Dr. Jeff Masters
@drjeffmasters.bsky.social
Extreme weather and climate change expert writing for Yale Climate Connections. Co-founder, Weather Underground; former hurricane hunter.
Today's king tide peaked in Santa Barbara, CA, at 2.29’ above MHHW, the highest water level since records began in 1973 (old record: 2.23', 12/13/2012).Their 3rd-highest water level on record was during yesterday's high tide (2.19'). According to NOAA, the 2026 record is about a 1-in-100-year event.
January 3, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Today's king tide peaked in Santa Barbara, CA, at 2.29’ above MHHW, the highest water level since records began in 1973 (old record: 2.23', 12/13/2012).Their 3rd-highest water level on record was during yesterday's high tide (2.19'). According to NOAA, the 2026 record is about a 1-in-100-year event.
Today's king tide peaked in San Francisco at 2.56’ above MHHW, the 3rd-highest water level since records began in 1897. Only two water levels in 1983 were higher. According to NOAA, the 2026 level would have been a 1-in-100-year water level 30 years ago, but is now more like a 1-in-70-year event.
January 3, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Today's king tide peaked in San Francisco at 2.56’ above MHHW, the 3rd-highest water level since records began in 1897. Only two water levels in 1983 were higher. According to NOAA, the 2026 level would have been a 1-in-100-year water level 30 years ago, but is now more like a 1-in-70-year event.
Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters
A 4th study not included in the Grist article found that in the 90 days after January's fires in LA emergency medical encounters increased by 24% for acute pulmonary illness, 46% for myocardial infarction (heart attacks), and 118% for blood chemistry abnormalities.
www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/...
www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/...
January 2, 2026 at 7:54 PM
A 4th study not included in the Grist article found that in the 90 days after January's fires in LA emergency medical encounters increased by 24% for acute pulmonary illness, 46% for myocardial infarction (heart attacks), and 118% for blood chemistry abnormalities.
www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/...
www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/...
3 studies:
1) January’s infernos in Los Angeles killed >440 once you factor in the smoke (official toll: 30).
2) Wildfire smoke kills 40,000 Americans a year, which could increase to 71,000 by 2050.
3) Canada’s wildfires in 2023 significantly worsened childhood asthma across the border in Vermont.
1) January’s infernos in Los Angeles killed >440 once you factor in the smoke (official toll: 30).
2) Wildfire smoke kills 40,000 Americans a year, which could increase to 71,000 by 2050.
3) Canada’s wildfires in 2023 significantly worsened childhood asthma across the border in Vermont.
Wildfire smoke is a national crisis, and it’s worse than you think
Wildfire smoke is a national crisis, and it’s worse than you think
Greenhouse gas and particulate emissions from fires globally may be 70 percent higher than once believed.
dlvr.it
January 2, 2026 at 6:50 PM
3 studies:
1) January’s infernos in Los Angeles killed >440 once you factor in the smoke (official toll: 30).
2) Wildfire smoke kills 40,000 Americans a year, which could increase to 71,000 by 2050.
3) Canada’s wildfires in 2023 significantly worsened childhood asthma across the border in Vermont.
1) January’s infernos in Los Angeles killed >440 once you factor in the smoke (official toll: 30).
2) Wildfire smoke kills 40,000 Americans a year, which could increase to 71,000 by 2050.
3) Canada’s wildfires in 2023 significantly worsened childhood asthma across the border in Vermont.
I highly recommend the 2023 book, "California Against the Sea: Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline", by LA Times environmental reporter Rosanna Xia, on sea level rise issues for California. There's a great discussion about how hard it is politically to do managed retreat from doomed coasts.
The National Weather Service warns that the tidal level in Monterey could threaten record levels this weekend as king tides, storm surge and waves push up water levels in the Central Coast and Bay Area. Friday and Saturday are forecast to be the most impactful days for coastal flooding. #CAwx
Why this weekend’s king tides could cause coastal flooding in the Bay Area
Forecasters said a rare alignment of astronomical tides and gusty winds could send seawater into streets, parks and other low-lying areas — especially during peak tides Friday and Saturday.
www.sfchronicle.com
January 2, 2026 at 5:09 PM
I highly recommend the 2023 book, "California Against the Sea: Visions for Our Vanishing Coastline", by LA Times environmental reporter Rosanna Xia, on sea level rise issues for California. There's a great discussion about how hard it is politically to do managed retreat from doomed coasts.
Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters
At Toronto Pearson Airport, a dedicated team from Falcon Environmental uses a unique approach to keep the skies clear, featuring their star employee, Ivan the bald eagle. The Weather Network's Mark Robinson spoke to the experts about how they use falconry to protect both passengers and wildlife.
December 31, 2025 at 2:04 PM
At Toronto Pearson Airport, a dedicated team from Falcon Environmental uses a unique approach to keep the skies clear, featuring their star employee, Ivan the bald eagle. The Weather Network's Mark Robinson spoke to the experts about how they use falconry to protect both passengers and wildlife.
Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters
From high-impact weather events to stratus clouds dancing over the open ocean, this year was filled with impressive satellite imagery.
We look back on the most compelling satellite views of 2025.
1) Mesovortices slosh within Hurricane Melissa’s ferocious eye (October 8).
We look back on the most compelling satellite views of 2025.
1) Mesovortices slosh within Hurricane Melissa’s ferocious eye (October 8).
December 30, 2025 at 11:36 PM
From high-impact weather events to stratus clouds dancing over the open ocean, this year was filled with impressive satellite imagery.
We look back on the most compelling satellite views of 2025.
1) Mesovortices slosh within Hurricane Melissa’s ferocious eye (October 8).
We look back on the most compelling satellite views of 2025.
1) Mesovortices slosh within Hurricane Melissa’s ferocious eye (October 8).
Got to do multiple meteorologist meet-ups during my week-long Atlanta vacation! The first was with @climateguyw.bsky.social, who gifted me this awesome Hurricane Hugo photo. Turns out both of us had harrowing experiences in the eye—mine in air, and Guy’s on the ground (in Charleston).
December 29, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Got to do multiple meteorologist meet-ups during my week-long Atlanta vacation! The first was with @climateguyw.bsky.social, who gifted me this awesome Hurricane Hugo photo. Turns out both of us had harrowing experiences in the eye—mine in air, and Guy’s on the ground (in Charleston).
21’ waves are forecast on Lake Superior tomorrow. The largest waves ever recorded on the Great Lakes were 28.8’, measured in Lake Superior between Marquette and Munising on Oct. 24, 2017. Buoy coverage isn’t good this time of year, though.
December 29, 2025 at 1:11 AM
21’ waves are forecast on Lake Superior tomorrow. The largest waves ever recorded on the Great Lakes were 28.8’, measured in Lake Superior between Marquette and Munising on Oct. 24, 2017. Buoy coverage isn’t good this time of year, though.
Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters
There's an interesting special section in the NYT today on the future of NYC, including the climate risks.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Notable is this graph of local changes in extreme rainfall:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Notable is this graph of local changes in extreme rainfall:
December 28, 2025 at 7:22 PM
There's an interesting special section in the NYT today on the future of NYC, including the climate risks.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Notable is this graph of local changes in extreme rainfall:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Notable is this graph of local changes in extreme rainfall:
A meeting of the meteorologists! Great to meet up with @michaelrlowry.bsky.social and Kait Parker and kids, with my family, at the Atlanta Zoo today. Crazy record warm temps in the 70s for the 5th straight day for our vacation here.
December 28, 2025 at 7:04 PM
A meeting of the meteorologists! Great to meet up with @michaelrlowry.bsky.social and Kait Parker and kids, with my family, at the Atlanta Zoo today. Crazy record warm temps in the 70s for the 5th straight day for our vacation here.
My latest post is also on this topic: yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/12/impr...
It’s super important to know if you are breathing good air indoors, and there are many cost-effective ways to monitor and improve your air quality.
It’s super important to know if you are breathing good air indoors, and there are many cost-effective ways to monitor and improve your air quality.
December 27, 2025 at 3:54 PM
My latest post is also on this topic: yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/12/impr...
It’s super important to know if you are breathing good air indoors, and there are many cost-effective ways to monitor and improve your air quality.
It’s super important to know if you are breathing good air indoors, and there are many cost-effective ways to monitor and improve your air quality.
Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters
🚨🔥 Warmest Christmas on record for the Contiguous U.S.! The average high of 57.9F and the average low of 36.6F each broke the Christmas record by a full 3F. 🔥🚨
December 26, 2025 at 3:39 PM
🚨🔥 Warmest Christmas on record for the Contiguous U.S.! The average high of 57.9F and the average low of 36.6F each broke the Christmas record by a full 3F. 🔥🚨
Fix indoor air pollution and poor ventilation! I often measure CO2 of 2,500 ppm due to poor ventilation in buildings and airplanes. At this level, COVID spreads easily, and brains suffer: test scores can drop 44%. Suggestions: invest in HEPA filtration, ditch your gas stove, improve ventilation.
