Weather

Arctic sea ice hits lowest winter level as unprecedented heat hits smashes records all over Earth

WASHINGTON — Vital Arctic sea ice shrank to tie its lowest measured level for the winter, the season when ice grows, as a warming Earth shattered records across the continents. Arctic sea ice levels, especially in the summer, are crucial to Earth’s climate because without the ice reflecting sunlight, more...
Forecasters extend flood warning for Pittsburgh area; power outages affecting thousands

The National Weather Service has extended a flood warning until 10:30 a.m. Friday in the aftermath of overnight thunderstorms. Between flashes of lightning and wind gusts reaching nearly 50 mph Thursday night, the Pittsburgh area collected between 1.25 and 2.25 inches of rain, said Bill Modzelewski, meteorologist for the NWS’s...
Pittsburgh in line for damaging winds, isolated flash flooding Thursday night

Pittsburghers looking to soak up sunshine and warm temperatures should do so while there’s light Thursday, as storms forecast for the evening are expected to segue into cooler conditions this weekend. Temperatures are forecast to reach into the low 70s Thursday, said Jared Rackley, meteorologist for the National Weather Service...
The ferocity of downpour that brought the latest Hawaii flooding surprised even meteorologistsVideo

HONOLULU — Crews on Tuesday began evaluating damage from a surprise downpour that sent floodwaters raging through a neighborhood near downtown Honolulu — the latest bout in a series of storms and flooding that have pummeled the state over the past two weeks. Residents along Oahu’s North Shore, famous for...
Record-smashing heat spreads: ‘Basically the entire U.S. is going to be hot’Video

After smashing March heat records in 14 states and the U.S. as a whole, the gigantic heat dome that’s baked the Southwest is creeping eastward and may end up being one of the most expansive heat waves in American history, meteorologists and weather historians said. And it’s not going away...
Pittsburgh slated for cool down after record high temperature Sunday

After the Western Pennsylvania region felt a record high temperature Sunday, the area will get cooler conditions this week, said National Weather Service Meteorologist Chris Leonardi. Sunday’s high of 84 degrees made it the hottest March 22 ever — and it tied for the region’s record high for any day...
Hempfield’s ‘Tornado Kid’ Tyler Tubbs reflects on viral video 15 years later

Tyler Tubbs was 15 years old, a freshman baseball player at Hempfield Area High School, when a video he recorded of an EF2 tornado touching down March 23, 2011, in his Fort Allen neighborhood went viral. Now, the 30-year-old project manager lives in Hagerstown, Md., with his wife and two...
Maui braces for storm as Oahu lifts evacuation orders

Emily McLaughlin had lived long enough in Waialua, Hawaii, on the North Shore of Oahu, to become inured to emergency alerts on her phone. “You dismiss those if you live here forever,” she said. Then the water came rushing through her door late Thursday night. Before she could react, it...
Hawaii suffers its worst flooding in 20 years and forecasters warn more rain is coming

HONOLULU — Hawaii suffered its worst flooding in more than 20 years as heavy rains fell on soil already saturated by downpours from a winter storm a week ago, officials said Friday while warning that still more rain was expected during the weekend. Muddy floodwaters smothered vast stretches of Oahu’s...
Over 5,500 told to evacuate flooding in Hawaii as officials warn 120-year-old dam could fail

HONOLULU — Muddy floodwaters from severe rains inundated streets, pushed homes off their foundations, swallowed vehicles and prompted evacuation orders for thousands of residents in towns north of Honolulu on Friday as officials warned of the possible failure of a 120-year-old dam. Emergency sirens blared along Oahu’s North Shore, where...
From 70 degrees to snowfall: Pittsburgh region gets weather whiplash with high winds, snow

March madness took on a literal meaning across southwestern Pennsylvania early this week as a sudden burst of winter weather disrupted a string of springlike days. While the snowfall didn’t reach historic proportions, the region saw a wild temperature swing, dropping from a high of 70 degrees Sunday to 24...
Surprise snowfall sets Western Pa. record, as some remain without power

Monday started mild across the Pittsburgh region and ended as the snowiest 60-degree day on record, according to the National Weather Service in Moon. “Most places got between 2 and 5 inches, but there were a couple of localized areas that got over 6,” said Bill Modzelewski, meteorologist. “Our office...
Severe storms pummel parts of U.S. with snow and high winds and raise tornado threat

CHICAGO — Successive punches of snow and wind were impacting the eastern half of the United States on Monday as severe weather swept across much of the nation, making roads impassable in the Upper Midwest and canceling more than 2,000 flights nationwide. Forecasters said mid-Atlantic states and Washington, D.C., were...
More damaging wind gusts possible ahead of 1-day cold snap

After being buffeted by winds that knocked out power for thousands this weekend, the Pittsburgh area is expected to get blasted again Monday followed by a one-day cold snap this week. A wind advisory began at midnight and is expected to end at 11 a.m. Monday for Western Pennsylvania. Winds...
Snow, wind batter parts of U.S., with threat of thunderstorms and tornadoes starting later SundayVideo

CHICAGO — A broad and erratic patchwork of severe weather rumbled across much of the U.S. on Sunday, dumping heavy snow and making roads impassable in the Upper Midwest while damaging wind swept across the Plains. Hawaii also continues to be affected by severe flooding. And portions of the mid-South...
Iceland’s chief ‘Lava Cooler’ is bracing for the next eruption

GRINDAVIK, Iceland — As a swarm of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions began to rip through southwestern Iceland in late 2023, a firefighter named Helgi Hjorleifsson jumped into action. Lava was heading toward the evacuated town of Grindavik, a power plant and the Blue Lagoon — one of Iceland’s most popular...

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