Twenty-five years ago, the morning of September 11th was marked by what meteorologists and pilots call “severe clear”—a calm, virtually cloudless blue sky.
Following the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, weather conditions dictated the path of an enormous cloud of toxic smoke and debris, spreading across Lower Manhattan and beyond. While calm conditions allowed search and rescue efforts to proceed without storm interruptions, the environmental and health impacts would last for decades.

Join Florida Storms meteorologist Leslie Hudson as we look back at the satellite observations, the meteorological factors at play, and the lasting environmental legacy of that fateful day.

The health effects of September 11th continue to emerge decades later.
The federal World Trade Center Health Program provides monitoring and treatment for responders and survivors across the country, while the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund continues to receive claims connected to physical illnesses and deaths resulting from the attacks and their aftermath.