Latest news with #BrianLada
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Global climate troublemaker La Niña may arrive later in 2025
Early signs of a possible La Niña fall and winter are emerging in some climate models, federal forecasters announced July 10. La Niña is a part of a natural climate cycle officially known as El Niño – Southern Oscillation, called ENSO by scientists. The cycle swings between warmer and cooler seawater in a region along the equator in the tropical Pacific. La Niña is marked by cooler-than-average ocean water in the region. It is one of the main drivers of weather in the United States, especially during the late fall, winter and early spring. It's the opposite to the more well-known El Niño, which occurs when Pacific Ocean water is at least 0.9 degree warmer than average for three months. La Niña and El Niño typically have minimal impact on summer weather in the U.S., other than some effects on hurricanes. Winter is the one season when they have the most impact. A typical La Niña winter in the U.S. brings cold and snow to the Northwest and unusually dry conditions to most of the Southern states, according to the Climate Prediction Center. The Southeast and mid-Atlantic also tend to see higher-than-average temperatures during a La Niña winter. Meanwhile, New England and the Upper Midwest into New York tend to see lower-than-average temperatures, the Weather Channel said. More: Will a hurricane impact your state in 2025? Odds get an update. The typical impacts of a La Niña winter in North America include a wetter, colder winter in parts of the northern United States and a drier, warmer winter in parts of the southern United States. La Niña is a natural climate pattern marked by cooler-than-average seawater in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. When the water cools at least 0.9 degree Fahrenheit below average for three straight months, a La Niña is declared. "While this may sound like a small change in temperature, it can cause significant changes in the weather patterns around the globe," AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Lada said. In general, La Niña conditions favor hurricane development in the Atlantic basin, which includes the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of America. This is because during La Niña, the strong storm-killing winds known as wind shear relax across the Atlantic basin, allowing hurricanes to more easily develop. Hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University, in a July 10 e-mail to USA TODAY, explained that "while Caribbean shear has been quite strong in June and is likely to remain strong throughout most of July, the potential trend more towards cool neutral (or even weak La Niña) later in the season may result in lower shear in the Caribbean later in the season." The lower the wind shear, the greater the chance for hurricane development in the Atlantic basin, as this map shows: But the status of ENSO is only part of the hurricane puzzle: Twenty years ago, in 2005, for instance, ENSO-neutral conditions also occurred in the Pacific ‒ and that year spawned the infamously destructive hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the National Weather Service said in an online report. Right now, it appears to be a toss-up. While so-called "ENSO-neutral" conditions are most likely through the late summer 2025, thereafter, chances of La Niña conditions increase into the fall and winter 2025-26, forecasters from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) said July 10. In fact, one climate model used by the CPC – the North American Multi-Model Ensemble – "favors the onset of La Niña conditions during the Northern Hemisphere fall," the CPC said in its monthly update. Japan's weather bureau also announced July 10 that there is a 40% chance of La Niña emerging in the fall. Overall, the CPC said the chances for La Niña remain comparable to the likelihood of ENSO-neutral continuing. ENSO-neutral means neither El Niño (warmer waters) nor La Niña (cooler waters) conditions are dominant in the Pacific. While El Niño and La Niña have expected impacts on global seasonal weather and climate, what about neutral? "ENSO-neutral doesn't mean we expect upcoming seasonal rain, snow, and temperature to be close to average," writes Emily Becker in the CPCs' ENSO blog. "Rather, during neutral, we don't have the same predictive information that El Niño and La Niña's atmospheric changes provide, making upcoming patterns harder to predict very far in advance." Contributing: Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Global climate troublemaker La Niña may be brewing
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Eastern Pacific to churn out more tropical storms before Atlantic activity begins
The eastern Pacific Ocean will remain active in the coming days and weeks with more chances for tropical storms, AccuWeather meteorologists say. Meanwhile, the Atlantic is likely to remain quiet through the end of June, despite some early hints at tropical formation. The eastern Pacific hurricane season officially began on May 15, which was about two weeks ahead of the official start to the Atlantic hurricane season on June 1. "This year was one of the latest starts to any tropical activity in the Northern Hemisphere, which not only includes the Atlantic and the eastern Pacific, but also the western Pacific," AccuWeather Meteorologist and Senior Content Editor Brian Lada said. Eastern Pacific has turned things around, is moving swiftly along Last year, the eastern Pacific got off to a record slow start with Tropical Storm Aletta not forming until July 4. This year, Tropical Storm Alvin formed on May 28, or about two weeks after the start of the season, but about two weeks ahead of the historical average for the first tropical storm. Alvin only lasted a few days and peaked as a 60-mph tropical storm over the open waters. Moisture from Alvin caused localized flooding in parts of Central America and Mexico, and some rain even reached parts of the south-central United States. •Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts™ with Premium+ Just days after Alvin's demise, two more tropical storms formed in the waters west of Central America and southwest of Mexico in the Pacific. Suddenly, the eastern Pacific jumped well ahead of the historical average pace and even set an early-season formation record. Barbara was named on June 4 and two days later, Cozme formed in roughly the same zone. Barbara went on to become a hurricane on June 9. However,, that status only lasted a matter of hours before slipping back to tropical storm intensity. "Barbara was the first hurricane or typhoon in the Northern Hemisphere this year," AccuWeather Meteorologist and Digital Producer Jesse Ferrell said, "Not since 1993 has the first hurricane-force storm been seen this late." Despite that late start in the Northern Hemisphere, the flurry of named systems in the eastern Pacific has taken center stage. The second named storm, Barbara, as a tropical storm and hurricane, is also ahead of schedule for the East Pacific basin. The second tropical storm typically forms around June 24 and the first hurricane about June 26. Cosme, the third named storm of this season, is also way ahead of schedule and one of the earliest third-named storms on record, with the historical average formation date of July 6. "The basin has seen plenty of storms form early, with 44 storms, including 19 hurricanes, forming in May in the historical record," Ferrell said. Yet another tropical storm is likely be just days away from forming in the eastern Pacific. The next name on the list of tropical storms for the 2025 eastern Pacific hurricane season is Dalila. It is possible that, toward the middle and latter part of the summer, downpours from an eastern Pacific tropical rainstorm may enhance the North American monsoon and could bring heavy rainfall to parts of the southwestern U.S. Atlantic still waiting on first storm of 2025 For early-season development in the Atlantic to get a boost, meteorologists look for a front that dips down into the Gulf, Caribbean or Bahamas waters. Another way is for a large area of low pressure to form and slowly spin near Central America. This is known as a gyre. Thus far, fronts dipping in have been unsuccessful at initiating tropical development, and the gyre has failed to fully develop. "We still expect the Central American gyre to form later this month, and its formation could spur tropical development in waters in the western Caribbean or southwestern Gulf," AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said. Although the gyre has yet to develop, another critical weather pattern is delaying the start of the Atlantic season-a large area of high pressure over the central Atlantic, known as the Bermuda high. A strong Bermuda high can force budding tropical storms to track close to North America, assuming the tropical storms can form in the first place. Early in the season, that can be a challenging task, especially with water temperatures well short of their peak for the season. "The Bermuda high has been stronger than average this season and has helped to bring more dry air from northern Africa and dust (grains of sand) from the Sahara Desert westward across the Atlantic so far," DaSilva explained, "This, along with a significant amount of disruptive breezes, called wind shear, has greatly contributed to the slow start to the Atlantic hurricane season." AccuWeather is expecting a near- to above-historical-average Atlantic tropical storm and hurricane season for 2025. Between three and six named tropical cyclones are forecast to directly impact the U.S. Based on the historical average, the first tropical storm does not form in the Atlantic until June 20 and the first hurricane not until Aug. 11. In 1992, for example, the first tropical storm did not form until Aug. 16. That storm would go on to become Category 5 Hurricane Andrew and would tear a swath of destruction across South Florida during the last week of August. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
June's strawberry moon will be unlike any you've seen in years: When to see it in California
June 2025's full moon is coming to a sky near you in the early morning hours of June 11. And while all June full moons ride low in the sky, spring's final full moon this year will be the lowest full moon in almost 20 years. The strawberry moon will rise over California on the evening of Tuesday, June 10, and will shine into Wednesday morning, a "sight that can be seen around the world," said Brian Lada, an AccuWeather meteorologist. June's full moon is called the strawberry moon because it signaled to some Native American tribes that it was the time of year to gather ripening wild strawberries, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. Notably, this year's strawberry moon could actually have a reddish glow, due to how low it will sit in the sky and the haze from wildfires. June's full moon will reach peak illumination on June 11, 2025, at 12:44 a.m. PT, the Almanac said. But it will look plenty full as it rises the evening before, June 10. The strawberry moon is the most colorful of the year because it takes a low, shallow path across the sky, said Bob Bonadurer, director of the Milwaukee Public Museum's planetarium. The June full moon's arc across the sky means moonlight must travel through more of the Earth's atmosphere, which can give it a colorful tint. "So there's a chance it will actually look a little bit reddish or pink, and, and so that may also be part of the origin of the name," Chris Palma, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State University, told AccuWeather. Smoke in the atmosphere from Canadian wildfires could also act to create a colorful moon. According to EarthSky, the moon will the lowest in the sky that it's been since 2006. "That's because we're in the midst of a major lunar standstill," which has to do with the moon's orbit around the Earth. "It's all about the inclination of the moon's orbit, which undergoes an 18.6-year cycle," noted EarthSky's John Jardine Goss. "The cycle happens because the moon's orbit is being slowly dragged around – mostly due to the pull of the sun – every 18.6 years." This year's major lunar standstill culminated in January 2025. And we're still close enough to it that the standstill is affecting the path of this June full moon, EarthSky said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: June 2025 Strawberry full moon will be visible in California June 11
