Large plume of Saharan dust over the Canary Islands and Cabo Verde
A large plume of Saharan dust lifted off West Africa on March 31, 2023, and started spreading west toward the Canary Islands and Cabo Verde.
Stratospheric temperature rise signals weakened polar vortex and Arctic air outbreaks in the northern hemisphere
The polar vortex, a large area of low pressure in the upper atmosphere that typically sits over the poles, is set to weaken as a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event unfolds in the northern hemisphere. This event has the potential to have a significant impact on winter weather, as it allows cold Arctic air to escape and cause outbreaks in Europe, Asia, Canada, and the United States.
Rare outbreak of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) underway around the north pole
A rare outbreak of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) is in progress around the North Pole.
Noctilucent clouds outburst strongest in 15 years, NLCs seen as far south as Washington State and Oregon
A sharp spike in the frequency of noctilucent clouds was detected at the end of June 2022. This is the largest NLCs spike in the last 15 years.
Large plume of Saharan dust reaches the Caribbean and South America
The second large plume of Saharan dust reached the Caribbean and South America on June 7, 2022, after a journey of more than 5 500 km (3 400 miles), as forecasted by Copernicus CAMS and confirmed by Sentinel-5p Aerosol index.
Season’s first large plume of Saharan dust reaches the Caribbean Sea and South America
A large plume of Saharan dust emerged off the coast of western Africa this week and has now reached the Caribbean Sea and South America. This is the season’s first large plume of Saharan dust to cross the Atlantic.
Research shows jet stream is moving northwards, winter jet stream increased by 8%
New research led by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) and ICARUS presented seasonal to decadal variations in Northern Hemisphere jet stream latitude and speed over land (Eurasia, North America) and oceanic (North Atlantic, North Pacific) regions for the period…
WMO verifies 2 new world records for extreme megaflashes of lightning
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has verified 2 new world records for extreme megaflashes of lightning. The first is for the longest distance single flash of 768 ± 8 km (477.2 ± 5 miles) across the southern U.S. on April 29, 2020. This is 60…
Gemini Observatory records volcanic gravity waves over Hawai’i, U.S.
Hours after the massive eruption at Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai1 volcano on January 15, 2022, cameras at the Gemini Observatory on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i, U.S. recorded red waves rippling over Hawai'i. "These are gravity waves, a type of atmospheric…
Elevated levels of sulfur dioxide across the SW Pacific and Australia
Elevated levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2) are present across the SW Pacific and Australia after the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano on January 15, 2022. Since the eruption, the volcano has been releasing huge amounts of sulfur dioxide and…