Fiona, Gaston, and More Tropical Troubles – National Weather Outlook For September 22, 2022

National Weather Forecast

On Thursday, one frontal system will exit off the East Coast but linger across portions of the Southeast, bringing shower and storm potential. A new system out in the Rockies will bring shower and storm potential, with some of that working eastward into the Plains by Friday morning.

The heaviest rain through Friday evening will be in the Four Corners region, where over 3” of rain could fall. Meanwhile, in parts of the northern Rockies, some light snow accumulation could occur – particularly Thursday Night.

In the tropics, we continue to track major Hurricane Fiona – now a Category 4 hurricane – pushing away from the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. That storm will impact Bermuda toward the end of the week, and portions of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador, and eastern Quebec this weekend as still a strong hurricane or post-tropical system. We’re also tracking Gaston, which will track toward the Azores before stopping and making a quick turn to the Northeast.

Meanwhile, we’re tracking three other areas of interest in the Atlantic. The one of most concern is near the Windward Islands and is expected to become a tropical depression within the next few days as it tracks into the Caribbean. There is a chance this one could end up being a threat to the United States sometime next week – but it’s way too early to know what, if any, impacts it will have and where they will occur. First we need the storm to form, as models will get a better grasp on the system after that occurs.

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Aurora season: Why more auroras at equinoxes?

More from EarthSky: “What’s the basis for the legendary connection between auroras and equinoxes? Yes, there is an aurora season, which comes in March and October (more or less around the equinoxes) each year. This pattern in nature – auroras increasing twice a year – is one of the earliest patterns ever to be observed and recorded by scientists. We know that storms and eruptions on the sun cause disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field, called geomagnetic storms. And we know the sun itself has cycles, including the famous 11-year solar cycle. That cycle is in an upswing now, by the way, which is why we’re having more solar activity now than a few years ago. But an 11-year cycle is not a twice-yearly cycle. Why would geomagnetic storms increase twice a year? As it turns out, it’s all about magnetism and geometry.”

Bloom Energy to produce emissions-free hydrogen at Xcel Energy’s Prairie Island nuclear plant

More from UtilityDrive: “Bloom Energy will install a 240-kW electrolyzer at Xcel Energy’s Prairie Island nuclear plant in Welch, Minnesota, to produce emissions-free hydrogen, the companies said Monday. The demonstration project is designed to create “immediate and scalable pathways” for producing cost-efficient and clean hydrogen while adding value for nuclear power plants, Bloom and Xcel said. Bloom, a fuel cell company, expects to start building the electrolyzer in late 2023 and start running it in early 2024.”

GM to sell up to 175,000 electric vehicles to Hertz through 2027

More from CNBC: “General Motors has agreed to sell up to 175,000 electric vehicles to Hertz Global over the next five years, the companies announced Tuesday. The deal calls for GM to start supplying electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV to the rental car giant starting the first quarter of next year. Those vehicles are expected to be followed by newer EV models on the company’s Ultium battery technology, such as the Chevrolet Blazer, Chevrolet Equinox and vehicles from GM’s other brands. GM is expected to significantly increase its production of all-electric vehicles in the coming years, as North American output of the cars and trucks — as well as the battery cells used to power them — increases. The company plans to reach production capability of 1 million EVs in North America and China, each, by 2025.”

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– D.J. Kayser