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
June 2025 full moon: It's been years since you've seen one that looks like this
June 2025's full moon is coming to a sky near you in the early morning hours of June 11. And while all June full moons ride low in the sky, spring's final full moon this year will be the lowest full moon in almost 20 years. The strawberry moon will rise on the evening of Tuesday, June 10, and will shine into Wednesday morning, a "sight that can be seen around the world," said Brian Lada, an AccuWeather meteorologist. June's full moon is called the strawberry moon because it signaled to some Native American tribes that it was the time of year to gather ripening wild strawberries, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. Notably, this year's strawberry moon could actually have a reddish glow, due to how low it will sit in the sky and the haze from wildfires. June's full moon will reach peak illumination on June 11, 2025, at 3:44 a.m. ET, the Almanac said. But it will look plenty full as it rises the evening before, June 10. The strawberry moon is the most colorful of the year because it takes a low, shallow path across the sky, said Bob Bonadurer, director of the Milwaukee Public Museum's planetarium. The June full moon's arc across the sky means moonlight must travel through more of the Earth's atmosphere, which can give it a colorful tint. "So there's a chance it will actually look a little bit reddish or pink, and, and so that may also be part of the origin of the name," Chris Palma, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State University, told AccuWeather. Smoke in the atmosphere from Canadian wildfires could also act to create a colorful moon. According to EarthSky, the moon will the lowest in the sky that it's been since 2006. "That's because we're in the midst of a major lunar standstill," which has to do with the moon's orbit around the Earth. "It's all about the inclination of the moon's orbit, which undergoes an 18.6-year cycle," noted EarthSky's John Jardine Goss. "The cycle happens because the moon's orbit is being slowly dragged around – mostly due to the pull of the sun – every 18.6 years." This year's major lunar standstill culminated in January 2025. And we're still close enough to it that the standstill is affecting the path of this June full moon, EarthSky said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A notable June 2025 Strawberry full moon visible on June 11
USA Today
06-06-2025
- Science
- USA Today
June 2025 full moon: It's been years since you've seen one that looks like this
June 2025 full moon: It's been years since you've seen one that looks like this June's full moon, known as the strawberry moon, will rise on the evening of Tuesday, June 10. It will appear extraordinarily low in the sky. Show Caption Hide Caption Astronomy events to look out for the month of June Professor Chris Palma shares the top astronomy events to watch this June, from the Strawberry Moon to the summer solstice. June 2025's full moon is coming to a sky near you in the early morning hours of June 11. And while all June full moons ride low in the sky, spring's final full moon this year will be the lowest full moon in almost 20 years. The strawberry moon will rise on the evening of Tuesday, June 10, and will shine into Wednesday morning, a "sight that can be seen around the world," said Brian Lada, an AccuWeather meteorologist. June's full moon is called the strawberry moon because it signaled to some Native American tribes that it was the time of year to gather ripening wild strawberries, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. Notably, this year's strawberry moon could actually have a reddish glow, due to how low it will sit in the sky and the haze from wildfires. When is the full strawberry moon? June's full moon will reach peak illumination on June 11, 2025, at 3:44 a.m. ET, the Almanac said. But it will look plenty full as it rises the evening before, June 10. Why could it be colorful? The strawberry moon is the most colorful of the year because it takes a low, shallow path across the sky, said Bob Bonadurer, director of the Milwaukee Public Museum's planetarium. The June full moon's arc across the sky means moonlight must travel through more of the Earth's atmosphere, which can give it a colorful tint. "So there's a chance it will actually look a little bit reddish or pink, and, and so that may also be part of the origin of the name," Chris Palma, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State University, told AccuWeather. Smoke in the atmosphere from Canadian wildfires could also act to create a colorful moon. Why so low in the sky this year? Blame the 'major lunar standstill' According to EarthSky, the moon will the lowest in the sky that it's been since 2006. "That's because we're in the midst of a major lunar standstill," which has to do with the moon's orbit around the Earth. "It's all about the inclination of the moon's orbit, which undergoes an 18.6-year cycle," noted EarthSky's John Jardine Goss. "The cycle happens because the moon's orbit is being slowly dragged around – mostly due to the pull of the sun – every 18.6 years." This year's major lunar standstill culminated in January 2025. And we're still close enough to it that the standstill is affecting the path of this June full moon, EarthSky said.
