News

It’s no secret where Nor’easters get their name. Nor’easters are storms that typically form along the east coast of North America. Their memorable name comes from key features of these mid-Atlantic storms. The strongest winds typically blow from northeast, over the northeastern U.S. states as the system moves northeastward, pushed by the jet stream.

Since June 1st, the beginning of Atlantic hurricane season, no hurricanes have formed in the Atlantic basin. Forecasters predicted a below normal season due to the onset of El Niño conditions as hurricane season approached, but activity has been below what forecasters originally predicted. Typically, the first hurricane of the season occurs in early to mid-August, however, the peak of hurricane season passed on September 10, and the Atlantic has yet to see a hurricane form.

With the Atlantic hurricane season in full swing, the topic of the Saharan Air Layer continues to be discussed as a factor contributing to the dearth of storms we are seeing strengthen into named systems this year. The Saharan Air Layer (SAL) is a mass of extremely dry, dusty air that travels over the Sahara Desert in the late spring, summer, and early fall.

Downbursts are strong thunderstorm downdrafts that cause an outflow of horizontal winds near the surface. With such strong winds, observers commonly mistake downbursts for tornadoes, but a downburst is a completely different event...

Every few years, the sea surface temperatures across the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean warm or cool due to a recurring climate pattern called the El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This warming and cooling pattern affects weather worldwide...