AccuWeather Daily

October can be a month of extremes, and the Midwest and Northeast will experience it all in the coming days: warm afternoons, frosty mornings and desperately needed rain. Unlike most tornado surveys done in person by the NWS, this tornado was confirmed with the help of satellite photos that showed the path of downed trees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The seasonal occurrence that can lead to disruptive tidal flooding is due to a combination of astronomical, climatological and meteorological factors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Despite the calendar's turn to October, Mother Nature will be throwing it back to summer in the Midwest from late this week into the weekend, with temperatures expected to soar well into the 80s and 90s, say AccuWeather meteorologists. Temperatures in some areas could challenge all-time October records. Also, 7 more homes collapse into the ocean on North Carolina's Outer Banks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A rare Jay hybrid emerges in Texas: part green, part blue. Unusual weather patterns are bringing once-distant bird species into contact, giving rise to rare hybrids that fascinate scientists and birders alike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The first supermoon of 2025 will kick off a busy month for stargazers. Here are the top astronomy events to mark on your October calendar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A large and strong area of high pressure will keep much of the central and eastern U.S. dry into mid-October, worsening drought, lowering river levels, raising wildfire risk, and bringing wide temperature swings. Also, a shift in winds will end the North American monsoon across the Southwest, bringing drier, warmer weather and increased fire danger in the days ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Newly formed Tropical Storm Imelda to strengthen and bring flooding rain, storm surge, and gusty winds to parts of the Southeast U.S. coast this week. AccuWeather has the latest impacts and track information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The southeastern United States is on alert for a potentially land-falling tropical storm or hurricane next week as a new storm is about to join Hurricane Humberto in the Atlantic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With homes still full of sand and broken roads waiting to be built, Florida and the southern Appalachians haven't yet fully recovered from Hurricane Helene's wrath. However, a 26-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway has reopened in western North Carolina - just in time for the busy fall season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new tropical storm has developed over the Atlantic Ocean, and AccuWeather meteorologists warn another one could soon join it off the coast of the southeastern United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fall colors are showing up weeks ahead of schedule this year across the Northeast, and forecasters say the primary reason is due to the weather. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Super Typhoon Ragasa roared through the northern Philippines yesterday as the most powerful storm on Earth this year. It struck with destructive winds and torrential rain, prompting evacuations of thousands of people and preparations in nearby Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China.  Climate scientists worry this will happen more often in the coming years. The western Pacific is the most active tropical basin on Earth, and September is often its busiest stretch. Ragasa is a reminder of how quickly storms in this region can ramp up and how destructive they can be as they approach densely populated coastlines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gabrielle could strengthen into a major hurricane near Bermuda early this week as AccuWeather meteorologists monitor other tropical systems with potential to develop across the Atlantic and Caribbean. Also, a new storm is eyeing the West coast, bringing a renewed threat for heavy rain Just days after the last round of heavy rain, more wet weather is on the way to the West, especially California; there is also an increased risk for lightning and wildfires. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new AccuWeather study of more than 60 years of rainfall records shows U.S. precipitation totals are flat, but heavy downpours and hourly extremes are increasing, raising the risk of flooding, damage, and economic losses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many Eastern states face worsening drought as rainfall remains scarce, stressing agriculture, waterways and fall foliage, though signs of Gulf moisture could bring relief to parts of the Central states next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The unusual lull in Atlantic tropical activity during the climatological peak of hurricane season is at an end. The seventh tropical depression of the Atlantic hurricane season has strengthened into Tropical Storm Gabrielle and may become a hurricane in the coming days. Direct impacts are possible in Bermuda, while indirect impacts—such as rough surf or rip currents—may affect parts of the northeastern Caribbean and the United States. For a while on Tuesday, folks in the Pacific Northwest were  getting a little nervous. A plume of volcanic ash over Mount St. Helens gave folks the impression that the volcano might be erupting again. But luckily, this was not an eruption — just a wind-whipped encore decades in the making. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A storm with tropical traits will bring heavy rain and coastal flooding to part of the Atlantic Coast, while much of the Central and Eastern U.S. remains dry amid expanding drought and late summer warmth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tropical Storm Mario could send tropical moisture into Southern California and the Southwest this week, raising the risk for showers, storms and flash flooding. Also, from pizza boxes to stuffed animals, geologists have found unusual trash across Yellowstone National Park this year after millions visited during the summer season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tropical development in the Gulf of Mexico poses the greatest short-term risk to the United States this September, with record-warm waters fueling potential rapid intensification and limited prep time for coastal areas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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