The eastern Atlantic Ocean has opened for business unusually early this hurricane season, due to the much warmer-than-average ocean temperatures for this time of year.
The big picture: The National Hurricane Center is giving a tropical wave a 80% chance of developing into a tropical depression or named tropical storm during the next week, when it is still well east of the Leeward Islands.
Artificial intelligence is expanding in the heart of the U.S. oil patch, especially among larger firms.
Why it matters: AI's climate tech applications vs. its energy thirst gets lots of press, but new survey data underscores how AI helps incumbent industries too.
Amid a surge in wildfires in the planet's northern reaches, Canada accounted for nearly one-third of all the forest lost to wildfire last year, a new report finds.
Why it matters: While last year's wildfire season in Canada was an outlier, with some fires smoldering through the winter, it illustrated a trend toward more active seasons in the boreal forests that ring the Arctic.
If it's way too hot where you are right now, don't expect lasting relief any time soon.
Threat level: Areas experiencing a long-duration heat wave, like much of the South and parts of the Plains, are likely to continue to sweat under a strong, meandering heat dome.
The battle for the EV future pits legacy automakers against swashbuckling (if cash-strapped) startups, but the new VW-Rivian tie-up suggests a third way forward.
Why it matters: As Axios' Nathan Bomey reports, VW's plan to invest up to $5 billion in Rivian is a major validation of Rivian's tech and an acknowledgment by VW that it's playing catchup in the global EV race.
Much of the Midwest was under flash flooding and tornado warnings into Wednesday morning, with large hail the latest threat to the region that's been inundated with heavy rains in the searing heat this week.
The big picture: Days of historic flooding rains that have hit Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota have prompted evacuations and water rescues and breached levees, and nearly three million people were under flood warnings and watches on Wednesday morning.
