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As we await the arrival of La Niña in the Pacific, there may be one already brewing in the Atlantic.

Researchers still need to collect temperature data throughout August to determine if a La Niña has in fact formed over the equator in the Atlantic Ocean, but this summer has already been unusual, said Franz Philip Tuchen, a postdoctoral associate with the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies.

The year started with record high sea surface temperatures, topping 86 degrees, before quickly and dramatically cooling off. This type of whiplash is more dramatic than any year before, Tuchen recently wrote.

“It’s almost unprecedented in the time series that we have, and that’s longer than 40 years,” he told Nexstar.

If the Atlantic sea surface temperatures stay where they were around June and July, it’ll officially constitute a La Niña in the Atlantic.

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A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck the Big Island of Hawaii on Thursday as officials tracked two rapidly developing storms in the Pacific.

The temblor was reported nine miles south of Fern Forest, a community of about 1,100 people on the southern end of the Big Island of Hawaii, at 12:52 a.m. local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said more than 300 people reported feeling the earthquake all across the Big Island in the first hour and several reports were received from nearby islands. There were no immediate reports of significant damage and the earthquake did not raise the threat of tsunamis, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

Additionally, the earthquake did not have any apparent impact on either Mauna Loa or Kilauea volcanoes, the U.S. Geological Survey said. In recent days, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has issued warnings about increased activity at Kilauea volcano. The volcano's last eruption occurred on July 3 and lasted a few days.

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Millions of Americans squeezing in a few days at the beach before schools open were warned Sunday that swells generated by the storm Ernesto, which strengthened into a hurricane again on Sunday, presented a severe danger to swimmers along much of the Atlantic coast.

The National Hurricane Center said "life-threatening surf and rip current conditions" are likely for the next few days and beachgoers should stay out of the water if advised by lifeguards. National Weather Service offices from Maine to Florida, warned of dangerous rip currents.

Ernesto, centered 520 miles south of Halifax, Canada, gained strength as its maximum sustained winds increased from 70 to 75 mph, just above the threshold for a Category 1 hurricane. The storm was headed north-northeast at 17 mph. Ernesto was forecast to pick up some speed and turn toward the east-northeast in the coming days.

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Even with the storm hundreds of miles offshore, Hurricane Ernesto was still being felt Saturday along much of the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, with dangerous rip currents forcing public beaches to close during one of the final busy weekends of the summer season.

The storm’s high surf and swells also contributed to coastal damage, including the collapse of an unoccupied beach house into the water along North Carolina’s narrow barrier islands.

The world just had its hottest July ever recorded, elongating a string of monthly temperature highs that now stretch back for 15 consecutive months, US government scientists have announced.

Last month was about 1.2C (2.1F) hotter than average across the globe, making it the hottest July on record, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) said on Thursday. This means that every month for the past 15 months has beaten its previous monthly record.

“The streak started in June 2023 and now exceeds the record streak set over 2015 and 2016,” said Karin Gleason, monitoring section chief at Noaa’s National Centers for Environmental Information, who added that last month’s record was by a “photo finish” small margin over last July.

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The expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports is responsible for scores of premature deaths and nearly $1bn in annual health costs, according to a new report from the green groups Greenpeace and Sierra Club.

The report links air pollution from LNG export terminals to an estimated 60 premature deaths and $957m in total health costs each year, and found that if all planned and proposed terminals come online, those numbers would shoot up to 149 premature deaths and $2.33bn.

The analysis comes seven months after the Biden administration froze all new LNG export approvals until energy regulators update their approval process to consider the climate impact of new proposals. Federal officials are currently defending the pause in court.

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A magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck the city of Los Angeles and the wider southern California region on Monday afternoon, rattling nerves and swaying buildings, but with no major damage or injuries immediately reported.

The quake’s epicenter was in Highland Park, a populous neighborhood in east Los Angeles located about six miles from the the city’s downtown, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

It was first reported as a magnitude 4.6 and later downgraded by the USGS. It was at a depth of just 7.5 miles (12.1km) below the surface. The Los Angeles police department warned residents to be prepared for aftershocks.

“There are currently no initial reports of structural damage or injuries,” said the Los Angeles fire department, which had gone into “earthquake mode”.

People reported feeling strong shaking across the Los Angeles area. A medical building shook and residents said glasses and dishes rattled in many places.

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California experienced its hottest month on record in July as grueling heat baked the American west for weeks on end.

The state’s average temperature for the month was 81.7F (27.6C), according to the National Centers for Environmental Information, but some areas endured days of temperatures greater than 100F (about 38C). Several cities broke temperature records during a heatwave in early July – Palm Springs hit 124F on 5 July, while Redding in the state’s far north saw a high of 119F on 6 July.

Death Valley, the hottest place on Earth, recorded its hottest month ever in July, according to the National Park Service (NPS). In Nevada, Las Vegas reached 120F on 7 July, its hottest day in history, and set a record for number of days over 115F.

The impacts of extreme heat are being felt across the US and the world as the climate crisis drives increasingly severe and dangerous weather conditions. Last month about one-third of the US population was under warnings for record heat. The Earth saw its hottest day in recorded history on 22 July, breaking a record set just one day earlier.

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