🌧️ Texas Flooding Enhanced by Climate Change

🌧️ Texas Flooding Enhanced by Climate Change

Texas is no stranger to extreme weather events. It is tied with Arkansas for the second most billion-plus dollar flood events of any state. As the world warms, the air holds more moisture; so when a storm passes through, it dumps more rain than it would have in the past. On July 3rd, the remnants of tropical storm Barry combined with an unusually humid airmass and dropped more than four months worth of rain. It is estimated that at least 1.8 trillion gallons of water fell, enough to cover the entire state of Texas in four inches of water. The timing was horrific - over night, and on a holiday weekend. A stream gauge in Hunt, TX rose 20 feet in just 90 minutes, putting hundreds of people in immediate harms’ way. The death toll has surpassed 130, with more than 100 still missing.

Katharine Hayhoe, Time Magazine

🥵 Arizona’s Heat Reaches Uncharted Territory

In 2024, Arizona broke numerous heat-related records. Phoenix reached 100+F 30% of the year and experienced 113 consecutive days of 100+F weather, the longest run on record. 2025 already had a 17-day run of 100+F temperatures, including seven days above 110F. Overall temperatures across the globe have risen by approximately 2F since 1880, but Phoenix has risen nearly 7F in that time due to the urban heat island effect. Phoenix has also experienced a rise in the number of days where the level of ozone in the air exceeds health and safety standards, with a 60% increase in ozone days from 2015 to 2022.

Jerod Macdonald-Evoy, Utah News Dispatch

🌀 Slow Start to Hurricane Season

Many hurricane forecasting entities called for an above-average hurricane season this year, but it has gotten off to a slow start. So far, the Atlantic Basin has only had three named storms, all of which were outside of the main development region for systems inside the Atlantic. The average date for the first named storm is June 20th, but this year, the first named storm, Andrea, did not form until June 24th. The slower start to the hurricane season is due to a few factors. Ocean temperatures have been near or below average so far, which has inhibited any ability for strengthening of systems. Saharan dust has also been blowing across the main development region, with the dust acting like a cap and not allowing storms to form or strengthen. ENSO-neutral conditions have caused hurricane activity to be more dependent on local factors such as sea surface temperatures, wind shear, and moisture availability. All of that said, hurricane season is still expected to be above-average, with the peak time not occurring for several more weeks.

The Weather Network

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Check out the blogs from June:

• NEW REPORT: Global and Regional Weather Forecast Accuracy Overview 2021-2024

• AI Models Struggle with Extreme Weather Events

• Experimental Weather Forecasts Worldwide in Unprecedented Detail

• Research From NOAA Could Improve Extreme Precipitation Forecasting