Category: Explore and Discover

El Niño isn’t a season — it’s a warm-water pattern in the Pacific Ocean, like a fever that runs hottest in winter. Because the ocean takes months to heat the whole planet, its record-heat effect shows up the following year.

What Is a Super El Niño?

El Niño is the warm phase of a natural climate cycle known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Undeniably occurs when sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific rise above average. The warming can alter atmospheric circulation patterns worldwide, influencing rainfall, temperatures, storms and droughts.

 A “super” El Niño is gaining strength as we speak. If the climate phenomenon continues building at this pace, it could become the strongest El Niño we’ve seen in more than 75 years.

The current El Niño is already among the strongest observed for this time of year. NOAA says there is more than a 90 percent chance it will reach “very strong” status this fall and winter, and a 69 percent chance it could exceed the strength of all El Niño events on record dating back to 1950.

Other elements

There are other elements influencing our climate and weather patterns, like warming global temperatures. However, El Niño is not the only thing that affects these seasonal forecasts, but it is one of the big drivers of it. It gives much certainty to the forecast.

Experts Warn of Local Impacts

Experts have also warned that El Niño could bring sharply different local effects, with Texas more likely to see a cooler, wetter winter and Arizona facing a hotter, drier summer with heightened wildfire risk.

Joel Lisonbee, NOAA’s southern plains drought coordinator, told Texas Standard that Texas typically turns wetter from late fall into early spring during El Niño years. In Arizona, AZ Mirror reported that experts cautioned the state may be in for more record heat, deadly floods and intense wildfire activity this year.  Also, forecasters warning that a strong El Niño could further amplify those risks.

Typical Super El Niño winter pattern over the U.S. — southward-shifted Pacific jet stream drives wetter conditions across the southern tier. Source: NOAA Climate.gov.

Winter Prediction

In winter, the southern, or subtropical, branch of the jet stream usually is turbocharged in a stronger El Niño.

That means a wetter winter usually is the result across the southern tier of states from parts of California and the Desert Southwest to Florida and the Southeast. This could also mean more snow across these areas if the air is cold enough.

Meanwhile, much of the northern U.S. typically has a milder and drier winter during a stronger El Niño, from the Northwest and northern Rockies to the Northern Plains and Midwest.

In an article for Severe Weather Europe, meteorologist Andrej Flis shares his predictions for winter 2026/2027. He expects significant snowfall deficits across much of the northern U.S., but above-average snowfall across most western, southern, central, and eastern states.

NOAA’s own guidance

What El Niño reliably does: its clearest, most dependable effects in the United States are in winter, not summer.  Whereas a jet stream shifted south and east tends to bring a wetter southern tier and Southeast and a milder north. NOAA’s notes El Niño’s US influence is “weak during the summer and more pronounced starting in the late fall through spring.”

What it does not do: El Niño does not cause your local summer heatwave. Any single heatwave, storm or flood has many causes, and — in NOAA’s words — a single El Niño “increases the odds” of certain patterns rather than guaranteeing them.

It’s important to note that stronger El Niños increase the odds that expected global weather shifts will happen, but they do not guarantee any single local outcome. Every El Niño unfolds differently. These predictions are best guesses informed by historical outcomes, long-range forecast models, and projections for the timing and intensity of El Niño’s peak.

It’s important to be aware of these predictions are just predictions.

Stay tuned!

Related story:  El Nino: Understanding Global Weather Changes – TUTORING YOU

Virgo, the sixth sign of the zodiac, belongs to those born between the dates of August 23rd and September 22nd.

(Learn about the Zodiac here)  What is the Zodiac? – TUTORING YOU

Virgo Zodiac Sign Traits

Smart, sophisticated, and kind, Virgo gets the job done without complaining. Virgos are amazing friends, always there to lend a hand and also lend advice. Practical Virgos are incredibly adept at big picture thinking, and planning. As a result, their life, their vacations, and what they’re going to do today isn’t a drag.  Also, it makes them feel in control and secure.

Virgo has a fulfilling inner life, and can sometimes seem shy at first meeting. However, this sign is anything but shy.  Especially in the bedroom.  One of the most passionate signs, Virgos specialize at connecting to their physicality, and this earth sign loves and celebrates physical connection with their partner.

Beware

Virgos expect perfection from themselves, and they may project those high standards on the other people in their life.  Virgo’s desire to have everything be perfect can manifest in frustration when things don’t live up to those (sometimes unrealistic) expectations. Besides occasionally leading to fights with friends and partners, learning to go with the flow and accept “good enough” is a constant struggle.

A Virgo hates when someone lets him or her down, even if it’s minor and unavoidable, like a last-minute cancellation. Virgo signs never want to disappoint the people in their lives, so they may spread themselves too thin put themselves last.

Virgo signs love and are inspired by beauty. They consider what they wear and how they decorate their house to be an extension of their personality. Although their friends make fun of their penchant for organizing,

Virgo’s Picky Love Style

Virgo loves hard and is always in pursuit of star love the kind where souls, minds, and bodies seamlessly merge. That’s why this sign sometimes gets the (unfair) reputation of being too picky…  However, Virgos are amazing friends, always there to lend a hand and also lend advice.  Always being smart, sophisticated, and kind, Virgo gets the job done without complaining. BTW, Top Love Matches: Cancer.

Don’t be offended if Virgo turns down the first invite you extend. Although Virgos are kind and friendly to everyone, they may have some walls around them, built to protect themselves and the circle of friends they already have…

Virgo’s Secret Weapon

Virgo is incredibly hard working. When this sign wants something, they’ll work for it. They’re also good at making the most of things friends look to them to help them with a DIY project or redecorate their home. Virgins push the people around them to be their best if you want a training buddy for a marathon, you know who to call. Bottom line: Virgos work hard, and that work ethic inspires everyone in their life.

