Happy New Year. Welcome to 2025, and the revelation of vital statistics that describe the past year’s weather and what we can expect about the year ahead. Your Shofar editor, a true weather junkie, who notes temperature highs and lows, rainfall, snowfall, wind gusts and other climate facts of only passing interest to most of the western world, has listed as favorites the websites of the World Meteorological Organization and the National Hurricane Center. And yes, of course I do, and thank you for asking…

High temperature: 119 on July 6 in Redding, CA

Low temperature:  -10 on Jan. 14 and 15, recorded at O’Hare Airport

Rainfall: 22.93 inches in the contiguous U.S., 10th wettest year on record

Snowfall: 49.5 inches, Jan. 13 -16, Green Mountain Reservoir, Colorado

Wind gusts: 180 mph during Hurricane Milton crossing the Florida Keys

Of course, the approach of hurricanes is concerning, but worry not just yet. The Atlantic hurricane season stretches from June 1 to Nov. 30 so, for now, we are free to worry about issues other than weather. Although storms have been known to form before and after those dates, the hurricane season reflects the months when weather conditions are favorable for producing these storms: warm ocean temperatures and insufficient wind speed to break apart forming storms.

On a personal and final note about hurricanes in 2024, Tropical Storm Sara formed in the western Caribbean Sea late in November, making landfall on the northern coast of Honduras and dumping torrential rains across parts of Central America before finally dissipating over the Yucatan Peninsula. We Saras are capable of unexpected shows of strength…

Moving on to 2025, here are the storm names designated for the Atlantic Basin: Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dorian, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Imelda, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van, Wendy.