John Morales

A reminder that a pre-dawn full lunar eclipse is visible overnight over North America. It lays about one hour between 6 and 7 am ET.

“While the East was cold, for locations with long term records like NYC, DC, Philly & Boston, winter 2025-26 only ranked in the range of a top 25-50 coldest — it just seemed particularly brutal because of global warming and the trend toward milder winters in recent decades.” — @wxmanms1.bsky.social

A Response to the Decision to Rescind EPA's 2009 Endangerment Finding The AMS is a global community committed to advancing weather, water, and climate science and service.

"The repeal of the Endangerment Finding does not alter the central unambiguous scientific conclusion: The climate change that people are causing threatens human lives and well-being."—@ametsoc.org. Though I would've preferred "AMS condemns" than chosen "AMS concerned" www.ametsoc.org/ams/about-am...

Despite Eastern U.S. cold, January 2026 was one of the world's warmest Januaries on record » Yale Climate Connections Near-record warmth in the Western U.S. gave the contiguous U.S. an above-average temperature for the month.

"The first month of 2026 was the world’s fifth-warmest January in analyses of global weather data." — another data point contributing to the notion that whether or not it's cold where you are, global warming continues unabated. yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/02/desp...

Trump hates the way wind farms look. Too bad, America’s court system says Despite legal challenges, wind power is fighting back.

"All five of the wind farms planned in federal waters have gotten the go-ahead. [...] It’s another loss for Trump in his war against wind energy, which continues to scale in the U.S. despite the president’s attacks." www.yahoo.com/news/article...

China’s Emissions Fall As Power Demand Rises: A Possible Turning Point China’s emissions are falling even as power demand rises, driven by rapid growth in clean energy and EVs. Analysts say this may signal a structural turning point.

"The center of gravity in global #climate outcomes has already shifted [...] to how China powers its economy. If the structural changes underway in #China take root, they will influence global #emissions trajectories more than any other single national decision." www.forbes.com/sites/kensil...

Before that, we have to go back to December 1989 for the last time it was this cold (30°). Temperatures below freezing in the previous century also occurred in 1985, 1977, 1940, 1934, 1917, and 1905.

With a minimum temperature of 35 °F, today marks just the 2nd time this century that the temperature in Miami dipped so low. It was also 35° on 10 Jan 2010. This morning's lowest wind chill reading in #Miami was 26°

Number of days with low temperatures below 40 °F in #Miami during the last 50 years (1977-2026) is 4️⃣3️⃣ versus 9️⃣0️⃣ days in the previous 50 years (1927-1976). There's a good chance we'll add 2️⃣ such cold days this Sunday and Monday per @nws.noaa.gov.

PRESS RELEASE: It is 85 seconds to midnight At the 2026 Doomsday Clock announcement, the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board moved the Doomsday Clock forward from 89 seconds to 85 seconds to midnight, citing a failure in global leadership.

Record-breaking climate trends, AI, various biosecurity concerns, and renewed nuclear proliferation, among other factors why the so-called Doomsday Clock is the closest to midnight it's ever been according to @thebulletin.org. thebulletin.org/2026/01/pres...

Breaking: POTUS signs federal science funding budget bill, and National Science Foundation issues call for NCAR "restructuring" proposals As major winter storm starts its days of significant impacts

...the dismantling of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. NSF is requesting proposals for "reorganizing NCAR's critical weather infrastructure," but nothing related to NCAR's climate portfolio. NSF appears ready to abide by the regime's plans. balancedweather.substack.com/p/breaking-p...

Signed into law today: appropriations for most federal science organizations including NOAA, NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the US Geological Survey, and the EPA. The bill passed without explicit language protecting NCAR. So, also today NSF wrote a "Dear Colleague" letter signaling...

YouTube video by Cornell University Student and Campus Life CALC 2025 Career Conversation with John Toohey Morales ‘84

This was fun—a short interview about my journey from Cornell to a career in meteorology & communications. I reflect on key experiences that shaped my path and how time on campus prepared me for life after graduation. You’ll also hear my advice for current students. www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqiR...

Killing Freedom of the Press the American way. Source: (🎁🔗) www.nytimes.com/2026/01/17/b...

