Dr. Jeff Masters

Tropical Storm Jerry forms; a close pass by the Leeward Islands expected » Yale Climate Connections Jerry is predicted to be a Cat 1 hurricane when it makes its closest approach to the northern Leeward Islands on Thursday night and Friday.

The northern Leeward Islands will need to watch out for newly-formed Tropical Storm Jerry. yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/10/trop...

I’m participating in a 40-minute webinar today at noon EDT on King Tides and sea level rise. Lots of great experts speaking.

Most of the world has recently set all-time heat records Regional exceptions like the 1930s in the continental US notwithstanding

"We focus a lot on global average temperatures, but this masks the real local impacts that climate change is having. The land – where all of us live – is warming about 40% faster than the global average, and high latitude regions are warming even faster." www.theclimatebrink.com/p/most-of-th...

Central Atlantic disturbance 95L likely to develop » Yale Climate Connections The system is likely to be near the Leeward Islands on Thursday or Friday.

The next Atlantic threat figures to pass just northeast of the Leeward Islands on Thursday and Friday. @bhensonweather.bsky.social and I have the latest: yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/10/cent...

Climate change behind 36% of damage inflicted by Typhoon Ragasa in China » Yale Climate Connections In the Atlantic, we're watching a tropical wave that emerged from the coast of Africa on October 3 that might develop in about a week as it approaches the Lesser Antilles Islands.

A seemingly modest 7% increase in winds and 12% increase in rain due to global warming increased the damages from Typhoon #Ragasa by over 1/3, a new study has found. yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/10/clim...

Climate change is going to hit the economy: “Even though this [crisis] is more regional [than the Great Financial Crisis],” says Burt, “it’s still something that’s pretty terrible.” He wishes we could prepare. Otherwise, he says, we’ll see “disorderly results” similar to what happened in 2008-2011.”

Tropical cyclones expand faster at warmer relative sea surface temperature | PNAS Tropical cyclones are expected to intensify more rapidly with warming, but relatively little work has examined whether they could expand more rapid...

Hurricane damage is often a function of their areal size, since big storms drive a larger storm surge and spread impacts over a larger area. However, this study found "global warming is not expected to strongly change storm size", and SSTs relative to global tropical average determine storm size.

Bermuda braces for a pounding from strengthening Hurricane Imelda » Yale Climate Connections The hurricane is expected to pass over or very near Bermuda early Thursday morning as a Cat 2 storm.

Hurricane #Imelda has Bermuda in its cross hairs, but fortunately, the island is one of the most hurricane-hardened places on the planet. yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/10/berm...

Yep. The idea that city/state government is going to “maintain the large, complex infrastructure needed to effectively respond to rare catastrophic events is nonsensical. Having a robust FEMA enables the ongoing maintenance of the needed disaster response infrastructure at a federal level.”

New Meta Data Center Needs Twice as Much Energy as New Orleans Meta is constructing its largest data center yet: a $10 billion facility in Louisiana requiring more than twice as much electricity as New Orleans.

Meta is constructing its largest data center yet: a $10 billion facility in Louisiana, as big as 70 football fields, requiring more than twice as much electricity as the City of New Orleans.

Louisiana has had to greenlight $3 billion in new energy infrastructure to service Meta's facility.

After drenching the Bahamas, Bermuda is the next land area that needs to be concerned with Imelda. The latest from @bhensonweather.bsky.social and I:
yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/09/trop...

Tropical Depression 9 plowing through the Bahamas » Yale Climate Connections Yale Climate Connections is a nonpartisan, multimedia service providing daily broadcast radio programming and original web-based reporting, commentary, and analysis on the issue of climate change.

Looks like TD 9 will miss making a U.S. landfall. The latest from @bhensonweather.bsky.social and I: yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/09/trop...

Lower.

Humberto hits Category 4, while The Bahamas and Southeast U.S. prep for the next storm » Yale Climate Connections A tropical depression strengthening on Saturday could affect parts of the Southeast coast for several days.

Tropical Depression 9, now in The Bahamas, may dump 10-20" of rain somewhere close to the Southeast U.S. coast as a tropical storm or hurricane early next week. Onshore or offshore? That's one of many big questions in the air right now. Full update:

yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/09/humb...

National Weather Service at ‘breaking point’ as storm approaches The National Weather Service is struggling to maintain its weather forecasting operations due to significant staffing cuts under the Trump administration.

My quote on NWS job application loyalty questions: “You’re going to discourage qualified employees from applying because of these questions that have nothing to do with how well you can make a forecast, or if you are able to put out a proper weather warning. It’s not relevant to the job.”

Antelope Canyon

Just visited Antelope Canyon, AZ. The colors and rock shapes were exquisite! Foreign tourism is going well in AZ; I was the only American in my group of 16. Lots of Germans and Japanese here, and at the Grand Canyon.

