Severe weather

The National Weather Service is down 560 employees since the Trump administration and DOGE fired workers and offered buyouts and early retirements to others. Now, a bipartisan group of legislators is introducing a bill to reclassify forecasters as “critical to public safety,” making it faster to rehire for the vacancies. Meteorologist Chase Cain has the exclusive report.

New data from UCSD and the Scripps Institute shows a record-high concentration of CO2, rising faster than ever. Meteorologist Chase Cain talks with the lead scientist about the acceleration of climate change and the future of this critical data.

Hurricanes Helene and Milton showed how tropical storms can leave devastation hundreds of miles after landfall. Climate change is amplifying hurricanes’ potential for flooding. Meteorologist Chase Cain highlights the importance of preparing now — even if you don’t live on the coast.

The National Hurricane Center released their first outlook for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, and it’s quite similar to how last year unfolded. Meteorologist Chase Cain breaks down the forecast and how climate change is cranking up the dial on hurricanes.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released their 2025 hurricane season forecast on Thursday, telling Americans to start preparing for an above normal number of named storms and up to five major hurricanes.

More severe weather is expected just days after a series of deadly storms hit the southern Plains, Midwest and Southeast.

At least 27 people have been killed by storm systems that swept across part of the U.S. Midwest and South, with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announcing Saturday that 18 of the deaths came in his state and 10 others were hospitalized in critical condition.

A 12-year-old died after being swept away by floodwaters in Virginia, 200 people were rescued from a flooded school in Maryland and toppled trees are blocking traffic after rain inundated the region.

The agency said its National Centers for Environmental Information would no longer update its Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database beyond 2024.

In a rare move, all living former directors of the National Weather Service issued a joint warning about the threat of staff cuts and buy-outs across the agency. The men cautioned that President Trump’s proposal to cut NOAA’s budget by nearly 30% will lead to the ‘needless loss of life’ during severe weather. Meteorologist Chase Cain talked with former agency...

At the Salk Institute in San Diego, scientists are using AI to identify roots which will make crops more resilient to drought, floods, and extreme heat. If successful, it could also mean extra revenue for farmers. National climate reporter Chase Cain got an exclusive look inside the high-tech lab.

Rivers rose and flooding worsened Sunday across the South and Midwest, threatening communities already badly damaged by days of heavy rain and wind.

Another round of torrential rain and flash flooding has come for parts of the South and Midwest already heavily waterlogged by days of severe storms that also spawned some deadly tornadoes.

At least 42 people are dead after powerful storms swept across the country over the weekend, uprooting trees and destroying homes and businesses.

Residents are surveying damage from unusually vicious weather in multiple states where violent twisters, blinding dust storms and fast-moving wildfires decimated neighborhoods.

A massive storm has decimated homes and other structures and left at least 35 people dead since Friday.

A powerful system of storms is sweeping across the Midwest and South, raising tornado warnings.

The heavy rain and wind events most known for dousing California and other parts of the West have been getting bigger, wetter and more frequent in the past 45 years as the world warms, according to a comprehensive study of atmospheric rivers in the current issue of the Journal of Climate.

Tornadoes can form in minutes, leaving little time to prepare. Knowing the difference between alerts and having a safety plan in place is critical.

Mudslides are dangerous torrents that are usually referred to by geologists and first responders as debris flows.