Summer Solstice
Today is the first day of summer. To be more precise, summer begins at 6:34 this evening. That's when the sun's rays shine directly over the northernmost point on the earth all year. On this first day of summer, we…
Weather Blog
It's not the heat. It's the humidity...
You've heard this expression many times before... This week has been particularly muggy. The temperatures have been hot for sure with average highs in the mid to upper 90's. But when you factor in the humidity, it feels hotter. Here's…
Heat Can Be Dangerous
This weekend will deliver the hottest temperatures so far this season. So remember to take it easy - especially in the afternoon. And just a reminder that heat kills more people in the United States than all other weather events…
Seasonal Hurricane Forecasting
Right around this time of year a lot of folks are interested in the hurricane season. Will it be a busy one? Will there be a lot of storms? Will a storm hit me? There are several organizations that issue…
Tropical Storm Colin
Tropical Storm Colin is in the Gulf of Mexico and moving quickly off to the northeast. The latest report from the Hurricane Center shows the storm with 50 mph winds and moving to the northeast at 23 mph. With the…
Bonnie helps with the drought
Tropical Storm Bonnie brought some much-needed rain to parts of the Midlands and much of the eastern part of the state. The result is that the drought situation has improved. Below is the latest assessment from the U.S. Drought Monitor.…
Hurricane Season "Officially" Begins
Today, June 1st, marks the official start of Hurricane Season in the Atlantic Basin. But sometimes Mother Nature doesn't quite know when the season is supposed to begin. Take this year for example. We've already had two storms: Alex reached…
No Major Hurricanes in 10 Years
No Major Hurricanes have hit the United States in the last 10 years. A Major Hurricane is one that is at least a category 3 storm (the scale goes from 0-5). You might be thinking that this is a bit…
Tropical Rain Storm
A tropical rain storm will make landfall on Saturday night near Charleston, but its impacts won't be very much. The storm will bring with it some rain and gusts as high as 40 mph. To put that into perspective, an…
First Tropical Storm?
Yes it's early, but we could see a tropical storm develop off our coast by this weekend. The National Hurricane Center puts about a 30% chance of a storm forming sometime between Friday and Sunday. If it does form, it's…
We Could Use Some Rain
Just 7 months ago some parts of Columbia got more than 20 inches of rain in a few days. That was roughly half the amount of rain that we get in an average year. But so far 2016 has been…
Hurricane's Energy
We all know that hurricanes are huge storms that release a tremendous amount of energy - almost all in the form of heat. But just how much energy? NASA says that an average hurricane produces about as much energy in…
Something Very Cool in the Sky on Monday
Something really cool is going to happen on Monday, May 9th. The planet Mercury will pass in front of the sun such that we'll be able to see it from earth - this is called a transit. It will look…
First 90° of the Season
Columbia reached 90° for the first time on Wednesday. In case you're wondering how this compares to average - it's pretty close. When you look at all the first 90° days since 1888, the average is April 30th. A quick…
Weather Blog: A look at Tornado Season
So far this year the number of tornadoes is running a bit below average for the United States. The average for the period from 2005 to 2015 is 436 through April 24th. This year we're sitting at 297. Unfortunately that…
International Space Station
Tonight the International Space Station will be easy to see as it flies overhead. If you've never seen it, tonight will be a good night for viewing. It flies by like a slow moving, bright star - appearing to travel…
Weather Blog
Chief Meteorologist John Farley's Weather Blog
Weather updates and information from ABC Columbia's John Farley.
The ABC Columbia Weather Team