Improving indoor air quality might save your life » Yale Climate Connections
Cost-effective ways exist to improve your indoor air quality that will reduce your COVID and flu risk, lower your cancer and lung disease risk, and eliminate headaches and sleepiness caused by poor ve...
yaleclimateconnections.org
December 22, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Fix indoor air pollution and poor ventilation! I often measure CO2 of 2,500 ppm due to poor ventilation in buildings and airplanes. At this level, COVID spreads easily, and brains suffer: test scores can drop 44%. Suggestions: invest in HEPA filtration, ditch your gas stove, improve ventilation.
Smart: RI has a statewide document prioritizing 10,000 crucial assets—infrastructure, healthcare facilities, emergency service—for adaptation funding. Bond proceeds will finance a state revolving loan fund for multi-million-dollar resilience projects; grants will fund smaller design efforts.
What if every state had a plan--and a fund--for climate resilience? Rhode Island’s about to. Read all about it in my column today: susanpcrawford.substack.com/p/a-small-st...
A small state with a big climate plan
Inside Rhode Island’s efforts to pair statewide risk ranking with a permanent resilience loan fund and bottom‑up municipal planning
susanpcrawford.substack.com
December 18, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Smart: RI has a statewide document prioritizing 10,000 crucial assets—infrastructure, healthcare facilities, emergency service—for adaptation funding. Bond proceeds will finance a state revolving loan fund for multi-million-dollar resilience projects; grants will fund smaller design efforts.
A September brookings.edu report, “Who Bears the Burden of Climate Inaction?”, found climate -driven changes in home insurance premiums, home energy costs, and smoke effects on mortality are $400-$900 per household per year, with much higher costs—upward of $1,300 a year—in the hardest-hit places.
New paper demonstrates climate inaction is already hitting U.S. households like a hidden, regressive “climate tax”--but unlike Obamacare, there’s no national coalition or business deal to turn that fact into real climate adaptation progress. Column today: open.substack.com/pub/susanpcr...
Obamacare and climate adaptation have a lot in common
But the deal that made health insurance possible is far less likely in the climate arena
open.substack.com
December 18, 2025 at 12:39 AM
A September brookings.edu report, “Who Bears the Burden of Climate Inaction?”, found climate -driven changes in home insurance premiums, home energy costs, and smoke effects on mortality are $400-$900 per household per year, with much higher costs—upward of $1,300 a year—in the hardest-hit places.
Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters
"Not since the ransacking of the Library of Alexandria have we witnessed such a wanton, intentional assault on scientific knowledge."
"Science Under Siege -- the NCAR Development" | My new commentary: michaelmann.net/science-unde...
#ScienceUnderSiege
#ScienceUnderSiege
Science Under Siege -- The NCAR development | Michael E. Mann
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has played a key role developing the science of climate modeling and the measurement of climate observations going back […]
michaelmann.net
December 17, 2025 at 9:02 PM
"Not since the ransacking of the Library of Alexandria have we witnessed such a wanton, intentional assault on scientific knowledge."
There is no way to stop climate change research at NCAR without doing irreparable damage to weather research. "The idea that you can just pull “vital” weather research activities out of a unique, vibrant scientific environment and expect that they will just continue to roll along is ludicrous."
Atmospheric sciences spans from climate scale to microscale - just like the atmosphere itself - and the Trump Administration's plans to dismantle NCAR and somehow protect "vital weather research" shows a complete lack of understanding for how science works. tinyurl.com/3rtpafnx
Trump Administration announces plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research and close its famed Mesa Lab
Shortsighted plan would (in my view) cause irreparable harm to global atmospheric science research
tinyurl.com
December 17, 2025 at 7:13 PM
There is no way to stop climate change research at NCAR without doing irreparable damage to weather research. "The idea that you can just pull “vital” weather research activities out of a unique, vibrant scientific environment and expect that they will just continue to roll along is ludicrous."
@bhensonweather.bsky.social spent most of his career working at NCAR. He writes, "Working at NCAR and UCAR was an enormous privilege and one of the great joys of my life. I gained a humbling appreciation for the intricacy of the atmosphere."
yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/12/trum...
yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/12/trum...
Trump administration announces plans to 'break up' the National Center for Atmospheric Research » Yale Climate Connections
The center is one of the world’s premier institutions for studying the atmosphere. Its work has saved countless lives.
yaleclimateconnections.org
December 17, 2025 at 4:00 PM
@bhensonweather.bsky.social spent most of his career working at NCAR. He writes, "Working at NCAR and UCAR was an enormous privilege and one of the great joys of my life. I gained a humbling appreciation for the intricacy of the atmosphere."
yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/12/trum...
yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/12/trum...
