Tropical Storm Raymond has formed in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is the third system now off the western coast of Mexico. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Raymond is about 115 miles south-southeast of Zihuatanejo, Mexico. It has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and is traveling west-northwest at 14 mph. At the same time, Tropical Storm Priscilla remains off the western coast of Mexico and is bringing rain to the Baja California peninsula. The former tropical storm Octave also churned in the eastern Pacific near Mexico but was downgraded Thursday morning to a post-tropical cyclone and was expected to dissipate soon.
Scientists say human-caused climate change added an average of 41 days of dangerous heat worldwide in 2024. The analysis from World Weather Attribution and Climate Central comes after a year likely to be the world's hottest on record. The heat scorched everywhere from cities in North America to West Africa to the Acropolis in Greece and even South and Southeast Asian countries. Some areas saw 150 days or more of extreme heat due to climate change. The scientists also said that climate change worsened much of the world's damaging weather throughout the year.
NOAA's Climate Prediction Center reports there is a 60% chance that a weak La Nina will develop this autumn and could last until March. La Nina is part of a natural climate cycle that can cause extreme weather across the planet. Northern parts of South America could see more rain than usual. Southern regions of the U.S. and parts of Mexico could be drier than average. The northern tier of the U.S. and southern Canada could be wetter than average.
