First Alert Weather Insider

Atmospheric rivers play a critical role in transporting water throughout the atmosphere by advecting (moving) moisture from the tropics to higher latitudes. When fully developed, they can deliver widespread rain and snow to areas all along the west coast. If an atmospheric river originates in Hawaii, like shown below, it is called a ‘Pineapple Express’.

There are a number of different ways by which fog can form. Regardless of the way it’s formed, the science behind fog is the same. Fog occurs when the air at the surface is either completely or nearly completely saturated with water. Essentially, fog is a cloud that forms down at the surface. Fog is

According to a new report from Climate Central, extreme cold events across the nations are becoming both warmer and shorter. On average, the coldest temperature of the year has risen by 7°F across more than 240 locations since 1970. Some places, like Cleveland, OH, have seen an increase of more than 11°F. Other places, such

The color of the sky is determined by the angle of the sun in the sky (how much atmosphere the light needs to pass through) and how the light is scattered by air molecules in the atmosphere. Since blue light has the most energy of any wavelength of color, it is scattered first which is

Lake effect snow is caused by a fairly simple process, but one which can pack a punch nonetheless. The process begins when cold, dry air moves over a relatively warmer body of water. The warmer, moister air from the lake rises and fills the cold airmass. This causes clouds to form over the lake. The

As of just before 5 PM (Pacific Time), many parts of the northern plains and intermountain west are already seeing sub-zero temperatures. Parts of Montana are more than 20 degrees below zero! The Dakotas are not far behind with temperatures more than 10 degrees below zero. Keep in mind that these temperatures are BEFORE we

Fronts are a meteorologist’s bread and butter. Essentially, a front is the boundary between two air masses. Remember that winds flow counterclockwise around low pressure. As a low pressure system forms, cold, dry air is brought in from the north, and warm, moist air moves in from the south. Ahead of a warm front, there

A large winter storm is impacting just about every state east of the Rocky Mountains. The map below highlights active watches, warnings and advisories for the nation. The bright red in the plains represents a blizzard warning, the yellow hugging the Gulf Coast represents a tornado watch, and the tan color from Texas to Massachusetts

Shortly before midnight our time (about 4:00pm in Japan), an extremely powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the northern tip of the Noto Peninsula in the Ishikawa Prefecture. This, combined with the dozens of aftershocks, prompted the Japanese Meteorological Agency to issue Tsunami Warnings across the country. This was the first time a Major Tsunami Warning

We’re all taught that there are 365 days in a year. But, once every four years we add one extra day. This is because we use a solar calendar. One year is technically the time it takes for the sun to orbit the sun. One orbit comes out to 365.25 days. As a result, we

2023 was a big year for climate legislation in the state of California! Governor Gavin Newsom signed two landmark climate bills into law back in October. The first, titled California’s Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (or SB 253) will require companies with an annual revenue of at least $1,000,000,000 (one billion dollars) to disclose emissions

We’ve all heard that no two snowflakes are alike, and that’s not wrong. But there are a multitude of types of snowflakes. Just like how there are pine trees, palm trees, and oak trees, there are plate snowflakes, column snowflakes, cup snowflakes, and more. Credit: NOAA The process begins when very cold water droplets interact

This year saw a total of 20 named storms in the Atlantic basin. Of which, 7 became hurricanes and 3 became major hurricanes. The total number of storms is slightly above average, however, the number of hurricanes and major hurricanes exactly matched the 30-year average. Three Atlantic storms made landfall in the United States. These were

Across the United States, winter is by far the fastest warming season for the majority of the nation. More than 220 locations have seen overall warmer temperatures throughout the winter season. The vast majority of the locations analyzed have seen more warmer winter days. Palm Springs was one of the very few cities which has