It's like on the eve of WWII we decided to stop funding R&D into weapons systems to develop advanced aircraft, ships, and tanks. Climate change is going to kick our butts if we lose NCAR (and NOAA) at a time when climate change is increasing extreme weather events capable of crashing the economy.
Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
bit.ly
December 17, 2025 at 4:24 AM
It's like on the eve of WWII we decided to stop funding R&D into weapons systems to develop advanced aircraft, ships, and tanks. Climate change is going to kick our butts if we lose NCAR (and NOAA) at a time when climate change is increasing extreme weather events capable of crashing the economy.
Reposted by Dr. Jeff Masters
These people are nuts. NCAR developed the GPS dropsonde, which revolutionized the understanding of TC structure, improved forecasts, and validated remote sensing platforms, as documented in over 400 peer-reviewed publications in the last 25 years. And that’s just one of NCAR’s countless advances.
Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
bit.ly
December 17, 2025 at 2:09 AM
These people are nuts. NCAR developed the GPS dropsonde, which revolutionized the understanding of TC structure, improved forecasts, and validated remote sensing platforms, as documented in over 400 peer-reviewed publications in the last 25 years. And that’s just one of NCAR’s countless advances.
A crazy event in the report: “Following the retreat of South Sawyer Glacier, a landslide in southeast Alaska’s Tracy Arm in August 2025 generated a tsunami that swept across the narrow fjord and ran nearly 1,600 feet up the other side. Fortunately, the fjord was empty of cruise ships.”
December 17, 2025 at 12:15 AM
A crazy event in the report: “Following the retreat of South Sawyer Glacier, a landslide in southeast Alaska’s Tracy Arm in August 2025 generated a tsunami that swept across the narrow fjord and ran nearly 1,600 feet up the other side. Fortunately, the fjord was empty of cruise ships.”
It’s been observed that tropical cyclones have been migrating poleward in recent years, and climate change was suspected as a cause. But this study found SST patterns caused it, “and that future changes may differ markedly from the recent multi-decadal trends.”
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Poleward migration of tropical cyclones over 1980–2024 is dominated by Pacific variability - Nature Geoscience
A tripolar pattern of Pacific sea surface temperature variability strongly modulates tropical cyclone latitudes and largely determined their poleward migration during the period 1980–2024, according t...
www.nature.com
December 16, 2025 at 4:27 PM
It’s been observed that tropical cyclones have been migrating poleward in recent years, and climate change was suspected as a cause. But this study found SST patterns caused it, “and that future changes may differ markedly from the recent multi-decadal trends.”
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A positive note: The 1980s Coastal Barrier Resources Act made “3.8 million acres of barrier islands ineligible for federal flood insurance, discouraging development. Studies since show that has saved taxpayers close to a billion dollars a year.”
Read more at: www.miamiherald.com/news/local/e...
Read more at: www.miamiherald.com/news/local/e...
December 15, 2025 at 3:04 PM
A positive note: The 1980s Coastal Barrier Resources Act made “3.8 million acres of barrier islands ineligible for federal flood insurance, discouraging development. Studies since show that has saved taxpayers close to a billion dollars a year.”
Read more at: www.miamiherald.com/news/local/e...
Read more at: www.miamiherald.com/news/local/e...
@michaelwara.bsky.social says:
“The only solutions are going to involve really intensive engineering. There’s going to be places where Marin County has the money to defend and places where it’s not going to be able to defend.” Cost: up to $1.9 billion for San Rafael (pop. 60,000).
“The only solutions are going to involve really intensive engineering. There’s going to be places where Marin County has the money to defend and places where it’s not going to be able to defend.” Cost: up to $1.9 billion for San Rafael (pop. 60,000).
The Bay Area neighborhood most vulnerable to sea level rise is also sinking: ‘A right now problem’
Thousands of people in a major Bay Area city already face periodic flooding. It’s projected to get much worse.
www.sfchronicle.com
December 13, 2025 at 3:52 PM
@michaelwara.bsky.social says:
“The only solutions are going to involve really intensive engineering. There’s going to be places where Marin County has the money to defend and places where it’s not going to be able to defend.” Cost: up to $1.9 billion for San Rafael (pop. 60,000).
“The only solutions are going to involve really intensive engineering. There’s going to be places where Marin County has the money to defend and places where it’s not going to be able to defend.” Cost: up to $1.9 billion for San Rafael (pop. 60,000).