As Humberto rages, another fast-evolving system bears a close watch » Yale Climate Connections Invest 94L will likely become a tropical storm over the Bahamas this weekend, and it might reach Georgia or the Carolinas as a hurricane by early next week. Though the uncertainty is high, it's a good...

Wild to see #94L and #Humberto juxtaposed like this: much more Pacific-ish than Atlantic-ish.

Big forecast headaches loom, possibly for days to come, with #94L sandwiched between #Humberto + a cutoff low in the SE US. Unusual setups are tough for models.

yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/09/whil...

Great sunset at Yavapai Point, Grand Canyon tonight.

Gabrielle heads for Azores while Humberto and 94L brew in NW Atlantic » Yale Climate Connections Unusually warm waters are fueling a busy few days near the peak of hurricane season.

An exceedingly complex forecast lies ahead for #Humberto and #94L. Of the latter, the Nat'l Hurricane Center warns that "the chances of wind, rainfall, and storm surge impacts for a portion of the southeast U.S. coast are increasing.” Full scoop here:

yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/09/gabr...

Hurricane Gabrielle makes a run for the Azores » Yale Climate Connections A hurricane watch is up, while two other Atlantic systems percolate, and far south China braces for Typhoon Ragasa.

Telltale sign of this odd Atlantic season: The #Azores are on track to experience a hurricane, #Gabrielle, before anyplace in North or Central America or the Caribbean. Meanwhile, Hong Kong and points west are bracing for #Ragasa, still at Cat 4 strength.

yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/09/hurr...

Hurricane Gabrielle cranks up in the Atlantic; Typhoon Ragasa heads for southern China » Yale Climate Connections Both systems intensified rapidly atop unusually warm waters.

There's plenty bubbling in the Atlantic right now—a major hurricane, plus two disturbances worth keeping an eye on—while Super Typhoon Ragasi heads toward the far southern China coast. My latest with @drjeffmasters.bsky.social:

yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/09/hurr...

Visited the ASU Art Museum in Tempe today; they have a powerful piece by American artist Michelangelo Lovelace called “Katrina Aftermath”.

The Atlantic’s remarkable 20-day quiet period finally ends » Yale Climate Connections Tropical Storm Gabrielle in the central Atlantic is the basin’s first tropical cyclone since Tropical Storm Fernand dissipated on August 28.

We're setting the kind of records we like seeing this hurricane season! The latest from @bhensonweather.bsky.social and I on newly-formed Tropical Storm #Gabrielle: yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/09/the-...

Similar to last year, there's an unusual peak-season quiet in the Atlantic this hurricane season. But that quiet will likely end this week due to the expected development of Invest 92L in the central tropical Atlantic. The latest from @bhensonweather.bsky.social and I:

Alaska's rivers are turning orange, and the changes are irreversible A new study reveals how thawing permafrost is transforming dozens of rivers in Alaska, leading to irreversible changes.

Tough news for the
Arctic: “Permafrost thaw exposes sulfide-bearing rocks, oxidation generates acidity, and the resulting acid mobilizes a suite of metals. At higher concentrations the metals become toxic to aquatic life.”
www.earth.com/news/alaskas...

As I've done with his last two books, I plan on buying multiple copies of the latest by @michaelemann.bsky.social, #ScienceUnderSiege, and giving them away to students. "Saving Us" by @katharinehayhoe.com has also gotten this treatment!

August 2025: Earth's 3rd-hottest August on record » Yale Climate Connections Four nations/territories set or tied their all-time heat record in August: Japan, Brunei, the UAE, and Martinique.

Thus far, 2025—despite no El Niño influence and a new La Niña likely to arrive by autumn—ranks as the second warmest on record for the year to date, after the 3rd warmest August on record globally. More from @drjeffmasters.bsky.social:

yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/09/augu...

“particles spewed by Canadian wildfires killed 82,000 people in 2023, according to a study published in Nature on Wednesday. The long tendrils of smoke choked towns not just in Canada and the US, but also across the Atlantic. The pollution was responsible for 22,000 early deaths in Europe alone.”

Germany’s famous study showed over 80% insect declines in farmland over 27 years. “Those findings were often blamed on pesticides and habitat loss. Sockman’s work shows something different. Insects are collapsing even in a meadow with little human pressure. Climate itself may be enough.”

Another round of weird peak-season quiet in the Atlantic tropics » Yale Climate Connections Resilient Hurricane Kiko finally weakens as it brushes Hawaii to the north.

Well, it's the climatological peak week of hurricane season for the Atlantic, but you wouldn’t know it from the level of activity. The latest from @bhensonweather.bsky.social and I: yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/09/anot...