• Typhoon Ma-on expected to slam into south Japan next week

    The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reports this morning that Ma-on, about 655 miles east-southeast of Iwo-Jima, has shown “steadily improving organization” over the past six hours, with convection “consolidating around the core” and the emergence of an

  • Tropical storm 08W (Ma-On) on track to become serious typhoon

    Tropical Storm 08W, to be known as Ma-on, will strengthen to a serious typhoon over the western Pacific Ocean by the end of the week.Tuesday morning, EDT, the center of Tropical Storm 08W was located more than 700 miles northeast of Guam, tracking westward between 10

  • Rare severe destructive “derecho” barrels through Midwest

    A derecho (from the Spanish adverb for “straight”) is a long-lived windstorm that forms in a straight line — unlike the swirling winds of a tornado — and is associated with what’s known as a bow echo, a line of severe thunderstorms. The term “derecho” was first

  • Tropical depression 08W (Eight) warning

    Tropical depresion 08W  is forming 775 nautical miles East-NorthEast of Andersen Ab, Guam and is moving westward. Maximum sustained surface winds are estimated at 30 knots gusting to 40 knots. TD 08W is located near 18,1N 157,3 E and is now subject of a tropical

  • Massive dust storm descends on Phoenix area

    A massive dust storm descended on the Phoenix area on Tuesday night, drastically reducing visibility and delaying flights as strong winds toppled trees and caused power outages for thousands of residents in the valley.The towering dust cloud that hit the area had

  • Tropical Storm Arlene drenches eastern Mexico

    Strong wind and heavy rain lashed much of eastern Mexico Thursday as Tropical Storm Arlene made landfall at near hurricane strength, whipping up Gulf waves large enough to force area ports to shut down. Ports in Veracruz state were closed due to waves reaching six

  • More than 1,100 lightning strikes in a single hour in Chicago

    Powerful thunderstorms that erupted over northern Illinois produced spectacular lightning, hurricane-force gusts, golf ball-sized hail and a waterspout over Lake Michigan. The National Weather Service says there were more than 1,100 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes in

  • Dust plumes over Iraq

    Arising along a roughly northwest-southeast line, multiple dust plumes blew southeastward through Iraq at the end of June 2011. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on June 30,