Virgo Career, Money & Success Traits

Virgo’s greatest career strength: Intelligence. Fiercely intelligent, Virgos are a manager’s dream because they can both see the big picture and focus in on the tiny details to make a project work…  Their motto is, “My best can always be better.”

Source:  horoscope.com©

Graphic by:  oldfarmersalmanac©

More Virgo reading here:

The Personality of a Virgo – TUTORING YOU

Not to get too excited, but the cost-of-living adjustment forecast seems to be quite surprising.  However, it’s just a forecast for now.

The Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) is an annual increase applied to Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits.  Chiefly designed to help recipients keep pace with inflation and prevent an erosion of purchasing power over time.

According to the nonpartisan Senior Citizens League, the Social Security 2027 COLA could come in at approximately 3.8%.  But 2.7 to 3.0% has also been discussed as a possibility.

Also, the official Social Security 2027 COLA figure will not be confirmed until mid-October 2026.  Basically, it’s forecast on third-quarter Consumer Price Index data.  Therefore, beneficiaries should treat all current projections as estimates subject to change rather than guaranteed figures.

Photo by fool.com©

China’s active forest expansion has continued at pace amid a long-running push that began half a century ago.

Its Three-North Shelterbelt Program started in 1978 and is now also known as the “Green Great Wall” project.  It spans 13 provinces across northern China to combat desertification and soil erosion in drought-prone areas.

Why It Matters

A year after the initiative was launched, China designated March 12 as its National Day of Tree planting. The Chinese government says that from 1982-2021, its citizens planted approximately 78 billion trees in the country.

China’s overall forest coverage has risen to nearly 25 percent. The work contributes to carbon uptake as part of Beijing’s broader climate mitigation strategy and supports jobs in forestry‑related sectors.

What To Know

The Kubuqi Desert is China’s seventh largest, covering more than 5,400 square miles in the northern region of Inner Mongolia.  Unquestionably has long driven desertification in the area, threatening nearby villages and cities with sandstorms. and disruption.

Over the past five years, China has greened over 90 million acres of land, including by adding over million acres of new forests.

China’s Saihanba forest was historically rich in forests, wildlife and water plants.  Basically, it was reduced to a barren plateau after deforestation and mountain fires. It, too, has seen a massive transformation under afforestation efforts.

Thanks to the work of three generations of foresters, the forest provided nearly 5 billion cubic feet of clean water annually to the cities of Beijing and Tianjin, while producing approximately 550,000 metric tons of oxygen in 2017.

Over 40 years, afforestation expanded over 120,000 square miles of forest and nearly 330,000 square miles of grassland, reducing degraded grassland from 85 percent to 70 percent.

However, China’s “three north” regions—north, northwest and northeast—continue to face severe desertification concerns. They cover 45 percent of the country and account for 84 percent of its desertified land.

What Happens Next

China’s government is heavily backing the Three‑North Shelterbelt Forest Program and hopes to complete it by 2050.

Source:  newsweek.com©

Choosing the perfect baby name is one of the most exciting decisions for expecting parents. As we move through 2026, certain baby names are capturing the hearts of American families from coast to coast. This guide covers the most popular baby names in the USA for 2026, drawing on Social Security Administration (SSA) data trends and regional popularity patterns across all 50 states.

The rare alignment of three celestial events could make the annual meteor shower one of the most spectacular skywatching opportunities of the year.

The annual Perseid meteor shower already offers a stunning display of shooting stars under ordinary circumstances.  Basically, will reach its 2026 peak beginning on Aug. 12, coinciding with both a new moon and a solar eclipse. Come evening time, the sky will be completely dark.  In fact, ideal conditions for observing this annual show.

During the peak period, which starts at around 11 p.m. on Aug. 12 and runs into dawn on Aug. 13, an average of up to 100 meteors per hour are expected to be visible.  The full span of the Perseid meteor show lasts from July 17 to Aug. 24, according to Space.com.

However, even with full darkness, city lights and cloudy or foggy skies can impact visibility. For the best experience, stargazers should head to rural locations where the weather is expected to be clear.

Throw in a solar eclipse

Want more bang for your celestial buck? Plan to take in both the Perseid meteor shower and the Aug. 12 solar eclipse.  Visible from a location within the eclipse’s path of totality, which will stretch across eastern Greenland, western Iceland, northern Spain, and a small corner of Portugal before ending near the Balearic Islands. In the U.S., a partial solar eclipse will be visible in parts of the East and Northeast and in Alaska.

The Perseid meteor shower, which takes place every summer, is caused by bits of ice and rock that were left behind by the Comet Swift-Tuttle, a large comet that orbits the sun every 133 years. As the Earth passes through the comet’s remnant debris, bits of ice and rock interact with our atmosphere and disintegrate, creating gorgeously fiery streaks across the sky.

A typical Perseid meteor (or meteoroid, which is what they’re called before they enter Earth’s atmosphere) is only about the size of a grain of sand and moves at around 133,200 mph. The meteoroids can reach over 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit and are visible from the earth when they’re roughly 60 miles from the ground. Most fragments disintegrate before reaching the surface.

Even if you can’t make it to the path of totality for this year’s triple-header event, there’s more to look forward to.  Specifically on August 2028, when some astronomers predict we’ll see not just a Perseid meteor shower, but a meteor storm, yielding 1,000 meteors per hour or more, according to space.com

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Source:  travelandleisure.com©