The unusual lull in Atlantic tropical activity during the climatological peak of hurricane season is at an end. The seventh tropical depression of the Atlantic hurricane season has strengthened into Tropical Storm Gabrielle and may become a hurricane in the coming days. Direct impacts are possible in Bermuda, while indirect impacts—such as rough surf or rip currents—may affect parts of the northeastern Caribbean and the United States. For a while on Tuesday, folks in the Pacific Northwest were  getting a little nervous. A plume of volcanic ash over Mount St. Helens gave folks the impression that the volcano might be erupting again. But luckily, this was not an eruption — just a wind-whipped encore decades in the making. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A storm with tropical traits will bring heavy rain and coastal flooding to part of the Atlantic Coast, while much of the Central and Eastern U.S. remains dry amid expanding drought and late summer warmth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tropical Storm Mario could send tropical moisture into Southern California and the Southwest this week, raising the risk for showers, storms and flash flooding. Also, from pizza boxes to stuffed animals, geologists have found unusual trash across Yellowstone National Park this year after millions visited during the summer season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tropical development in the Gulf of Mexico poses the greatest short-term risk to the United States this September, with record-warm waters fueling potential rapid intensification and limited prep time for coastal areas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A La Niña watch has been issued, but what does that really mean for the rest of Atlantic hurricane season and snow this winter in the U.S.? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A strengthening storm system and returning warmth will trigger severe thunderstorms across the U.S. Plains Friday into Saturday, with the primary threats being from damaging winds and large hail. In the East, a stagnant weather pattern will limit rainfall across much of the East, raising fire danger and stressing vegetation as cooler, drier air spreads south into Florida. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cooler air and storms moving into the western US will aid firefighting in some areas but also bring hazards, including flooding on burn scars and gusty winds that could ignite new blazes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Despite their anxieties, many Americans said they don’t feel ready for natural disasters. The poll of 2,500 adults, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Master Lock, found tornadoes ranked as the scariest natural disaster overall (46%), narrowly edging out tsunamis (43%), followed by earthquakes (35%) and hurricanes (33%). Wildfires (30%), flash floods (26%), heat waves and droughts (6%), blizzards (4%) and mudslides (4%) trailed behind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Water scarcity is a huge global issue. More than 2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, a situation set to worsen due to climate change, which fuels longer and more severe drought. As reservoirs shrink, groundwater dries up and rainy seasons become more erratic, some believe one answer to this crisis lies in the reservoirs of moisture in our skies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wildfire concerns remain high across the northwestern United States, and AccuWeather meteorologists warn that the upcoming week will bring both challenges and some relief for residents in the region. Also, Woolly Bear caterpillars are starting to emerge, and according to folklore, their colors can predict what type of winter is ahead. •Black bands: If a woolly bear is mostly black, it indicates a longer, colder and snowier winter is ahead.•Brown bands: If the middle brown band is large, then the upcoming winter will not be as cold or snowy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Leaf-peeping season is almost here. Find out where fall foliage is expected to pop and which regions may have a shorter show this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The start of autumn may feel like an extension of summer across most of the United States, but colder (and snowier) weather is in the forecast. Here's what you can expect in your area this fall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A budding tropical rainstorm is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane and impact the northeast Caribbean by midweek, while other areas across the Atlantic and Gulf are being monitored. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A fast-moving wildfire tore through a historic Gold Rush community in Tuolumne County, California, on Tuesday, forcing evacuations and destroying homes, according to Cal Fire. The blaze, known as the 6-5 Fire, grew quickly to more than 6 square miles and was still uncontained Tuesday night. Sargassum supports biodiversity in the open sea, but when it washes ashore, it decomposes, creating environmental, economic and health problems. Mexico has some ideas of how to put it use rather than just cleaning it up from beaches. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The tropics are becoming more active across the eastern Pacific Ocean, with two named systems in the basin. Tropical Storm Lorena is forecast to affect portions of western Mexico this week and may later influence the weather in the southwestern United States, while Hurricane Kiko is expected to approach Hawaii next week, AccuWeather hurricane experts warn. 85% of world population may see total lunar eclipse Sunday. A "Blood Moon Eclipse" may be seen by billions around the world this weekend, with the moon expected to turn a dark red color for over an hour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

September is peak hurricane season across the Atlantic, and there is a chance that Tropical Storm Gabrielle forms ahead of the upcoming weekend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fall weather lovers, get ready! A major outbreak of cold air will unfold this week, bringing temperatures more typical of mid- to late October across much of the central and eastern US. At least three-quarters of the population east of the Rockies will experience the chill at some point this week. The main areas likely to avoid it include much of the Florida Peninsula, portions of the immediate Atlantic coast and central and South Texas. Also, over the upcoming week, forecasters have been monitoring the anticipated influx of moisture into the Southwestern states. This pattern will even increase the chances for downpours to impact portions of drought-stricken Southern California.  one of the best chances to spot the Aurora Borealis will unfold Monday night across Canada and parts of the US. An eruption on the sun over the weekend blasted charged particles into space, and they are on a collision course with Earth. When the charged particles reach the planet, it will set off a colorful display of the Aurora Borealis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tropical waves are clusters of showers and thunderstorms that are the seedlings of many of the storms that develop throughout the Atlantic hurricane season. "Tropical waves originate over Africa as hot, dry air from the north clashes with moist, cooler air from the jungles in central Africa to create a jet stream of winds over portions of the continent," AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said. They roll off the coast of Africa near the Cabo Verde Islands and track over the Atlantic Ocean every few days, typically from May to November, like a conveyor belt of storms that is most active as the hurricane season approaches its peak in September. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A lull in tropical activity may keep the Atlantic quiet through Labor Day, but AccuWeather meteorologists warn conditions could turn more favorable for storms by mid-September. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Conditions close to the United States are more favorable for tropical depression formation due to the Gulf Stream current and the warm Gulf waters. Also, cool, fall-like weather will have people reaching for jeans and sweatshirts rather than shorts and bathing suits across the Great Lakes and Northeast into the Labor Day weekend, according to AccuWeather meteorologists. Temperatures more common for October will trend as much as 15 degrees below historical averages, with near-record lows at night for many locations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices