National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration News

NOAA: Ian Was Cat 5 Before Weakening at Florida Landfall

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Ian briefly reached maximum Category 5 status before weakening to a Category 4 storm as it blasted ashore last September in southwest Florida, eventually causing over $112 billion in damage in the U.S. and …

NOAA: Ian, Drought Supercharged US Weather Extremes in 2022

DENVER (AP) — Costly weather disasters kept raining down on America last year, pounding the nation with 18 climate extremes that caused at least $1 billion in damage each, totaling more than $165 billion, federal climate scientists calculated Tuesday. Even …

Forecasters Predict 7th Straight Above-Normal Hurricane Season

The Atlantic hurricane season is poised to deliver another round of above-normal storms for the seventh consecutive year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said on Tuesday. NOAA forecasters estimate 14 to 21 named storms, six to 10 of …

Hawaii Hurricane Season Forecasted to Be Slow With La Nina

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii and the Central Pacific basin should expect two to four hurricanes, tropical depressions or tropical storms this year, federal forecasters said Wednesday. The annual National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration outlook predicts there is a 60% chance …

US Study: Record Highs, Rain and Beaver Damage in Arctic

The Arctic continues to deteriorate from global warming, not setting as many records this year as in the past, but still changing so rapidly that federal scientists call it alarming in their annual Arctic report card. The 16th straight health …

Florida’s Hurricane Hunter Team Getting New Aircraft

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — The Florida-based hurricane hunter team is getting a new aircraft to help chase fierce storms. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s team will add a Gulfstream 550 to the three other aircraft at its home base …

Climate Change Fueled Hurricane Ida With Warm, Deep Seawater

Hurricane Ida smashed into Louisiana with winds of about 150 miles an hour, driving a wall of water inland and leaving more than a million people in the dark. Yet only 36 hours before it reached land south of New …

Drone Boats Sent From Jacksonville to Face Storms’ Fury

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The key to making hurricane forecasts suddenly clearer and more accurate might have floated out to sea from Jacksonville last week on something looking like orange surfboards with wings. Maybe. It will take time for federal …

Drought Shows No Signs of Easing Up Throughout Dakotas

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Extreme drought shows no signs of releasing its grip on North Dakota, despite recent cooler weather and widespread rainfall. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map, released Thursday, shows 85% percent of North Dakota in extreme drought, …

America’s New Normal: A Degree Hotter Than Two Decades Ago

America’s new normal temperature is a degree hotter than it was just two decades ago. Scientists have long talked about climate change — hotter temperatures, changes in rain and snowfall and more extreme weather — being the “new normal.” Data …