April ‘pink moon’ returns this weekend as micromoon
The annual April “pink moon” is set to rise this weekend — and this year, it’s going to be a micromoon. The pink moon will reach peal illumination at 8:22 p.m. EDT Saturday in the United States, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. April’s full moon will rise when its...
Kentucky flood forces Buffalo Trace Distillery to temporarily close
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The historic Buffalo Trace Distillery has closed temporarily after deadly flooding ravaging Kentucky swept into its facilities, forcing the popular bourbon company to turn away the public and staff. In a statement released Sunday, the Frankfort, Ky.-based distillery said it would remain closed through April 10 but...
National Weather Service no longer translating products for non-English speakers
The National Weather Service is no longer providing language translations of its products, a change experts say could put non-English speakers at risk of missing potentially life-saving warnings about extreme weather. The weather service has “paused” the translations because its contract with the provider has lapsed, NWS spokesperson Michael Musher...
April snow showers: Cold front hitting Western Pa.
Snow is returning Monday to Western Pennsylvania. And local meteorologists say it’s still completely normal at this time of year. Sometimes it snows in April. Jeff Verszyla, meteorologist at WTAE-TV, said Pittsburgh receives on average about 1 inch of snow in April. “So seeing a few flakes in the area...
Swollen rivers are flooding towns in the U.S. South after a prolonged deluge of rain
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Days of unrelenting heavy rain and storms filled up rivers to near record levels across Kentucky on Monday, submerging neighborhoods and threatening a famed bourbon distillery in the state capital of Frankfort. Swollen rivers posed the latest threat from a series of persistent storms that have killed...
Rising rivers threaten South and Midwest after barrage of rain, tornadoes
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Rivers rose and flooding worsened Sunday across the U.S. South and Midwest, threatening communities already waterlogged and badly damaged by days of heavy rain and wind that killed at least 18 people. From Texas to Ohio, utilities scrambled to shut off power and gas, while cities closed...
Nearly half of National Weather Service offices have 20% vacancy rates, and experts say it’s a risk
WASHINGTON — After Trump administration job cuts, nearly half of National Weather Service forecast offices have 20% vacancy rates — twice that of just a decade ago — as severe weather chugs across the nation’s heartland, according to data obtained by The Associated Press. Detailed vacancy data for all 122...
Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh snow removal CEO convicted of fraud; flood watch issued
Here are a few morning news items from across the region for Friday, April 4: CEO of Pittsburgh snow removal company convicted of fraud The owner of a Pittsburgh-based snow and ice removal company was convicted of wire fraud and money laundering in federal court. Federal prosecutors said Thursday jurors...
Rain likely a factor for PNC Park’s opening weekend
Pittsburgh Pirates fans might be in for a soggy opening weekend at PNC Park. There’s a chance of rain throughout the weekend, with a flood watch is in effect until 7 a.m. Sunday, said Colton Milcarek, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon. It looks like the home opener...
Storms kill 7 in the South and Midwest as forecasters warn of catastrophic rain, floods this weekVideo
LAKE CITY, Ark. — Standing alongside the twisted steel tractors on his family farm in northeast Arkansas on Thursday, Danny Qualls looked on while friends and relatives helped him begin cleaning up. The home where he spent his childhood but no longer lives was flattened by one of many tornadoes...
Morning Roundup: Strong storms slam Western Pa. region; Bethel Park standoff ends with charges
Here are a few morning news items from across the region for Thursday, April 3: Strong storms slam Western Pa. region Strong storms swept through the region early Thursday, moving at 55 to 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. Tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings in several...
Tornadoes touch down with golf ball-sized hail as storms wallop Midwest, SouthVideo
Tornadoes touched down in parts of the South and Midwest on Wednesday, knocking down power lines and trees and ripping roofs off of homes, while golf-ball sized hail fell in a region being hit by a violent swath of severe storms. A tornado emergency was issued in northeast Arkansas, with...
Bye-bye, Helene, Milton and Beryl. Names from those nasty hurricanes are now retired
WASHINGTON — Hurricanes Helene, Milton and Beryl were so nasty last year that their names are being retired. The World Meteorological Organization on Wednesday officially replaced the names of the trio of 2024 storms that killed more than 300 people and caused more than $119 billion in damage. Brianna, Holly...
