The 2018 Atlantic hurricane season is likely to have below average activity, due in large part to the formation of an El Niño event in the tropical Pacific Ocean, and cooler than average sea surface temperatures in key regions of the tropical Atlantic, forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center announced Friday.
Why it matters: Hurricanes are nature's most powerful and costliest storms, and after an extraordinarily destructive hurricane season in 2017, the prospect of a below-average season is a welcome one for millions of coastal residents.
The big picture: Despite fanfare from the Trump administration and its supporters, opinions on whether or not the Space Force as a separate branch of the military is necessary, are split.
NASA is set to launch the first space mission to enter the sun's corona, with the launch slated for Saturday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
The big picture: The Parker Solar Probe stands out for just how close to the sun it plans to reach: less than 3.82 million miles away. By comparison, we live a comfortable 93 million miles away from our solar system's star. Assuming a successful launch, the probe will also become the fastest-moving man-made object ever, traveling at 340,000 miles per hour.
Speaking alongside Defense Secretary James Mattis at the Pentagon Thursday, Vice President Pence announced that "establishing the Space Force is an idea whose time has come."
The big picture: The Vice President explained the Pentagon has begun the process of establishing Space Force as a 6th branch of the U.S. military by 2020, beginning with the establishment of a new combatant command overseen by a four-star general. However, only Congress has the power to establish a new branch of the military.
The Puerto Rican government said in an Economic and Disaster Recovery Plan on Thursday that although it was initially reported that 64 lives were lost in Hurricane Maria last year, the "estimate was later revised to 1,427," the New York Times reports.
The big picture: This is a massive increase from the original number, which was underreported because of data shortfalls, destruction of the island's infrastructure and government inaction. It is thought that many deaths may have gone unreported, particularly from rural areas cut off from medical help.
