First winter storm of many forces water rescues, knocks out power and creates dangerous travel conditions
A wide-reaching storm forced water rescues, knocked out power to tens of thousands and made for dangerous travel as it hit the Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Thursday. It’s a preview of the frenetic winter storm activity to come this month. At least two other storms are expected into next week, including one that hit California Thursday and will impact the same regions over the weekend.
Winter alerts for millions as freezing rain threatens power outages and travel danger
Winter weather alerts were in place for some 100 million people across 22 states from Nebraska to Massachusetts on Thursday as a series of winter storms descend on states in the North and the East, bringing snow, sleet and freezing rain. The cold snap could cause power outages and difficult travel conditions during Thursday's commute and beyond, forecasters warned.
Kentucky mother, 7-year-old daughter among dozen dead from flooding
Two experienced hikers were rescued from the tallest mountain in the Northeast after a whiteout snowstorm stranded them at about 5,000 feet on Sunday, authorities said. Kathyrn McKee, 51, of Southborough, Massachusetts, and Beata LeLacheur, 54, of Westborough, Massachusetts, were trekking through a challenging Mount Washington trail in New Hampshire when the weather turned severe, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (NHFG) said. Temperatures dropped and winds kicked up, blowing snow so that the trail the friends were following was completely erased. The pair pushed through chest-deep snow, lost on the mountain.
Two people dead after heavy flooding as storm continues to bash California
An atmospheric river brought heavy rain, serious mountain snow and strong winds to California that flooded roads and rivers and triggered landslides, with at least two storm-related deaths reported – and more rain is on the way. The first storm, which impacted a large swath of the state, including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento, tapered off on Wednesday.
Frozen frenzy: Nearly nonstop winter storms to hit the same parts of the US for days to come
Winter storms are about to blitz through the eastern half of the United States at a frenetic pace that could continue for a couple of weeks. The jet stream, essentially a river of air in the atmosphere that storms flow through, is locked in an almost perfect line from west to east, and will funnel storms across the northern tier of the Lower 48. New storms will arrive every few days until the jet stream shifts — something that might not happen until the second half of February.
California flood watch raises risk of mudslides days after wildfire containment
About 13 million people are under flood watches across California, where heavy rain is expected to produce flooding, mudslides and debris flows through Wednesday. The atmospheric river of moisture will take aim at the north and central regions, affecting cities like San Francisco and Sacramento, before it's forecast to move southward to Los Angeles, where the deadly Eaton and Palisades fires were contained just days ago.
Deadly Eaton and Palisades fires 100% contained after 24 days
The deadly, wind-fueled Palisades and Eaton fires, which broke out 3½ weeks ago in Southern California, were declared fully contained Friday by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The expansive Palisades Fire erupted the morning of Jan. 7 in Pacific Palisades, a neighborhood east of Malibu, as a brush fire and was quickly exploded in Southern California’s dry weather conditions.
A $4B settlement for Hawaii wildfire victims is in legal limbo as an unusual trial starts
HONOLULU — When Hawaii Gov. Josh Green announced a $4 billion settlement about a year after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century devastated Lahaina in 2023, he touted the speed of the deal to “avoid protracted and painful lawsuits.” Five months later, however, an unusual trial starting Wednesday will delve into difficult questions about survivors’ losses as a judge decides how to divide the settlement. Some victims will take the witness stand, while others have submitted pre-recorded testimony, describing pain made all the more fresh by the recent destruction in Los Angeles.
Power line had increase in current on day of Eaton Fire, California utility says
High-voltage power lines saw a temporary surge in electrical current in the area where the deadly Eaton Fire is believed to have started following a "fault" on a line elsewhere in the region's transmission network, Southern California Edison said Monday. While the fault, or disturbance, occurred several miles away on a power line that does not traverse Eaton Canyon, it was detected at 6:11 p.m. on Jan. 7, the utility said in a filing with state public utilities regulators. That was only minutes before authorities received initial reports of a wind-fueled fire originating in the canyon at 6:18 p.m.
Trump seeks to circumvent laws on California's water amid wildfire response
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has signed an executive order seeking to circumvent federal and state laws dealing with California's water system in an effort to provide the southern part of the state with necessary water resources to fight wildfires. Almost immediately after the onset of the recent spate of wildfires in Los Angeles, "firefighters were unable to fight the blaze due to dry hydrants, empty reservoirs, and inadequate water infrastructure," the executive order said.