This past weekend, Winter Storm Fern struck the States. Sleet, snow and ice battered Americans all the way from New Mexico to New York. Scientists predicted its arrival in mid-January, and in anticipation of the storm, more than 20 state governors issued emergency declarations.
This past weekend, Winter Storm Fern struck the States. Sleet, snow and ice battered Americans all the way from New Mexico to New York. Scientists predicted its arrival in mid-January, and in anticipation of the storm, more than 20 state governors issued emergency declarations.
But how did scientists know so much, so early, about the approaching storm? NPR climate reportersays it has to do with our weather models… and the data we put into them. Which begs the question: Will we continue to invest in them?Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn. It was edited by our showrunner Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones and Rebecca Hersher checked the facts. The audio engineer was Robert Rodriguez. iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5688993/nx-s1-mx-5688993-1" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">People walk the streets in near whiteout conditions on January 25, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. Scientists predicted January's massive winter storm weeks before it arrived... using weather models.says it has to do with our weather models… and the data we put into them. Which begs the question: Will we continue to invest in them?Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn. It was edited by our showrunner Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones and Rebecca Hersher checked the facts. The audio engineer was Robert Rodriguez.
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