January hailstorms in Australia versus Arctic outbreaks in the United States

We’re into the second week of The Weather Retort and — although it is January — six of six newsletters have included wildfire news.

Smoldering blazes remain a big concern in California as strong winds wane with time Wednesday. Summer hailstorms are targeting Australia. And in what has been a cold month for much of the United States, the lack of border wall with Canada is set to enable additional Arctic onslaughts.

Weather watch

Fire weather waning in California, for now. It’s another day of critical fire weather Wednesday in and around the Los Angeles area as powerful gusts blow through the morning. Some good news, though, as this round has generally remained below the extreme levels forecast. In less-good news, a new round of heightened fire risk is in the outlook next week.

Thunder Down Under. Giant hail fell on parts of Queensland, Australia, Tuesday. Mid-January in the southern hemisphere is equivalent to July in the northern hemisphere — both months feature memorable thunderstorms in their respective locations. It comes amid a heatwave in the state featuring temperatures of 104 to 113 degrees (40 to 45 Celsius). More storms are anticipated in coming days.

Cold January. Colder ahead? Most of the Lower 48, from the Continental Divide to the East Coast, has seen a legitimately chilly first half of January. A large swath is running around 5 to 10 degrees below normal to-date, including D.C., Nashville, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Oklahoma City, Wichita, Indianapolis, Denver and others. A big dump of Arctic ais is on tap next week. It could bring the coldest weather of the season to many.

Lightning link

Los Angeles fires were larger and more intense because of planet-warming pollution, study suggests

Wildcard Wednesday: Wildfires hit the podcasts

Many popular podcasts are hosted from the Los Angeles region, and the typical week or so delay from recording to distribution is starting to let the news trickle through.

This week’s episodes of Smartless and Sounds like a Cult opened with words of support. Bill Maher’s Club Random had a disclaimer it was recorded before the firestorm.

The late-night circuit is also on it. Jimmy Kimmel held back tears describing how virtually everyone knows someone whose house burned down. Monday was his first show after a several-day hiatus following the studio being evacuated last Wednesday.

Given the region is home to many famous folks, stories about the firestorm are likely to be numerous. There’s word a support concert is coming together for January 30.

About

As a forecaster, journalist and certified weather freak (there's a badge, trust me), a big part of my job is analyzing the playing field of global weather and related climate change stories to decide which ones to spend more time on.

In this every-weekday newsletter, and generally in 500 words or fewer, I'm going to bring that directly to you.

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