I see that Emily Blunt, one of my favorite actresses, is playing a Kansas City meteorologist in the movie " Disclosure Day."  I watched the trailer and saw a scientific error. I'm sure she doesn't want that. So, I hereby offer to coach Emily -- free of charge -- on weather science before her publicity tour for the movie.  Emily, just give me a call! 

Here's the latest drought map as of Tuesday.  The darker the orange/red, the worse the drought conditions.  The forecast rainfall for the first full week of 2026 shows some relief for the Midwest and the Intermountain Region. Unfortunately, rain is forecast to continue over California. 

We'd like to wish you a happy and healthy 2026!! How would you like some amazingly good news? With statistics from both Dr. Roger Pielke, Jr. and Dr. Ryan Maue, 2025 was likely the lowest number of deaths due to natural disaster events in history! From Roger : I've often commented that the tornado warning system, alone, is a Nobel Prize-worthy achievement . The entire storm/natural hazard (tsunami, etc.) forecast and warning system is one of mankind's greatest achievements. 

More heavy rain (snow in the mountains) forecast. Rains have already begun over the southern two-thirds of the state. See 3:15pm radar below. In addition, there is small risk of a tornado, especially tomorrow morning, in coastal areas of Southern California, shown in dark green.

If you saw this photo in The NY Post   and elsewhere today, you may have noticed the large ball to the left of the derailment. The white fiberglass structure is the cover over the antenna of the Ft. Campbell WSR-88D, one of the primary weather radars used in our nation. Fortunately, there is no staffed weather office at this location. The radar's signals are sent to military and civilian weather offices remotely.