Matthew Cappucci

The United ​Nations weather agency is urging the planet to prepare for El Niño, a burgeoning weather pattern expected to develop later this year.

Each of the next five days features the potential for locally higher-end severe weather in parts of the central United States.

By the time an El Niño is declared, it means Earth’s atmosphere is already beginning to respond.

Researchers analyzed 1,000 years of paleoseismic data, or a reconstruction of past tectonic activity.

California is no stranger to earthquakes, but the Los Angeles area may be at an increased risk of a more substantial quake in the years ahead.

Intense storms, damaging winds and hail are possible, with the main threat in Illinois and Indiana. It would be the second tornado outbreak in six days in those states.

The summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere occurs June 21, at 4:24 a.m. Eastern time.

The exceptional temperatures are tied to a phenomena that allows persistent sunshine and hot sinking air to roast the landscape.

A significant heat wave is baking Europe. Stifling heat is already underway in Central Europe, and will swell into Western Europe, the United Kingdom and the Iberian Peninsula in the coming days.

The main threat is damaging winds, but there's some potential for tornadoes, too. Here's where the risk zone is.