Weather category, Page 13
Hurricane Rafael makes landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 storm after knocking out power on the islandVideo
HAVANA — Hurricane Rafael made landfall in Cuba on Wednesday as a powerful Category 3 hurricane, shortly after powerful winds knocked out the country’s power grid. Forecasters warned Rafael could bring “life-threatening” storm surges, winds and flash floods to western swaths of the island after it knocked out power and...
It’s not official yet but Mount Fuji gets its trademark snowcap after the longest delay in 130 years
TOKYO — Japan’s Mount Fuji finally got its trademark snowcap early on Wednesday, more than a month after it normally would and after setting a record for the most-delayed snowfall in 130 years. The first snowfall on Mt. Fuji, a UNESCO World Heritage site, could be seen from the southwestern...
Hurricane Rafael expected to rapidly intensify as it barrels toward Cuba
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Hurricane Rafael swirled past the Cayman Islands and was expected to rapidly intensify until making landfall on Wednesday in western Cuba, where it’s forecast to hit as a Category 2 hurricane. It was another stroke of bad news for Cuba, which has been struggling with...
Southwestern Pa. sets record high of 81 degrees on Election Day
As voters turned out to polling locations across Southwestern Pennsylvania, unseasonably warm weather graced the region. Temperatures reached 81 degrees in the Pittsburgh area about 3:15 p.m., beating the previous 80-degree record high temperature for Nov. 5 set in 1948, said National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Kennedy. “It’s been warm...
Mount Fuji is still without its iconic snowcap in November for the first time in 130 years
TOKYO — Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji, known for its snowcap forming around this time of the year, is still snowless in November for the first time in 130 years, presumably because of the unusually warm temperatures in the past few weeks. The lack of snow on Mt. Fuji, a UNESCO...
What to know about the unprecedented floods that killed more than 200 in Spain
VALENCIA, Spain — In a matter of minutes, flash floods caused by heavy downpours in eastern Spain swept away almost everything in their path. With no time to react, people were trapped in vehicles, homes and businesses. Many died and thousands of livelihoods were shattered. A week later, authorities have...
Tropical Storm Rafael forms in the Caribbean and could hit Cuba as a hurricaneVideo
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Tropical Storm Rafael formed Monday in the Caribbean and will bring heavy rain to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands before strengthening into a hurricane and likely hitting Cuba, forecasters said. Later in the week it also is expected to bring heavy rainfall to Florida and...
National Weather Service warns against outdoor burning, game commission prohibits camp fires as dry conditions linger
Exceptionally dry weather and wind gusts have created an increased brush fire danger, the National Weather Service warned in a special weather statement. It has been nearly a month since the Pittsburgh region has seen a “wetting” rain of at least one-tenth of an inch, meteorologist Bill Modzelewski said. The...
Oklahoma storms injure at least 11, leave thousands without powerVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Severe storms and tornadoes battered Oklahoma early Sunday, tossing cars and ripping roofs off buildings in the middle of the night and leaving tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power. Among numerous injuries, 11 people required hospitalization, authorities said. Much of the damage was reported...
Biden declares major disaster area in southeast New Mexico due to historic flooding
ROSWELL, N.M. — President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster area in southeast New Mexico after historic flooding killed two people and forced the rescue of more than 300 last month. The declaration announced Friday makes federal funding available to residents in Chaves County, where 5.78 inches (about 14.7...
NYC declares a drought watch and asks residents to conserve water
NEW YORK — New York’s mayor urged residents to take shorter showers, fix dripping faucets and otherwise conserve water, issuing a drought watch Saturday after a parched October here and in much of the United States. A drought watch is the first of three potential levels of water-saving directives, and...
At least 95 people die in devastating flash floods in Spain
BARCELONA, Spain — Flash floods in Spain turned village streets into rivers, ruined homes, disrupted transportation and killed at least 95 people in the worst natural disaster to hit the European nation in recent memory. Rainstorms that started Tuesday and continued Wednesday caused flooding across southern and eastern Spain, stretching...
Where has all the rain gone? Bone-dry October strikes much of U.S.
A bone-dry October is pushing nearly half of the United States into a flash drought, leading to fires in the Midwest and hindering shipping on the Mississippi River. More than 100 different long-term weather stations in 26 states, including Alaska, are having their driest October on record, through Sunday, according...
