Weather, features and articles | Educational Science

Aug 31, 2010

Hurricane Season Marches on with Tropical Storm Nicole

After a quiet few days in the Atlantic basin and Gulf of Mexico, a newly formed tropical storm is blowing across the Caribbean. Tropical Storm Nicole strengthened from a tropical depression and was upgraded to a tropical storm this morning (Sept. 29) by the National Hurricane Center. Nicole has maximum...

Jul 31, 2010

Amount of Water in Amazon Floodplain Measured from Space

When the Amazon River floods, it swells by more than half the volume of Lake Erie, the world's 15th largest lake, a new study suggests. But this increase accounts for only 5 percent of the water flowing through the Amazon River each year, and is a much smaller rise than...

Jul 31, 2010

Rare Fire Tornado Seen in Brazil

A rare fire tornado was spotted recently in the Brazilian city of Aracatuba. The flaming dust devil, known colloquially as a fire devil, was captured on video, as reported by the U.K. Telegraph. A three-month drought in the region has led to brush fires across Brazil, and when combined with...

Jul 31, 2010

Flying Into the Storm: NASA Hurricane Study Takes Off

This week, NASA conducted the first of many flights slated to soar near,through and above tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico during the 2010 hurricane season. The inaugural voyage was part of the Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes mission, or GRIP experiment. The study aims to unlock the secrets...

May 31, 2010

Open the Floodgates: Mighty Mississippi Could Fight Oil Slick

Oil has hit the fragile Gulf coast wetlands. To fight it, the mighty Mississippi River must get even mightier, scientists suggest. The battle plan is simple: Open the floodgates on the Mississippi River leg that runs through New Orleans and the rushing water will block the BP Deepwater Horizon oil...

Jan 31, 2010

Snowpocalypse Seen from Space

The results of the weekend storm that buried many Eastern U.S. locations in 2 feet or more of snow stands out starkly in a new satellite image. The image from space reveals how the storm swept through Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia but largely spared New York City. The landscape is...

Nov 30, 2011

Atmospheric River Brings Flood Threat to Oregon

From NOAA’s Environmental Visualization Laboratory: As a plume of moisture travels across the Pacific towards the Pacific Northwest, the National Weather Service has issued flood outlooks for four counties in Oregon. Up to 10 inches may fall over the next 24 hours in Curry County, which may result in rapid...

Oct 31, 2011

Does October Snow Signal A Wild Winter Ahead?

Between a second impending snowstorm in Denver and last weekend's 'Snowtober' storm in the Northeast, there's been a lot of early show across the United States. With so much snow so soon, it may seem like we're in for a long, snowy winter. But don't panic yet, weather forecasters say....

Oct 31, 2011

Where Did the Dangerous Alaska Storm Come From?

An extremely dangerous storm is slicing toward northwestern Alaska and is expected to bring blizzard conditions and hurricane-strength winds to the state's west coast. The storm, which formed from a mix of air masses over an area of ocean prone to spinning up strong storms, could be bigger than anything...

Oct 31, 2011

Portable Radar Peers Inside Western Winter Storms

Tornadoes aren't the only storms that meteorologists can chase: A group of researchers in Utah is showing through its use of portable, truck-mounted radars to peek inside winter storms. For students who love snow, it's every bit as thrilling as chasing tornadoes, said atmospheric scientist and avid skier Jim Steenburgh,...

Jul 31, 2011

Fernanda and Greg in Pacific 'Chase'

The Eastern Pacific Ocean is fired up with two tropical storms today, Fernanda and Greg, and both were caught in one image from the GOES-11 satellite. Both appear to be chasing each other to the west, and Fernanda appears a little more organized in satellite imagery and stronger than her...

Jul 31, 2011

Hurricane Irene Spotted From Space

Hurricane Irene, the first hurricane of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, was seen from space today (Aug. 22) as it roared past Puerto Rico. Irene formed as a tropical storm east of the Leeward Islands on Aug. 20. By early Aug. 22, the storm had strengthened to a Category 1...

Jul 31, 2011

Hurricane Irene 'Big, Scary Storm,' Astronaut Says

Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) got an eyeful of Hurricane Irene's increasing might today (Aug. 25) as their space capsule streaked over the monstrous Category 3 storm, which is barreling toward U.S. shores. Ahead of the flyover, ISS video cameras revealed placid views of wispy white clouds scattered...

Jul 31, 2011

Why Irene's Size Matters

Don't let Hurricane Irene's waning strength fool you. The massive storm is still a major threat and could pound cities with severe weather for days, experts say. The storm, at one point as large as one-third of the East Coast and as strong as a Category 3, has been a...

Jul 31, 2011

Beyond Irene: Future Hurricanes Will Get Worse

NEW YORK — Hurricane Irene battered the East Coast this weekend, blasting buildings and trees that hadn't felt such strong winds in decades, and flooding subways, tunnels and entire coastal neighborhoods. Thankfully, Irene diminished in strength before making landfall on the Mid-Atlantic Coast and New England; though she is estimated...