Storms could unleash deadly floods, strong tornadoes in large part of U.S. in coming daysVideo
Forecasters are warning of potentially deadly flash flooding and strong tornadoes as more rounds of thunderstorms are poised to strike parts of the Midwest and South. The potent storm system will bring the threat of “significant, life-threatening flash flooding” starting Wednesday, according to the Weather Prediction Center, a part of...
Rain turns to ice, cuts power in Great Lakes region while Tennessee braces for wild weatherVideo
Freezing rain brought down trees and power lines in Michigan and Wisconsin, cutting electricity for thousands of people Sunday in the upper Great Lakes region, while forecasters said severe weather was on its way to Tennessee. Winds topping 70 mph were possible for the middle of Tennessee, with a chance...
Wind gust damages roof of Duquesne building already set to be torn down
A roof on a Duquesne University building was damaged Monday during high winds, TribLive news partner WTAE reported. A piece of the roof on Mendel Hall on Forbes Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Bluff neighborhood landed on the street and sidewalk below. The building, which houses athletic offices, was already scheduled for...
Experts say U.S. weather forecasts will worsen as DOGE cuts mean fewer balloon launches
WASHINGTON — With massive job cuts, the National Weather Service is eliminating or reducing vital weather balloon launches in eight northern locations, which meteorologists and former agency leaders said will degrade the accuracy of forecasts just as severe weather season kicks in. The normally twice-daily launches of weather balloons in...
Morning Roundup: Arrest in Homestead assault case; fire threat declared in Western Pa.
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, March 19: Police make arrest in Homestead assault Allegheny County Police arrested 20-year-old Trevon Jones of Homestead on Monday morning after he allegedly assaulted a man and stole his vehicle. Homestead police were called to the intersection of...
Residents pick up the pieces after devastating storms scour the South and MidwestVideo
PLANTERSVILLE, Ala. — Kim Atchison was hunkered down in her grandmother’s storm shelter with her 5-year-old grandson Saturday night in their tiny Alabama hometown of Plantersville when her husband and son raced in. “Get down; get all the way down to the bottom of the cellar,” they told her, saying...
Acme residents describe scene as tornado tore through their community; twister traveled nearly 8 miles
Malinda Urbanic was sitting down to lunch Sunday with her family at home in Acme when they saw debris blowing around in a nearby field. “And I mean it was huge stuff,” she said. The windows on their enclosed front porch shattered. The utility poles in their front yard snapped....
Severe weather moves east after tornadoes, winds and wildfires killed at least 39 people
A dynamic storm that prompted foreboding predictions of dangerous weekend weather spawned tornadoes, dust storms and wildfires that killed at least 39 people and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses. The system that brought severe weather and flooding to the central and eastern part of the country over the weekend...
4 tornadoes confirmed in Westmoreland, Indiana counties, damage assessment, cleanup continues
At least four recorded tornadoes touched down in Western Pennsylvania as part of Sunday’s severe weather. The National Weather Service on Monday confirmed four EF-1 tornadoes, the second-lowest rating used by the organization. Three were in Westmoreland County. One traveled from Bear Rocks to Acme to Donegal, according to NWS...
Parts of Western Pa. remain under tornado watch as weather damage rocks region
Parts of Western Pennsylvania were under a tornado watch until 4 p.m. Sunday as severe weather pummeled the region. The following six counties were under the tornado watch, according to the National Weather Service in Moon: Armstrong, Clarion, Indiana, Jefferson, Forest and Venango. Cities affected included Brookville, Clarion, Davis, Ford...
At least 37 dead after tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms wreak havoc across multiple U.S. states
PIEDMONT, Mo. — Unusually vicious and damaging weather across multiple U.S. states spawned violent tornadoes, blinding dust storms and fast-moving wildfires this weekend, leaving at least 37 people dead. Hailey Hart and her fiancé Steve Romero hunkered down with their three huskies inside their 1994 Toyota Celica as a tornado...
Monster storm across the U.S. sparks threat of tornadoes and fire, killing at least 17
The threat of violent tornadoes in parts of the U.S. proved deadly as well as destructive as whipping winds moved east into the Mississippi Valley and Deep South on Saturday, with at least 17 people killed and scores of homes decimated. The most fatalities as of Saturday morning were in...
