Tropical Storm Arlene became the first named storm of the 2023 hurricane season after forming Friday in the east-central Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The big picture: NOAA's forecast for the season remains uncertain due to elevated temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and a developing El Niño in the equatorial tropical Pacific Ocean.
Threats from the still-emerging Atlantic hurricane season are converging as oceanic and atmospheric trends underscore how climate change is creating unprecedented storm conditions.
The big picture: The tropical Atlantic is especially toasty, particularly temperatures in a crucial swath of the sea known as the "Main Development Region," where many tropical storms and hurricanes form and intensify.
U.S. poet laureate Ada Limón on Thursday revealed her poem that will fly to Jupiter's moon Europa aboard NASA's Europa Clipper mission.
The big picture: The mission follows in the tradition of others — like NASA's Voyagers — that have sent pieces of art representing humanity into the cosmos.
Next-generation radar technology capable of taking 3D slices of hurricanes and other storms is poised to move ahead, after years of fits and starts.
Driving the news: The National Science Foundation announced $91.8 million in funding this morning — the first day of the Atlantic hurricane season — for the National Center for Atmospheric Research to design, build and test an airborne phased array radar.
A California judge on Wednesday dismissed all criminal charges against Pacific Gas & Electric in the deadly Zogg Fire and PG&E agreed to a $50 million civil settlement with Shasta County officials over the matter.
The big picture: The utility was charged with manslaughter and other crimes in connection with the Northern California wildfire that killed four people, including an 8-year-old girl, and burned hundreds of homes in 2020 after investigators found the blaze was sparked by a tree that fell onto a PG&E transmission line.