Storm blows away from northern Philippines leaving 82 dead but forecasters warn it may do a U-turn
MANILA, Philippines — Tropical Storm Trami blew away from the northwestern Philippines on Friday, leaving at least 82 people dead in landslides and extensive flooding that forced authorities to scramble for more rescue boats to save thousands of terrified people, who were trapped, some on their roofs. But the onslaught...
Area’s unseasonably warm temperatures just shy of record
Temperatures reached an unofficial high of 82 degrees Tuesday at two area airports, about 20 degrees above the normal high but just shy of breaking the record. The 82-degree mark was recorded at both Pittsburgh International Airport and at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity, according to Jason Frazier, a...
North Carolina county surrounding Asheville overcounted Helene deaths by as many as 30, sheriff says
RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina county that is home to Asheville overcounted deaths caused by Helene by as many as 30, according to a statement Tuesday from its sheriff’s office and data from the state, significantly reducing the death toll from the historic storm. Buncombe County officials, who previously...
Tropical Storm Oscar swirls toward the Bahamas after killing 6 people in Cuba
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Tropical Storm Oscar chugged toward the Bahamas on Tuesday after making landfall in Cuba as a Category 1 hurricane, killing at least six people as it unleashed heavy rains on an island also hit by an unrelated massive power outage. Oscar was located 70 miles...
New Mexico authorities rescue hundreds after flooding strands many in high water and leaves 2 deadVideo
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A southeastern New Mexico community began to dry out Monday after historic rainfall over the weekend produced severe flooding that left at least two people dead and hundreds stranded on rooftops. Waterlogged vehicles were still submerged along some city streets in Roswell, while others were seen smashed...
Tropical Storm Oscar dumps heavy rain on eastern Cuba as it heads toward the BahamasVideo
HAVANA — Tropical Storm Oscar dumped heavy rain across eastern Cuba on Monday after making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on the island already beleaguered by a massive power outage. Its maximum sustained winds were blowing at 50 mph (85 kph) on Monday as Oscar moved west at 2...
Distressed about climate change, ‘supermajority’ of young Americans want bolder action
CHICAGO — A “supermajority” of young Americans across the political spectrum feel distressed about human-made climate change and want bolder action from the government and corporations, a new study has found. Experiencing the worsening effects of a rapidly changing climate throughout their youth and into adulthood, this crisis has become...
Hurricane center says depression could form in Caribbean, tracks 1 other system
ORLANDO, Fla. — The National Hurricane Center continued Friday to keep track of two systems with a chance to form into the season’s next tropical depression or storm, with the most likely in the western Caribbean. As of the NHC’s 2 p.m. tropical outlook, that broad area of low pressure...
Missed out on the northern lights? Scientists expect more solar storms to produce auroras
NEW YORK — Expect to see more northern lights in unusual places as the sun continues to sizzle, space weather forecasters said Tuesday. Strong solar storms this year have triggered shimmering auroras much farther south than usual, filling skies with hues of pink, purple, green and blue. The sun is...
Florida neighbors band together to recover after one-two punch from hurricanes Helene and MiltonVideo
VENICE, Fla. — When ankle-deep floodwaters from Hurricane Helene bubbled up through the floors of their home, Kat Robinson-Malone and her husband sent a late-night text message to their neighbors two doors down: “Hey, we’re coming.” The couple waded through the flooded street to the elevated front porch of Chris...
Far from where Hurricane Milton hit, tornadoes wrought unexpected damage
WELLINGTON, Fla. — Tony Brazzale, a diving boat captain who has lived for 10 years in his Wellington home in southeastern Florida, wasn’t worried about Hurricane Milton. The storm’s center was forecast to make landfall on the opposite side of the peninsula and then cross the state well to the...
Woman in labor has ‘white-knuckle’ ride to hospital during hurricane, Florida cops say
The closest route was through a town under a flash flood warning. Heavy rain was falling, electricity for traffic lights was spotty and wind gusts carried potentially dangerous debris. Nonetheless, a pregnant Florida woman was in labor Thursday as Hurricane Milton was crossing Polk County, and she desperately needed to...
