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The Northeast Florida/Southeast Georgia 2025-’26 drought continues. The deficit at JIA since Sept. 1st is more than 16 inches! And I see no signs of any widespread significant rain anytime soon though there are some hints in the long range global models of perhaps some rainfall near the end of this month (April). But the overall dry weather pattern - upper level troughing (dip in the jet stream) north & west of the Southeast U.S. which promotes upper level ridging (high pressure) over or near Florida. Such a set-up just isn’t conducive to much rainfall for the most part. The Florida wet season is still weeks away (typically).
And the wildfire risk only continues to to increase. The graph below shows ‘extreme’ to ‘exceptional’ drought since 2000 correlating with large wildfires in NE Fl./SE Ga. (2001-’02, 2007, 2011-’12, 2017 & this year):
Mike Rosset in Mandarin has been able to get great pics of an early morning comet - Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS). The comet will continue to be visible through approximately April 25th & *may* become visible with the naked eye. Look low on the horizon roughly 60-90 minutes before sunrise - the best view will be with binoculars.
Dr. Phil Klotzbach, Colorado State University has issued his annual Atlantic hurricane seasonal forecast indicating an average to slightly below average season largely predicated on a developing El Nino which is a warming of the equatorial Pacific waters between S. America & Australia. An El Nino hurricane season is often - but not always! - characterized by stronger wind shear across the Atlantic Basin making it generally more difficult for tropical systems to develop. But, of course, it only takes one tropical storm or hurricane in the wrong place at the wrong time to be problematic, dangerous & damaging. Bottom line: always be prepared. Since its inception in 2005, I’ll continue to update “Talking the Tropics With Mike” each every day of the hurricane season June 1-Nov. 30th.
The AMS Photo Contest (formerly the AMS Weather Band Photo Contest) is back and ready to recognize your exceptional eye for weather, water, and climate!
Whether you captured a sundog, a snowflake, a windswept wave, or a tornado over the plain, our community of weather enthusiasts, professional meteorologists, and more want to see your recent photography showcasing our natural world. Share your passion and you could win recognition and cash prizes!
The American Meteorological Society invites you to enter its 2026 Photo Contest, open to all professional and amateur photographers ages 13+. Prizes for the four winners range from $200 to $500, and all winners will receive a free one-year associate membership to AMS, connecting you with a worldwide network of weather enthusiasts and professionals. We’ll showcase winning photos on AMS Headlines, a news hub for the weather, water, and climate community. Winners will also have the opportunity to participate in an AMS photography webinar, where they can share their experiences, tips, and techniques with our community. Submit your photos (one photo per contestant) by June 30!
Learn about contest guidelines and photo requirements here. Want to see previous winners? Explore past photo contests here.
