Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
We are updating our website. Some features may be unavailable during this time. For more information, including currently known issues, visit here.

This Hurricane Should NEVER Have Happened… So How Did It?

Season 8 Episode 1 | 12m 12s

For some reason, hurricanes are terrified of South America. As long as we’ve been keeping track, it’s only EVER been hit by ONE! Hurricane Catarina was the hurricane that never should have happened. So how did it? We’ll take a tour of hurricane regions around the world to answer that question. And we’ll find out what Catarina can teach us about how hurricanes really work, and how they’re changing.

Aired: 10/05/26
Latest Episodes
All
Will the 2026 El Niño be the strongest we’ve ever seen? What can the one in 1877 tell us?
Can a vast radioactive site power AI and clean energy, or become the next disaster?
Is a spot in the Southwest safe from natural disasters or is there a more sinister explanation?
New York City is racing to prepare for the true superstorm.
Tornado Alley is shifting — and the new one is deadlier. Here's why.
Why is the Guadalupe River America's deadliest? Science, "Rain Bombs," and Flash Flood Alley.
Something unexpected is changing Antarctica and scientists finally know why.
What if Earth crossed a climate tipping point like Venus once did?
Weathered investigates why civilizations collapse during climate shocks—and how we can avoid it.
Understanding the climate endgame isn’t pessimism. It’s risk management.
Extras
Appraisal: Victorian Slide Chain & Diamond Bracelet
Aaron Glantz and Sophie Hills discuss AI companies' efforts to influence the midterms.
October 27, 2026 - PBS News Hour full episode
News Wrap: AI giant Anthropic preparing for initial public offering
Candidates enter final week of campaigning with control of Congress at stake
Netanyahu faces Israeli voters in first election since Oct. 7 and Gaza war
Lula prevails in Brazil but Flávio Bolsonaro refuses to concede
How do you study a wetland when it isn't wet? Jordon and Rae enter a very dry Everglades.
Campaigns spend big to sway voters with increasingly personal attack ads
Student-led movement ousts Serbia's right-wing ruler in historic election
Check out this preview of Weathered: After the LA Firestorm, coming to PBS January 7th.
Check out this preview of Weathered: Inside the LA Firestorm, coming to PBS March 19th.
Here's a sneak peak at our new longform series from Weathered!
We look to design solutions and indigenous knowledge to become safer from wildfires.
Hurricanes are the most powerful and destructive storms on the planet.
The Colorado Basin is currently experiencing its worst drought in 1200 years!
One of the most devastating landslides in US history struck the town of Montecito, CA.
If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that we are ALL vulnerable to natural disasters.
What can we expect when the “Big One” does hit?