Balanced Weather | Alan Gerard (Balanced Wx) | Substack Balanced Weather provides updates on national/global weather and climate events and stories in a scientific, rational manner. Click to read Balanced Weather, by Alan Gerard (Balanced Wx), a Substack p...

FY2026 NOAA/NASA/NSF budgets approved in Congress—a sharp rebuke to the White House (Project 2025) plans, with funding mostly maintained, safeguarding national labs, plus a 10% boost to NWS to "support full staffing" (anti-DOGE). No NCAR guarantee though balancedweather.substack.com?utm_source=n...

This morning the Senate by an overwhelming margin of 85-14 passed the cloture motion on bill H.R. 6938, the “minibus” appropriations bill that will fund most federal science agencies, including NOAA, NASA and the National Science Foundation (NSF). No guarantees for NCAR so far.

The motion to hold a vote also depends on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (SD). If you or anyone you know lives in these states, please let them know this rare opportunity to give NCAR legal protection. Let’s show these senators that they are not alone in defending this indispensable institution.

Although we need everyone to call their representatives, the most important voices to reach are Senators from Alaska, Indiana, Iowa, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming who have voiced support for weather and climate research in the past. 3/

Colorado Senators Bennett and Hickenlooper are pressing ahead with a proposed amendment (SA 4153) that explicitly protects NCAR in the upcoming Climate, Justice, Science (CJS, H.R.6938) spending bill. It appears that tomorrow (Thursday) will determine whether this amendment makes it into the bill 2/

Important update about Congressional efforts to prevent the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) from being dismantled. Last week the White House threatened to veto any appropriations bill that protects NCAR. Despite this attempt at intimidation ... (1/ )

Important additional data on 2025, as all systems are pushed to the limit. bsky.app/profile/haus...

2025 was Earth’s third-warmest year since records began in 1850. It's an unprecedented global heat streak now in its 3rd year. We are rapidly approaching the threshold above which the risks to lives & livelihoods from pollution-fueled warming and extreme weather will intensify further.

Trump administration using rhetoric linked to extremists | PBS News Hour Just weeks into the new year, the Trump administration has rolled out a campaign across departments that draws on images and ideas borrowed from right-wing and white nationalist circles. Liz Landers r...

Not that you didn’t know what the root of what’s happening is. But here it is, plain as day. Watch 👀 www.thirteen.org/programs/pbs...

In 2026, Climate Change Is No Longer A Theoretical Risk In 2026, climate change threatens human safety, natural systems & economic stability, as data shows accelerating warming, stronger storms, rising seas and growing losses.

“The data shows a planet warming faster than policy response, storms intensifying alongside rising seas, and economic losses concentrating where resilience is weakest. Climate risk is now a planning variable, rather than a forecast uncertainty.” www.forbes.com/sites/dianne...

Under Trump, U.S. Adds Fuel to a Heating Planet

“Trump’s heat waves, Trump’s droughts, Trump’s floods, and Trump’s wildfires” — Prof. Justin Mankin

I can add Trump’s catastrophic hurricanes to this list.

🎁🔗 www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...

Jupiter is very bright and easy to spot in the evening sky all week. It reaches its closest point to the Earth on Friday. The evening skies of January feature an incredible array of bright stars— more so than at any other time of the year. Image Credit: @skyandtelescope.bsky.social

Who remembers how "cold" last January was in South Florida? Temperatures ran 2-3 degrees below normal.

But the rest of 2025 was so scalding hot 🥵 that #Miami again managed to tally a top-10 hottest year. Records date back to 1895. West Palm Beach too.

Earth is at its closest point to the Sun, perihelion, today Saturday 3 January 2026 at 12:15 PM EST—a mere 91.4 million miles away. It will be more than 3 million miles farther away at aphelion in July. (via @rtphokie.bsky.social)

“Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about!”
— Linus van Pelt

More of this in 2025’s America. Please.

(random house I passed during a late afternoon Xmas walk in a Pittsburgh suburb)

Later this week: Look for Saturn alongside the Moon on Boxing Day night (Friday December 26th) visible with the naked eye. Neptune forms a triangle with the pair, but will require a sizable telescope to see. (via @rtphokie.bsky.social)