Golden Gate Weather Services

Twenty-five years ago this month, a reporter called with a question I couldn't answer. A 5-month-old child had died after being left in a hot vehicle, and he asked, "How hot could it have been inside that car?" That single question changed the course of the next 25 years of my life.

Unable to find reliable research, I began conducting my own studies of how quickly vehicles heat across a range of temperatures. What started as scientific curiosity soon became a long-term commitment to understanding—and preventing—Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke (PVH). Along the way, I collaborated with child safety organizations and researchers, including colleagues at Stanford University, resulting in a 2005 paper in Pediatrics that remains one of the most frequently cited studies on vehicle heating and children.

Over the past quarter of a century, I have documented more than 1,000 tragedies and built what has become one of the world's most comprehensive databases of pediatric vehicular heatstroke cases through NoHeatstroke.org. The site is used by researchers, journalists, public health professionals, educators, advocates, and government agencies to better understand the circumstances surrounding PVH deaths.

No one would choose a project like this. Every entry represents a child whose life ended too soon, and a family forever changed. Yet public awareness has grown, research has advanced, and vehicle safety technologies continue to improve. Every child protected because someone remembered to check the back seat is meaningful progress.

As I mark this milestone, I am grateful to the many people and organizations that have shared information, challenged my thinking, and supported this work over the years.

My hope remains simple: that one day this database will no longer be needed. Until then, I will continue documenting these tragedies and working toward the goal that has guided me for the past 25 years—that no family should lose a child in a hot vehicle.

A look at decreased Atlantic and increased E Pacific tropical cyclone activity during Strong and Very Strong El Niño years.

The latest 3-month RONI (Relative Oceanic Niño Index) for April-May-June is at +0.47, just shy of the threshold for a weak El Niño. But looking at the sharp upward trajectory (and latest monthly values) of the current event, it is obvious we are headed much higher.

Comparing it to the 7 previous Strong and Very Strong El Niños, this year is starting lower than any of the previous events at this point in the year, and the only one that transitioned from La Niña. But what does all this mean in terms of the developing El Niño and, more so, on what the actual impacts will be? Stay tuned.

Today marks the end of the California rainfall season, with the overall picture of near-normal rainfall for most of Northern California, a bit above normal for Central California, and mostly well above normal for Southern California. Statewide, with the exception of Pine Flat Reservoir, all of the major reservoirs are above their seasonal averages. And of note, this past winter was a Weak La NIña, and the CPC Winter Precipitation outlook reflected a "typical" La Niña pattern of drier than normal in SoCal! 

Links:
https://ggweather.com/ca2025rain.htm
https://cdec.water.ca.gov/resapp/RescondMain
https://ggweather.com/enso/roni.htm
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/archives/long_lead/llarc.ind.php

Jan Null, CCM
Certified Consulting Meteorologist
Golden Gate Weather Services
Email: jnull@ggweather.com
Web: http://ggweather.com



 

Tomorrow, Friday, May 1, 2026, is National Heatstroke Prevention Day. It's a day to raise awareness about the hazards of children dying due to heatstroke inside hot cars. Please take a moment to check out and SHARE the materials below and those at NoHeatstroke.org. Thanks for any assistance in helping to save young, precious lives!

Sadly,
Jan

Jan Null, CCM
Adjunct Professor of Meteorology
San Jose State University
jnull@noheatstroke.org   
Web: https://noheatstroke.org 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noheatstroke/







 

Despite the recent gnashing of teeth about the relatively dismal snowpack reports, California's total precipitation and reservoir storage are tracking mostly at or above normal. April's storms have kept the important Sierra Nevada and Cascade watersheds at or above normal, and these indices account for both rainfall and snowfall.  A summary of the 154 largest reservoirs in the state shows them to be at 118% of their April 26th historical average.






Jan Null, CCM
Certified Consulting Meteorologist
Golden Gate Weather Services
Email: jnull@ggweather.com
Web: http://ggweather.com


 

Following yesterday's EFU tornado near Vina, in the northeastern Sacramento Valley, there were several media comments/inquiries along the lines of "I thought California doesn't get tornadoes".  Yes, on average 6.4 tornadoes per year! I have updated the  California Tornado Climatology at https://ggweather.com/ca_tornado.htm. It contains a database of all 487 tornadoes recorded in California from 1950 through 2025. 

Jan Null, CCM
Certified Consulting Meteorologist
Golden Gate Weather Services
Email: jnull@ggweather.com
Web: http://ggweather.com