The Atlantic hurricane season is off to an early start. Subtropical Storm Ana, the first named storm of 2021, formed early Saturday near Bermuda, 10 days ahead of the season's official opening on June 1. The National Hurricane Center released its Atlantic forecast this past week and anticipates another overactive season with as many as 20 named storms and six to 10 hurricanes.

How do forecasters know what to expect? We asked Kris Karnauskas, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder, to take readers inside the mind of a hurricane forecaster. His article walks through the warning signs forecasters watch for, and why coastal communities from Texas to New England shouldn’t let their guard down.

This week we also liked articles about why Rep. Liz Cheney is standing her ground, how come there’s still no HIV vaccine and the downside of making efficiency too high a priority.

Stacy Morford

Environment and Climate Editor

Hurricanes Katia, Irma and Jose on Sept. 8, 2017. NOAA

Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1 – here’s what forecasters are watching right now

Kristopher Karnauskas, University of Colorado Boulder

To get a sense of how bad the 2021 hurricane season will be, keep an eye on the African monsoon, ocean temperatures and a possible late-blooming La Niña.

Rep. Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming, speaks to the press at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on May 12, 2021. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Representative Cheney calls for order

John M. Murphy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Rep. Liz Cheney may have been exiled from her party's leadership, but she's after a bigger thing: the restoration of politically conservative values in the GOP and its voters.

The power grid in Texas provides a stark lesson in the balance between efficiency and resilience. AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Engineers and economists prize efficiency, but nature favors resilience – lessons from Texas, COVID-19 and the 737 Max

Moshe Y. Vardi, Rice University

Disasters highlight the cost of society's love of efficiency. Nature, in contrast, favors resilience. Being more like nature offers benefits for society, especially in the face of the climate crisis.