Wildfire smoke is reaching farther than ever — stay protected

It’s science: Why noises travel farther and sound louder during the winterEver wonder why a train horn or barking dog sounds louder on a crisp winter morning? Turns out, it's not just your imagination — there's real science behind it. The weather culpritIn the winter, we often see warmer air set up above a pocket of cooler air near the surface, as shown in the image below. This is called a temperature inversion. This is the opposite of what we typically see in the summer where the sun heats up the ground, creating a layer of warmer air near the surface with cooler air above. And it makes all the difference in what your ears can hear.(MORE: Here's when fall's first freeze arrives in your town)A visual representation of a temperature inversion, which is common during the winter.(Madie Homan)Now, add in the sound wavesThe key is that sound waves travel faster in warmer air than in cooler air. Get More of Our News on GoogleSet The Weather Company as a 'Preferred Source' to get quicker access to the news you value. When warmer air sets up above cooler air, the contrast between the two causes the sound waves to bend down toward the ground, closer to your ears.

An October nor'easter is developing in the Atlantic, where it will bring high surf, rip currents, coastal flooding, winds and rain to parts of the East Coast for several days this week. The National Hurricane Center has it highlighted as an area to watch this week for potential subtropical development. However, regardless of development, this system will bring dangerous conditions to the East Coast this week. Fortunately, this system doesn't look to be as strong as the one in September. But the bad news? It could linger for much of the week, so impacts could have a longer duration than you would think. There are currently coastal flood alerts across parts of coastal North Carolina and Virginia, where anywhere from 1 to 4 feet of inundation is possible. Key takeawaysWe do not expect this storm to be as strong as the late September nor'easter. The area most likely impacted the longest appears to be from the Delmarva Peninsula to eastern North Carolina, with more models pointing to primarily eastern North Carolina.

Thousands evacuate Southern California as wind-fueled fires burn homesFire crews in Southern California gained ground Saturday on a wind-driven blaze that charred hills and damaged or destroyed at least six large coastal homes, allowing evacuation orders to be lifted and thousands of people to return home. The fast-moving Norte Fire sparked the previous day in San Clemente amid hot, strong Santa Ana winds that drove it into San Juan Capistrano, prompting the evacuation of about 16,000 residents. Firefighters work to douse a house fire during the Norte Fire on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Hundreds of firefighters deployed to combat the blaze in the hills of Orange County. At one home engulfed in smoke and fire, photos showed them using hoses to try to douse the flames. Most of the evacuations were lifted Saturday evening, except for one street in San Clemente. The Norte Fire was one of several in the region hit by the Santa Anas, which blow from the interior and toward the coast.

Marine technician crosses world's roughest sea to document AntarcticaFor Andrew Naslund, Antarctica is his “favorite place in the world.”He’s a marine technician for Scripps Institution of Oceanography. And while not a professional photographer, he’s capturing Antarctica’s beauty along his research journey. Andrew Naslund, Scripps Institution of Oceanography marine technician.(Andrew Naslund)The researchNaslund spends months aboard a research vessel, the R/V Roger Revelle (AGOR 24), which he describes as “basically a floating laboratory.”“The purpose of this ship is to provide a platform for scientists to reach some of the most remote reaches of our oceans,” Naslund said. A big part of his role is assisting the scientists to safely deploy and recover their instrumentation over the side of the ship. He also keeps track of incoming data, ensuring the scientists are getting the information that they came out there to get. “[We’re] a mobile weather station. So anywhere that we travel in the world, we’re collecting meteorological weather data,” he says.

Wander the world one snapshot at a time. Explore striking moments of weather in motion in this week's slideshow. ByAda Wood•9 hours agoUpdated: October 18, 2026, 7:05 am EDTPublished: October 18, 2026, 7:00 am EDTA view of the Garonne River at a historically low level due to a lack of rainfall, successive summer heat waves and the prefecture's low-water management policy in Toulouse, in southwestern France, on Oct. 14, 2026.(Pat Batard/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)F​rom a river in need of rainfall in France to a mountain range with changing leaves in Poland, it has been another busy week of weather around the world. Here are some of the most jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring weather photos we found this week. A view of the Tatra Mountains from the village of Niedzica, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, on Oct. 14, 2026.(Sergei GAPON/AFP via Getty Images)Rain drops cover fall leaves in Denver, Colorado on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026.(Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)Chilies hang from branches in a rooftop garden in Lalitpur, Nepal, on Oct. 14, 2026, following the complete withdrawal of the monsoon. (Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto via Getty Images)A poisonous fly agaric grows in the Harz National Park.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 launch creates a glowing "space jellyfish" over St. Augustine, Florida.(Bryan Lacouture)How well have you been paying attention to the weather this week? Here are five questions that will test your knowledge of what's been going on. QUESTIONSA _____ weighing in at 3,156 pounds is now a contender for a world record. How many of the last seven champions of Major League Baseball have all been from southern or warmer-weather cities? It is best to clean your gutters when roughly what percent of the leaves near your home have fallen? When the temperature is expected to drop to 32 degrees or lower, a _____ is issued. What was the cause of the giant, glowing jellyfish that appeared in the morning sky on Tuesday?.... ANSWERSPumpkinAll seven70%Freeze warningA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocketHow did you do this week? Come back for more exciting weather questions next week, or risk showing up to trivia night unprepared! Get More of Our News on GoogleSet The Weather Company as a 'Preferred Source' to get quicker access to the news you value.