Snowstorms have been a dime a dozen across much of the central and eastern United States over the last few months, but four of them got special scrutiny.

Like a creature from a hydrologic horror flick, Devils Lake, North Dakota, has been expanding off and on for 70 years, most dramatically from the mid-1990s onward. Some of its tendrils have blocked rail lines and roadways for years.

The biggest upgrade to the U.S. weather-radar network in 15 years gets rolling this winter with a minimum of fanfare—debuting under the radar, as it were. But the new capabilities should get their fair share of attention in the long run.

Find news, feature stories, and multimedia on development of the NWSC in one place.

Atmospheric science has lost one of the last living links to its formative era. Joachim Kuettner—the eminent researcher, administrator, field project leader, and glider pilot—died on 24 February at the age of 101.