October 28, 2025 – Satellite image of Hurricane Melissa.
Last month, the storm tore a path through the Caribbean destroying property and claiming 90 lives. Now, data has been verified that it had record-breaking winds.
As measured by a dropsonde released from hurricane hunter aircraft, a maximum wind gust of 252 mph was recorded. This sets a record for the strongest verified hurricane wind speed, topping the old record of 248 mph recorded during Typhoon Megi in 2010.
Dropsondes are small cylindrical devices that are used by organizations like NOAA to collect valuable information during extreme weather events like hurricanes or atmospheric rivers. As they fall to the surface under a small parachute, dropsonde sensors gather information that helps shape forecasts and inform communities of approaching hazards. Fifty years ago, scientists at NSF NCAR created the modern dropsonde. Over the decades, new generations of NSF NCAR researchers have continued to update dropsonde technology, and the latest version – the NRD41 which is manufactured by Vaisala – is the only operational dropsonde in the world.
May 18, 2025 – A tornado touches down near Bennett. (Arapahoe County Sherriff’s office)
Two confirmed tornadoes struck just east of Denver Sunday. The National Weather Service has given both twisters a preliminary rating of EF2 with winds between 111 and 135mph. As many as 36 structures, a dozen of which were homes, were damaged.
Some absolutely stunning photos and videos have emerged from the event but arguably none more scary than this one. Taken by Fer Romo’s dashcam, it shows the person fleeing in a truck as the tornado in Elbert County rips about a home.
Images from the Rocky Mountain News showing the devastation after a tornado struck near Thurman, Colorado on August 10, 1924.
The National Weather Service did a fantastic writeup about this devastating event on August 10, 1924 that claimed the lives of 11 people, 9 of which were children. It is a fascinating read. Check it out here.
From Microsoft Copilot:
The 1924 Thurman Tornado is the deadliest tornado in Colorado’s history. Here are some key details:
Insane dashcam video of a man driving through the EF-3 tornado that struck Clarksville, Tennessee on Saturday. Six people were killed in the series of storms. Read the National Weather Service’s summary of the event here.
“The large rockfall event happened on the south side of Hallett Peak at around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday that resulted in sliding rock falling into Upper Chaos Canyon. Park officials said the reason for the closure is that the area around the slide is highly unstable and there are forecasted rainstorms for the area until July 3, which could trigger more rockfall activity.” Get the full story here.
Weather Geek Stuff is a great place to shop for gifts for weather enthusiasts, weather geeks and weather lovers.
Not everyone gets excited about blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes and other types of extreme weather but many folks out there are passionate about Mother Nature. Weather Geek Stuff is an online shop just for those whose hearts race with the thrill of severe weather and they are offering special deals through the holiday season.
Weather Geek Stuff is an online store that provides a host of clothing items and novelties just for weather buffs. From the store’s custom ‘Weather Geek’ and ‘Weather Diva’ logoed merchandise to items imprinted with amusing weather warnings signs as well as Skywarn storm spotter logos, there is something there sure to please any weather lover.
Weather Geek Stuff’s merchandise was shown on the Weather Channel as a recommended gift so you know the quality is good. Stu Ostro, Weather Channel’s Senior Director of Weather Communications even sports a ‘Weather Geek’ t-shirt on his Twitter profile.
Kids and dogs aren’t left out of the weather fun either. There is a wide variety of clothing items sized just right for the little ones from babies to bigger kids. Canine companions as well can get shirts and bowls emblazoned with a weather-related logo.
The selection goes far beyond clothing too. Water bottles, clocks, mugs, bags and other novelties are part of the store’s offerings. For the tech types, cases for iPhones and iPads are available. Recently added products include laptop skins, clipboards and throw blankets.
Weather Geek Stuff is owned and operated by the same folks that run ThorntonWeather.com. We provide ThorntonWeather.com as a no-cost service to the community and use the minimal amount of money made from Weather Geek Stuff to support the costs of running this website and the associated equipment. So remember, if you have a weather buff on your shopping list, by buying from Weather Geek Stuff you are supporting ThorntonWeather.com! You can also donate directly to fund the site here.
The number of Filipinos fleeing from the erupting Mayon volcano to safe zones has swelled to nearly 90,000, officials said Monday, worsening a sanitation crisis in the already stretched relief camps. President Rodrigo Duterte flew to the central city of Legazpi on Monday to assess the disaster zone, some two weeks after the country’s most active volcano began belching spectacular but potentially lethal ash columns, lava and rocks. Continue reading 90,000 flee Philippine volcano stretching relief camps→
A volcanic eruption in the Philippines forces mass evacuations, while another in Japan kills one person. Across the Pacific, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits off Alaska. So what’s the link? The spate of activity around the so-called Ring of Fire has raised concerns that a major and potentially deadly volcanic eruption or earthquake could be on the way. Continue reading Volcanos, earthquakes: Is the ‘Ring of Fire’ alight?→
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