A more active severe weather pattern is getting underway in the Midwest and Plains, which could produce large hail, wind damage and a strong tornado threat into early next week.

Planning those summer getaways? The Weather Channel’s summer forecast has been updated, and it still looks hot, so start thinking of places where you can beat the heat. Above-average temperatures are in the forecast for much of the country, with the highest chances across the Rockies and Great Basin. Yes, Florida could see temperatures below average, but the high humidity will still keep it hot and sticky.

Some national parks get all the attention, but with that also comes all the crowds, traffic, and mile-long lines for a photo op. If you’re dreaming of jaw-dropping views without the chaos, we’ve got five spectacular national park alternatives that deliver all the beauty of the big name spots (think - crowd favorites like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Zion) but with a fraction of the yearly visitors, making them the best kept secrets of the park pros.

Hurricane season in the Pacific begins two weeks earlier than in the Atlantic. Water temperatures and wind shear tend to become more favorable earlier in the year west of Mexico than in the Gulf or Caribbean. Parts of the American Southwest, including California, have gotten drenched by tropical storms and the remnants of hurricanes in recent years. Moisture is the biggest concern for the Southwest. Flooding has occurred following multiple storms in Southern California and Arizona in recent decades. Mexico frequently gets slammed by hurricanes with wind and storm surge threats on its Pacific coast and in 2023, Hurricane Otis struck Acapulco as a Category 5. Hawaii also sees impacts from the tropics once or twice a year.

During the Apollo missions, NASA put reflectors on the moon. In the five decades since then, scientists have shot laser beams at the reflectors to figure out how long it takes light to come back to Earth. That led to a huge revelation: The Earth and moon are drifting apart. Watch this video to learn how fast that’s happening and what it means for our planet.