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The 2026 hurricane season continues... see & read updates every day during the season (until Nov. 30th) at “Talking the Tropics With Mike”.
Speaking of the tropics... Dr. Phil Klotzbach at Colorado State University has lowered his forecast (June vs. April forecast) numbers even a bit more for the Atlantic 2026 hurricane season. The El Nino (warming of the equatorial Pacific) continues to strengthen which usually results in more wind shear across the Atlantic Basin hence, fewer named storms. Of course, it only take one landfalling storm to make a season memorable so always stay up to date on the latest forecasts.
Watch “Preparing for the Storm” courtesy the First Alert Weather Team:
It’s the earliest sunrise of the season - through June 15th - for Jacksonville:
June began on relatively cool note managing a record low at Jacksonville on June 4th of 58 degrees. That makes 13 record temps. (8 record highs, 5 record lows) this year for Jacksonville - less than half way through the year.
June/early July night skies (Sky & Telescope):
June 13 (dawn): Look low in the east-northeast to see the waning crescent Moon leading the Pleiades cluster above the horizon. Mars is farther to the right. Catch this sight before the rising Sun washes it away.
June 16 (dusk): Turn west-northwest to spot the 2-day-old Moon delightfully framed by Jupiter 4° to the upper left, Pollux, 4° at upper right, and Mercury 3° at lower right. Very bright Venus is farther to the upper left.
June 17 (dusk): The waxing crescent Moon visits the Beehive Cluster (M44) in Cancer with Venus blazing 2½° to its lower right. You’ll need binoculars to tease out the Beehive’s stars.
June 19 (dusk): The Moon, two days shy of first quarter, trails Regulus in Leo’s by about 6°.
June 21: The longest daylight of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The solstice occurs at 4:25 a.m. EDT (1:25 a.m. PDT), heralding the start of astronomical summer.
June 23 (dusk): Face west-southwest to see the waxing gibbous Moon some 4½° to the lower left of Spica, Virgo’s brightest star.
June 25 (dusk): Find an unobscured horizon to the west-northwest to catch Jupiter with Mercury a bit more than 3½° to its lower right.
June 27 (dusk): The Moon, two days from full, follows Antares by 6° as they climb in the south-southeast.
July 1 (dawn): Mars, in Taurus, hangs 4½° to the lower right of the Pleiades, while Aldebaran twinkles farther to the lower left above the east-northeastern horizon before sunrise.
July 6: Earth is at aphelion, its farthest from the Sun for the year, at a distance of 94,503,000 miles (around 3.4% farther than it was at perihelion in January).
July 9 (dusk): Venus is 1° above Regulus, the brightest star in Leo.
Moon Phases
Last Quarter June 8 6:01 a.m. EDT
New Moon June 14 10:54 p.m. EDT
First Quarter June 21 5:55 p.m. EDT
Full Moon June 29 7:57 p.m. EDT (Full Strawberry Moon)
