There was no gold medal, no podium ceremony, and definitely no tears from the losers on 30 July, but there was a new national champion. On that date, NOAA proclaimed that a South Dakota hailstone had surpassed all contenders in both size and weight.

It’s not exactly a moment for celebration, but when a tropical storm is born in the Atlantic, millions of people learn about it quickly. As with any birth, though, a great deal has to happen in just the right way before a tropical storm is christened.

A new computer simulation of a deadly, fast-spreading 2006 wildfire in California shows how far researchers have come in their quest to better understand fire dynamics.

A team of NCAR scientists is studying how advanced satellite technology that measures lightning could help protect aircraft from turbulence caused by severe weather.

Can a distant hurricane play havoc with your GPS unit? Scientists aren’t sure of the answer, but they suspect that hurricanes affect more than land and water.