National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Antarctic ozone hole grows to seventh-largest on record as the layer keeps healing

Co-author of the annual ozone hole measurement

On September 18, the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica covered 10.5 million square miles, about 90% of the largest single-day extent ever measured. Averaged across the peak depletion season from September 7 to October 13, it was the seventh-largest hole in 48 years of satellite records.

Updated 1 hour ago

Los Angeles coastal flooding breaks 1983 record, with more high tides expected

Built World

Monitors tide gauges and issues coastal flood data

Los Angeles has recorded 12 days of coastal flooding in 2026, more than any year since the San Pedro tide gauge began operating in 1923. The old record was nine days in 1983, during a strong El Niño.

Updated 6 days ago

Alexandria receives $1M federal grant for solar-powered emergency shelters

Built World

Grant funder

Alexandria has several buildings designated as cooling and warming shelters for extreme weather. Few of them can operate during a power outage. A $1 million federal grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) aims to fix that.

Updated Oct 14

Atlantic hurricane season breaks 112-year record without a hurricane

Force in Play

As of September 2026: Forecast and tracked the 2026 season

The Atlantic Ocean has gone 112 days into hurricane season without a single hurricane. The last time the basin waited this long was 1914, at the onset of World War I.

Updated Sep 22

August 2026 was Earth's hottest month on record

Force in Play

As of September 2026: Reported the US summer heat record and tracking a strong El Niño

The Earth just recorded its joint-hottest month since modern measurements began. Copernicus, the European Union's climate monitoring service, reported Thursday that August 2026 tied July 2023 at 16.96°C, 1.65°C above pre-industrial levels.

Updated Sep 11

FEMA denies Massachusetts and Rhode Island blizzard aid appeals

Rule Changes

As of September 2026: Field office assessments overruled in this case

Massachusetts asked the federal government in April to declare the February blizzard a Major Disaster, unlocking funding for six coastal counties. The Trump administration denied the request in July, then denied Governor Maura Healey's appeal this week.

Updated Sep 6

Race for the ocean floor

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Processing first deep-sea mining applications under domestic law

A five-year research expedition has cataloged 788 species living 4,000 meters beneath the Pacific Ocean—90% of them previously unknown to science—just as the race to mine the same seabed accelerates. The study, published in February 2026, documents a 37% decline in animal abundance wherever mining equipment touched the seafloor. It's the first systematic look at what commercial extraction would destroy.

Updated May 27