Daily Notes: October 4, 2026
It is Sunday, and the radar does not know that. Neither, apparently, does the sky over the Gulf Coast. I have spent the weekend doing what I always do, which is looking at storms and telling myself it counts as rest. It does not. Here is what’s new.
What Changed Today
The current release is still 1.5.12, so nothing new shipped today. What I can tell you about is what’s coming in the next update, which means it is not available yet:
- LightningWX Opens On Your Home Radar Every Time. You start where you live instead of wherever you left off, so the first thing you see is your own sky.
- A Warnings List That Puts Home First. Warnings near your home are listed first, and each one has a View on Map button that jumps straight to it. That is one click between “there’s a warning” and “where is it, exactly.”
Not glamorous. I know. But this is the part of the software you look at in a hurry, so I would rather make it boring and fast than clever. Don’t be like me and scroll a list of warnings squinting for the one that’s yours. You let the list put your area first, and you press the button.
If you missed the last few days: LaunchWX (launch weather for Cape Canaveral, Kennedy, Vandenberg, Starbase and Wallops) and AI Acceleration for GenAvaM are in the current version, and the free Learn course at lightningwx.com/learn has 17 units now.
Latest Weather News
- Heavy rain on the Gulf Coast. The Weather Prediction Center says a few inches of rain are expected along the central Gulf Coast this weekend, with up to about 7 inches possible near Gulf Shores and the Florida Panhandle, and Flood Watches in effect from coastal Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle into early Monday. Never drive through floodwater, and follow your local NWS office and emergency officials. (WPC Short Range Discussion)
- A few rotating storms on the northern Gulf Coast. The Storm Prediction Center has a Marginal Risk today for the Florida Panhandle and nearby coastal waters, where a few brief rotating thunderstorms are possible. Severe storms aren’t expected across most of the country. (SPC Day 1 Convective Outlook)
- October heat in California. Temperatures are running 15 to 20 degrees above normal in California and the Great Basin, with Extreme Heat Warnings for Southern California, Heat Advisories for the Central Valley and Bay Area, and daily records possible. Heat is a real hazard in October too, so drink water and check on your neighbors. (WPC Short Range Discussion)
- Two Pacific hurricanes, and a Gulf area to watch. The National Hurricane Center is following Hurricane Rachel, a few hundred miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, and Hurricane Nolo, well west-northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands. In the Atlantic, a possible low in the southwestern Gulf has near 0 percent odds of forming in 48 hours and 30 percent over 7 days. (NHC Tropical Weather Outlook)
- Minor geomagnetic storm. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center expects G1 (minor) conditions today from a coronal hole stream, with a peak Kp of about 4.67 through October 6. (SWPC 3-Day Forecast)
Daily Joke
I asked the barometer how it was feeling. It said, “Under a lot of pressure, but I’m trying to stay level.”
If you’re on the Gulf Coast, keep the weather radio on and stay out of the floodwater. When thunder roars, go indoors.
Jen
