weather

A strong El Niño in 2016 appears like a red tongue in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

How can warm water in the Pacific Ocean affect the weather thousands of miles away? Everything is connected.

Don't press this button unless you're sure it's necessary.

The big red triangle should only be pushed in case of emergency. (And no, double-parking doesn't count.)

From sunscreen to tiny umbrellas, the best summer products can help you enjoy everything under the sun this season while still staying safe.

A sign on the Hoover Dam warns of dangerous heat levels on September 16, 2022, in Boulder City, Nevada.

Heat domes are masses of hot air trapped within the atmosphere by high pressure. And they're becoming more common, thanks to climate change.

People have spent a long time coming up with interesting ways to beat the heat.

People have come up with a range of ingenious, harebrained, and sometimes grim but often remarkable ways to stay cool during a summer scorcher.

It’s summer and cars have become ovens. But you don’t need to suffer.

Meteorological summer and astronomical summer are not the same.

Happy first day of (meteorological) summer!

If you’re in the red on AirNow’s air quality map, you should stay inside.

This beach is sending some mixed messages.

Maybe you know what to do when you see a yellow or red flag at the beach. But what about a purple one?

High temperatures, low humidity, and lots of wind are prime red flag warning weather.

Three tornadoes on the ground at the same time near Dodge City, Kansas, on May 24, 2016.

A 2011 tornado threw a 36-ton railcar 400 feet. Here's what you need to know about these super-powered storms.

Your state has probably seen some unbelievable weather.

California once hit -45°F degrees.

Knowing the difference between these common terms can bolster your safety in severe weather.

Nearly every snow removal method has its drawbacks.

You should always keep an ice scraper in your car during winter.

This winter, take advantage of a feature on your ice scraper you may be ignoring.

We dig into this winter puzzler.

Whether you're enjoying a bout of sunshine, enduring a sudden downpour, or suffering through a drought, the obscure corners of English have the word for you.

Seventeen inches of lake-effect snow fell in Chicago in 2021.

Requiring a sufficiently large lake is only the first step in creating the monstrous blizzards known as lake-effect snow.

The gender binary looms large in this sphere.

“I’m sick and tired of hearing that ‘Cheryl was no lady as she devastated such and such a town,’” Roxcy Bolton said. She wasn't alone in her exasperation.

You know things are bad if Waffle House starts closing.

Waffle House can help first responders assess conditions in areas battered by storms—and serve them breakfast.

Category 4 Hurricane Harvey decimated Houston in 2017.

In order to assign a numeric category value to a hurricane, meteorologists look to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

It's not everywhere that you can walk on a lake—but you can in Alaska.

If snow sports and curling up with a good book and steaming mug of tea are your favorite activities, you might want to consider moving to one of America's chilliest states.

The conditions for stifling heat are pretty easy to explain, and so is the solution: Keep cool.

An aerial shot of downtown Phoenix, Arizona.

If you’re looking for a change of scenery, don’t underestimate the importance of sunlight.

What Is El Niño, and Why Does It Have Such a Big Impact?

Steer Clear: When You Should (and Shouldn't) Use Your Car's Hazard Lights

Throwing Shade: 10 Products to Help You Stay Sun-Safe This Summer

What Is a Heat Dome?

9 Creative Ways People Kept Cool Before Air Conditioning

Some Cool Tips to Cope With a Hot Car

Why Meteorological and Astronomical Seasons Don’t Line Up

AirNow’s Interactive Map Shows You the Air Quality Index in Your Area

What 11 Beach Flags Mean (And What to Do When You See Them)

What Is a Red Flag Warning (And What Precautions Should You Take During One)?

12 Powerful Facts About Tornadoes

Hot and Cold: The All-Time Highest (and Lowest) Recorded Temperatures in Each State

6 Severe Weather Terms to Know Ahead of Spring Storms

Here's Why Snow Removal Is Such a Hard Problem to Solve

The Right Way to Use an Ice Scraper on Your Car

Snowfall vs. Snow Depth: What’s the Difference?

32 Forgotten Weather Words

What is Lake-Effect Snow?

The Sexist History of Naming Hurricanes After Women Only—And How 1970s Feminists Fought to End It

How Waffle House Helps Measure the Severity of a Natural Disaster

How Are Hurricane Categories Determined?

The 20 Coldest States in the U.S.

What Causes a Heat Wave?

The 25 Sunniest Cities in the U.S.