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Rare snowfall in Atacama Desert forces the world's most powerful radio telescope into 'survival mode'
By María de los Ángeles Orfila published
The ALMA radio telescope array in the Atacama Desert temporarily halted operations after a rare snowfall blanketed the base camp last week.

Stunning cloud vortices swirl off 6 different Atlantic islands
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A 2015 satellite photo captured a series of stunning "von Kármán vortices" swirling off Madeira and the Canary Islands. The giant swirls are collectively one of the best examples of this meteorological phenomenon ever seen.

Thunderstorm 'Ring of fire' erupts around 'heat dome' and Tropical Storm Andrea named in the Atlantic
By Patrick Pester published
The "heat dome" hovering over the eastern half of the U.S. now has a thunderstorm "ring of fire" erupting along its edge. Meanwhile, in the Atlantic, the first tropical storm of the season has been named.

Massive 'heat dome' is bringing 'extremely dangerous' temperatures to the eastern half of the US
By Patrick Pester published
Weather forecasters have warned of extreme and dangerous temperatures as a major heat wave sweeps across the central and eastern U.S. states.

In 2025, Tornado Alley has become almost everything east of the Rockies — and it's been a violent year
By Daniel Chavas published
Opinion A storm scientist explains what's been driving deadly tornado outbreaks and how tornado season has been changing.

Giant 'Saharan dust' plume swirls around Africa a week before it hit Florida
By Harry Baker published
Earth from space A recent satellite photo captured a giant comma-shaped cloud of "Saharan dust" being blown above the Atlantic Ocean. The hazy mass hit North America a week later.

Tropical storm Alvin will form in next 48 hours, forecasters say — kicking off this year's Pacific hurricane season
By Sascha Pare published
A tropical storm is brewing over the Eastern Pacific south of Acapulco. Clouds and thunderstorms that have been gathering for days will organize in the next 48 hours and could develop into a hurricane.

'Above normal' conditions could bring as many as 10 hurricanes to the US this summer
By Jess Thomson published
Hurricane Helene captured by NOAA's GOES-16 satellite as it approached Florida on September 26, 2024.

What's an 'omega block,' and why is it messing with US weather right now?
By Sascha Pare published
A strange atmospheric pattern known as an "omega block" is preventing the usual eastward progression of weather across the U.S. — but what is this weird block, and when will it go away?

La Niña is dead — what that means for this year's hurricanes and weather
By Evan Howell published
Scientists thought La Niña was coming. It didn't — at least for now. What could that mean for this year's hurricane season, and how might long-term climate change affect El Niño and La Niña patterns?
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