What if we could use the data from fevered searches for flu information on the Web, plus humidity observations, to help predict the course of an outbreak? If new research lives up to its promise, we’ll soon be able to do just that.

By predicting the timing and severity of flu outbreaks, the new system can eventually help society better prepare for them.

A number of factors—both meteorological and societal—would need to conspire for the current drought to resemble the all-out disaster of the 1930s Dust Bowl. Yet a devastating outcome could emerge with a flavor all its own.

NOAA has cancelled the El Niño Watch that’s been in effect since late summer (see PDF), but this doesn't guarantee a placid U.S. winter.

The new study may provide a breakthrough as scientists try to narrow the range of projections of future global warming.