Recent dry weather has caused pockets of drought to develop in portions of the southern Plains recently. Despite this, AccuWeather meteorologists warn that enough rain is on the way to raise the risk of flooding.

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An explosion of color takes place in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, makes it exceptional. Some areas receive only a few millimeters of rain each year, and when it does rain, the landscape can be transformed in just a few weeks. Also, NASA is planning to launch a rocket mission to study the turbulence where Earth's atmosphere ends and outer space begins sometime over the next two weeks.

The earliest the agency expects to launch the three sounding rockets is Saturday, with the launch window closing Sept. 3.

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Hurricane Erin is heading away from the United States, but heavy seas, crushing surf and strong rip currents will pose dangers to swimmers and boaters into this weekend.

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A substantial outbreak of cooler air will overtake the Midwest late this week and extend into the Northeast next week, where it could last for several days. Also, as changes in wind intensity continue, Erin’s size will drive dangerous surf and massive seas along much of the United States East Coast, as well as Atlantic Canada and Bermuda waters.

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Tropical moisture sent northward by Hurricane Erin will trigger downpours that can lead to flash flooding in parts of the Appalachians and Northeast from Wednesday into Wednesday night. The heaviest rain will come from a stalled weather front draped across the region, rather than directly from Hurricane Erin. A pocket a dry weather could separate the two areas of rain. While Hurricane Erin continues to generate rough surf and coastal hazards, AccuWeather meteorologists are monitoring additional tropical waves near the region where Erin initially formed earlier this month.

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The growing size of the powerful hurricane's winds and waves will lead to significant flooding and erosion on North Carolina's Outer Banks throughout the week.

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On Sunday, July 27, Tampa, Florida, made history by hitting 100 degrees for the first time since record-keeping began in 1890. A day later, the thermometer at Tampa International Airport topped out at 95 degrees in the afternoon, a narrow miss for a second consecutive day of triple-digit heat. For Northern dwellers who dream of sunshine and beaches in the dead of winter, and even Floridians who boast about their heat hardiness, the fact that a Florida city had never officially reached 100 degrees came as a surprise—and for many, disbelief.

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Hurricane Erin will continue to strengthen as it approaches the Leeward Islands and Puerto Rico, where it will threaten with tropical downpours, pounding surf and strong winds.

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The waters off California have grown quieter, and scientists are listening.

New research from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) has found a sharp decline in the number of blue whale songs detected in the California Current Ecosystem following a prolonged marine heat wave. The study, which spanned six years of acoustic monitoring, revealed that blue whale vocalizations dropped significantly during and after the climate event known as “The Blob.”

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While the most likely track keeps Erin offshore from the U.S. East Coast, shifts in the storm’s path could bring strong winds, heavy rain, and coastal flooding to parts of the eastern United States and Bermuda.

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