly North Dakota Tornado

The National Weather Service is taking steps to improve weather radar coverage for western North Dakota after a deadly tornado in the area raised awareness of gaps in coverage. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has committed to studying whether …

Western Kentucky University Develops Statewide Drought Warning System

Western Kentucky University is developing a statewide drought warning system with the help of a $200,000 federal grant. The Bowling Green Daily News reports the Kentucky Climate Center at Western Kentucky University received the two-year grant from the National Oceanic …

Atlantic Could See up to 7 Hurricanes in 2018 Storm Season

With four storms already in the books, the Atlantic is expected to produce a total of nine to 13 named storms during the six-month hurricane season that ends Nov. 30, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. That’s down from …