Summer is officially here. That’s the good news.
The bad news? The days are already getting shorter. But let’s put that aside for a second. The real bad news is just how wretched the weather has been. Now, this isn’t a weather blog—but we do talk about things that are frightening. And lately, the weather has been more terrifying than anything hitting the box office or streaming on Netflix.
Just yesterday in North Dakota, a derecho swept through Bismarck. The tornadoes that came with it were compared to a Category 3 hurricane. People died. And some of the weather YouTubers I follow—like Max Velocity—were shaken. He openly wondered during a livestream if they had failed to save people. Not because of anything they did wrong, but because this kind of weather moves so fast, so brutally. Honestly, people like Ryan Hall and Max Velocity have become more important in moments like this than even the National Weather Service. They’re live, in real-time, doing everything they can to keep people informed and safe.
But that’s the point. The fact that they’re this busy on YouTube, day after day, shows how active this year has been for dangerous weather. It used to be that these storms were “once in a lifetime” events. Now? It’s more like “once a week.”
Here in the Northeast, it’s rained nearly every day since March. Sure, that technically ended the drought. But now we’re being set up for what could be a devastating heat wave. Some will say, “It’s summer, this is normal.” And yeah, sure—heat is normal. A lot of people even wish for it. But heat indexes of 115 to 120 degrees? That’s not just summer fun. That’s dangerous. Roads, buildings, and people are all going to bake.
Weather has always been weird. It’s always been the go-to topic in elevators and small talk. But something about this stretch has felt different. More intense. And we’re not done yet—hurricane season is next. Let’s hope it’s quiet. Let’s hope nothing forms. Let’s hope, for once, that land gets spared.
Because if the first part of summer has shown us anything, it’s that the atmosphere is on edge. And places that didn’t used to see tornadoes? They’re seeing them now. Regularly.
Prayers and thoughts to those who lost everything last night. And here’s hoping the rest of summer gives us a break.