The air in Beijing is so polluted that Meng Han’s nostrils get filled with black dust after just a couple of hours outdoors. … [Read more...]

Firefighters create a firebreak near a home in Middletown, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015. … [Read more...]

The National Storm Prediction Center has included most of the Chicago area in a risk of severe thunderstorms Wednesday (see Wednesday severe weather outlook map above). The southern portion of the Chicago area rests in the northern edge of a Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms that includes most of southern and central Illinois/Indiana (yellow-shaded area on map above). … [Read more...]

How hot was October globally? It was not merely the hottest October — by far — in the 135-year temperature record of NASA (see chart above). Or the hottest October — by far — in the 125-year temperature record of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA): … [Read more...]

Trick-or-treaters across much of the country will need to make sure their Halloween costumes are waterproof and pack an umbrella as they head out on Saturday. Areas of rain and showers are in the forecast from the Gulf Coast up to the Great Lakes and across the Pacific Northwest. … [Read more...]

The once green trees that created a place of relief during the summer heat are now turning an array of vibrant colors. According to Aviva Yasgur with the Woodlands Nature Center at Land Between the Lakes, the weather plays a big factor in those changing colors. … [Read more...]

Orionid meteors appear every year around this time, according to NASA. It happens when Earth travels through an area of space littered with debris from Halley’s Comet. This year the peak will occur on the night of Wednesday, Oct. 21 into the morning of Thursday, Oct. 22. … [Read more...]

A rare waterspout formed over Lake Superior west of Grand Island, Michigan prompting a tornado warning earlier Thursday afternoon. No damage was reported as a result. Graupel and small hail also fell under the showers and isolated thunderstorm formed in the afternoon. … [Read more...]

When The Weather Channel took it upon itself to start naming winter storms a few years ago, it also assumed some creative license in that task. After all, unlike government-dictated hurricane names, these winter storm names are unofficial. … [Read more...]

As this year’s El Niño forecast becomes increasingly clear, drought-parched Californians are hopeful that the pattern will bring much needed rains to the abnormally dry region. But around the world, the looming El Niño pattern could drive extreme weather patterns and continued droughts, putting millions at risk of starvation due to low agricultural production and lack of water, … [Read more...]